The Hot Daddy Box Set Read online

  A dark chuckle escaped my lips. Maybe Daniel wanted something fancy for the baby, not merely practical items. I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t ask.

  I sighed. I’d concentrate on the basics. I couldn’t even claim I fully understood Daniel’s tastes in the professional environment, so it would make no sense to worry if he’d wanted a diamond-covered pacifier or whatever.

  The reality was that Daniel probably hadn’t yet had a chance to think through and understand basic facts, like he’d need a car seat to bring the baby home from the hospital. On the elevator up, I’d tried to be efficient and asked him about the things Daisy had already bought, but he made it clear he wanted new things for the baby.

  The pain in his face made it clear that I shouldn’t ask again. It broke my heart. For all the trouble he had with his sister, I suspected he thought the baby would be a new beginning for both of them, a way to repair their strained relationship. Now, there was nothing he could do about his sister, even if the baby did represent a new beginning.

  His earlier words floated back into my head. Never even wanted kids, really. The whole thing was like some sort of cruel joke.

  I tried to blink away the tears welling up in my eyes. The situation tore at my heart, with a baby that was born effectively orphaned, and her guardian was a man who didn’t even really want her.

  Daniel’s declarations didn’t anger me, but I did feel sadness. After all, there was something to be admired in a man making sure his youngest relative would be taken care of, but I couldn’t help but think about what that would mean for the future.

  He ran a huge company and often worked the weekends. If he’d wanted to settle down and have a family, he probably would have done it before he was forty-one. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the money, after all.

  Would his niece grow up under the care of nannies her entire life? I had trouble imagining Daniel would suddenly decide to give up his business career and become a stay-at-home dad, even if he was already fabulously rich. He didn’t seem the type.

  I shook my head. It didn’t matter. The future wasn’t my problem, especially the future of Daniel’s niece. My job was to make sure his present and near-future were taken care of, which meant I needed to concentrate on the tasks before me.

  First, I needed to finish the baby supply list. Once that was taken care, I needed to rearrange his schedule for the next couple of weeks to make sure work wouldn’t be an issue. I was used to adjusting his schedule already, but not over such a lengthy period. It was going to require a lot of finesse and phone time.

  Daniel wouldn’t want me blathering about his personal business to business contacts, of that I was certain, so I’d have to be very circumspect in how I talked with the people in question and their staff as I rescheduled things.

  A good twenty minutes passed as I reviewed the supply list, adding things on each pass, and verifying the product numbers and links. I wanted everything to be as easy and stress-free as possible for him. Not having to worry about cost made the entire process a lot easier than I remembered it being when I had my baby.

  I took a few deep breaths, feeling rattled. I couldn’t let my concentration drift now. This wasn’t about me. It was about Daniel’s little niece. My tears would come later. It was the least I could do for a little girl who no longer had a mother.

  Movement caught my eye, and I turned.

  Daniel’s office door opened, and he stepped out, looking even more haggard than he had in the coffee shop. For the first time, I also realized he was wearing sweats and a t-shirt. Swept up in all the emotion before, I’d barely been able to think about the world right in front of me.

  There was something bizarre about seeing the man in such casual wear at the office. The only time I’d not seen him in a suit was at the bar, and that still wasn’t as casual as what he wore now. It was like the clothing screamed vulnerability, something I’d not associated with Daniel before.

  He offered me a weak smile. “It took a few impromptu interviews, but I think I’ve lined up a nanny, a young woman named Fiona.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I honestly hadn’t realized there were entire nanny training schools until just now. Of course it makes sense, but I—sorry, I’m just rambling.”

  I shook my head. “The important thing is that you’ll have help. Do you think you’ll be taking a lot of time off?”

  “I don’t know, to be honest. I’m not even sure how much I could help. I don’t know anything about babies.”

  “Lots of fathers don’t know much when their kids are first born.”

  “Except I’m not a father. I’m an uncle.”

