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“Is that all?”
“No,” I replied. “How long are we going keep up this farce for? What do we do about a break-up? How will we explain this to the people at the office?”
A small sense of panic settled in my belly. “And what about my family? If they see me plastered all over the news they’ll know where to find me.”
That was the most terrifying prospect of all.
“Relax.” Caleb held my forearms. “We’ll figure the details out tomorrow. It’s getting late.”
“And I’m getting cold,” I added, my mood turning solemn.
Caleb chuckled. “Will you still remember this in the morning?”
“It’s not likely. You should have had it put on paper.”
He leaned in again, and this time I leaned in too. “I’ll just remind you. There’s no backing out now, Kadence. And don’t worry about your family. I’ll protect you.”
My skin pebbled, and he caught the shiver that had nothing to do with the cold. “I’m going to let you finish up, and get to bed.”
To his credit, he didn’t look at my body once while he climbed from the tub, even though the bubbles had started disappearing. I brought my knees up, hiding myself, and then Caleb surprised me by extending a towel. I stood up, and took it from him, wrapping it around myself.
“Thanks,” I muttered. I swayed on my feet, and Caleb reached for me.
“You have to stop that,” I told him.
“Stop what?”
I arched my neck so that I could meet his eyes. “Saving me. You’ve been doing that a lot.”
His mouth twitched, and his eyes softened. “Oh sweet Kadence, I’m afraid my intentions as far as you’re concerned have always been too depraved for me to save you. But I have a feeling you’re going to be the one to save me.”
CALEB’S LIPS CURLED around the rim of his mug, and he watched with mirth-filled eyes. He was mocking me, laughing at my self-inflicted discomfort. I’d stumbled out of bed an hour ago with a steady, and unrelenting headache, and Caleb, being the consummate gentleman that he was, reminded me of the bottle of wine