  I sighed and shook my head. “You’re the closest thing that girl has to a father now.”

  Daniel exhaled and processed that for a few seconds before nodding. “I suppose you’re right. Titles don’t really matter in the end anyway. Duties and responsibilities do. Thanks again for finding that company for me. I can’t express how much that cuts down on my stress.”

  “You’re welcome.” I didn’t want to tell him I knew all about the best nanny sites because it was something I’d looked into when I’d had my baby. I’d planned to return to work after a few months, and I wanted to make sure my child was taken care of. Of course, I never got the chance to worry about that.

  “Something wrong?” Daniel asked.

  I shook my head, realizing my thoughts must have been showing on my face. “Just—thinking about everything.” I gestured toward my computer screen. “This is all done.” I saved the document I was working on and then emailed it to him. “I just sent you a list of things you’ll need to buy. I’ve even got direct links if you want to order them overnight or something.”

  “Hmm. Can you just go ahead and order them? You have a better idea of what the baby needs than I do.”

  For a moment, I wondered why he thought that. Just because I was a woman? He didn’t know about the baby I’d lost. It didn’t matter. I didn’t want to challenge him on the issue. After all, he was right. I did know better.

  “Have it all delivered to my house,” Daniel said, “and charge it to my personal account. If there’s any sort of premium to have them come and assemble it, pay that, too. I’ll make sure my housekeeper is there all day tomorrow to let anyone in.”

  I looked at the list. I’d wasted time writing the notes, but they did help me figure out what was important to buy immediately and what could wait.

  “Thanks again,” Daniel said and turned to leave. “For everything.”

  “Her name,” I blurted out.

  He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “What?”

  “What’s her name? You never told us.”

  “Sasha.” A thoughtful expression crossed his face for a moment. “Daisy wanted her called Sasha. I honored my sister’s wishes.”

  I could only offer a shallow nod in response.

  Daniel turned back around and headed toward the elevator, his shoulders slumped.

  I waited at my desk silence for several minutes. Once I was sure that I was alone, I let my head slump onto the desk, and let the tears flow.

  Unfair. The whole situation was cruel and unfair, but I wasn’t unsure what bothered me the most.

  Part of me didn’t like having to be exposed to a tragedy involving a baby again. To the injustice of an infant without a mom when I was a mom without an infant.

  I wiped my tears and tried to compose myself. The situation wasn’t about me. It was about little Sasha; she was the one who had been robbed of her mother. Maybe she wouldn’t notice at first, but eventually, she’d be old enough to understand that something very important had already been taken from her.

  Sucking in a breath, I realized I needed to make sure the baby supplies were taken care of, so there’d be no trouble at Daniel’s home. A quick check on the internet followed by a phone call revealed a baby supply company that could deliver everything I needed for a premium within twenty-four hours.

  Fifteen minutes and thousands of dollars later,
I had everything on its way to Daniel’s home.

  So my boss now had baby supplies and a nanny coming. The home front was taken care of. With the personal matters handled, it was now time to focus on the professional.

  Cracking my knuckles, I took a deep breath. I had a lot of meetings and non-time sensitive tasks to move for the next couple of weeks, and the quicker I rescheduled things, the less stress there would be all around.

  Crying never helped anything. The only thing I could do now was make sure that Daniel could concentrate on helping baby Sasha adjust to her new life.

  Chapter 13

  Daniel

  Two days later, I stood in Sasha’s new room as a matronly dressed young redhead walked around: my new nanny Fiona. She was inspecting all the baby furniture and supplies that had been delivered the previous day. I couldn’t tell one brand from another for baby supplies, but I trusted Morgan’s judgment.

  I’d have to send some flowers or something to Morgan to thank her. Her quick work had made a stressful potential disaster turn into something I barely had to worry about. Considering everything else on my plate, it was a huge relief.

  For the first time in a long time, I was barely thinking about my company. It was oddly relaxing in a way. I didn’t worry at that moment about the implications for the future. I figured the next couple of weeks would be overly focused on Sasha, even with all the help I had.

  Fiona walked between the different pieces of furniture and boxes, nodding to herself and occasionally murmuring phrases like, “This will be useful,” “good choice,” or “good, good.”

  The new nanny was young, probably not much older than Daisy. The thought cut into my heart. What a waste. My sister might have had problems, but she’d never had a chance to finally grow up. I just knew that if she’d seen her daughter born it would have changed her. It was already changing me.

  “Does everything look all right?” I said. “I had my assistant order everything. I figured she’d know better than me. I’m clueless when it comes to kids.”

  “Well, I can assure you that your niece will be in good hands with me, Mr. Brown.” She tapped her bottom lip. “Does your assistant have children?”

  I shook my head.

  “Was she a nanny?”

  I shook my head again.

  “I see.” Fiona pursed her lips and let out a long sigh. “Keep in mind that women aren’t inherently great with children. If a woman doesn’t have special training like myself or isn’t dealing with her own baby and activating her own instincts, she’s bound to forget important things.” She clucked her tongue and continued her inspection. “That’s why it’s always important to go with a trained nanny, and not just an au pair, let alone some random woman who I’m sure is a great secretary, but not a nanny.”

  I appreciated her zeal but given that the nanny had not found anything out of place with the supplies ordered, I found it a bit presumptuous for her to insult Morgan, but I didn’t want to get into a fight with my new nanny right before bringing the baby home. I needed less stress right now, not more.

  After five minutes of additional inspection, Fiona stood near the door, her arms crossed over her chest. “Satisfactory. I would have made some other choices, but this will do for now.”

  “Is there anything you need right away then?” I asked.

  “No, no, everything seems to be in order. I’ll let you know after Sasha is settled in for a few days. Fortunately, you’re well prepared. Good, good.”

  I again resisted the urge to point out it was all thanks to Morgan. I needed to focus on what was important.

  “Okay. I’m off to pick up the baby,” I said.

  Fiona offered me a smile. “I look forward to meeting little Sasha. I’m sure she’s a wonderful little baby.”

  I headed out of the room, then down the stairs to the hallway leading to my garage. I opened the back door of my Lexus, checking the car seat. The whole experience felt strange, weird, like I was in someone else’s body. I was going to have to get used to a lot of new experiences now that I’d have a baby in my house.

  “Thanks, Morgan,” I mumbled. When the car seat had arrived, I was surprised. I’d been so focused on furniture and supplies, the idea of needing something for the car hadn’t even occurred to me. Of course, it seemed obvious in retrospect.

  I still had a meeting with my lawyer to deal with, but first I needed to pick up my niece from the hospital.

  Newborns are tiny. Ridiculously so. Sure, you might see them on television, but until you hold the tiny little child in your own arms, it’s hard to appreciate how small they were. I had single-arm weights heavier than my niece.

  I sat in a chair across from Sasha. She was napping in her cat seat. When I showed up, they informed me that I couldn’t take her home until they’d done a test with her in the seat. Given that I’d already lost my sister, the last thing I was going to do was take any chances with my niece’s health. Plus, it gave me more time to get used to the idea of her being home.

  Once the test was complete, I finished signing all the paperwork. The nurses all cooed over Sasha.

  “Oh, she’s so beautiful,” one nurse said. “Such a perfect little girl.”

  I stared at my niece. She was pretty, I guess, for a baby. Mostly she looked tiny and squishy to me. She was surprisingly quiet. I always imagined newborns as constantly crying, not that I’d spent any time around them to speak of.

  The nurses all waved at me as I stepped out of the birthing center. I glanced down at the baby to make sure she was snug and covered by her blanket. Satisfied, I offered a wave back to the nurses. A few of them teared up.

  I could only imagine that losing the mother had hurt them badly as well. The thought helped quell some of my rage. No one wanted to lose a patient, let alone a young mother, and it was rare enough that it probably haunted them as it haunted me.

  I walked to my car with the car seat in hand, glancing down at Sasha every so often to make sure she was okay. It’s not like she could talk to tell me she was uncomfortable.

  I slowed my steps as the gravity of what was occurring almost crushed me. The last couple of days had been a flurry of activity, but it’d had been easy to ignore some of the implications in the rush to get everything ready.

  Now, though, I couldn’t run away from the truth or push it away. I was taking my niece home because her mother, my younger sister, was dead. No money, effort, or clever plans would ever change that. For all my wealth and influence, there was nothing I could do. The only immediate family I had left now was Sasha.

  I took and released several deep breaths as I ruminated on that dark thought. Finally, I reached my car.

  Opening the back door, I set the car seat inside and secured it to the base. I thought more about Daisy as I settled Sasha in.

  Her funeral would be later that evening. I’d arranged for it to be a quiet and dignified affair. The vast majority of her friends lived in the greater Seattle area, and our remaining family connections were distant. I wondered if Sasha’s father would come. I wasn’t that worried. If he showed up, I’d send him away. A man who showed up too late was no kind of man at all. He hadn’t been good enough for my sister to be with, and he certainly wasn’t good enough for my niece.

  I gritted my teeth at the thought. It wasn’t like he’d killed her, but that still didn’t mean I didn’t want a chance to make him pay. Sometimes a scapegoat can make you feel better.

  With the car seat secured, I closed the door gently and walked to the other side. I slipped in the driver’s street and started the car.

  Soon, we were on the way back to my house. The nice thing about having a luxury car was the smooth suspension. Maybe I couldn’t cut diamonds in my car, but the baby wouldn’t have to deal with much jarring.

  After a few minutes, I glanced over my shoulder. Sasha was awake, but she wasn’t crying. I wasn’t sure if that was normal, and I wondered if everything would confuse me now. I wasn’t a big fan of not knowing what was going on
around me, especially now that another person’s life was in my hands.

  I deposited the car seat in front of Fiona in the living room. Fortunately for her, Sasha had fallen asleep again on the way home.

  Then again, I hadn’t seen much crying from my niece at all, but I hadn’t been at the hospital much. I’d been too busy making the arrangements to bring her home and for my sister’s funeral.

  “I have a meeting with my lawyer and then the funeral,” I told the nanny. “So I won’t be back until later this evening.”

  Fiona smiled. “Don’t worry, Mr. Brown. Your niece is in good hands with me.”

  I nodded and turned to leave. Leaving my niece in the hospital with trained nurses and doctors was one thing. There was a whole team of people dedicated to watching her, but it was still hard to get used to leaving her with this perfect stranger.

  Yes, Fiona had a great resume and good recommendations, but she seemed so young. Maybe it was discrimination, but I would have preferred a nanny who was older and had handled many different kids through the years, or at least a British one with magical powers who could sing.

  I scrubbed a hand over my face as I opened my front door and stepped outside. I’d only been a parent for a couple of days, and I already had so much greater insight into why people acted the way they did.

  This was the curse of true parenthood. All the pain and worry I’d felt over Daisy was minor. By the time I was responsible for her, she was already mostly grown up, and things like nannies weren’t ever a concern.

  Sasha was different. Every choice and mistake I made in the next few years might reverberate for the rest of her life. Even if I thought I was doing the right thing, I could end up messing her up in ways that I couldn’t begin to imagine. Ways that she’d resent me for later when she was an adult.

  I slipped into the driver’s seat of my car and rubbed my temples. I kept having to remind myself I wouldn’t have to do this on my own. Wealth bought access to resources and personnel. If Sasha fell behind in school, I could get her tutors. If she wanted to do any sort of sport, I could afford it. Art. Dance. Whatever she needed, I could provide.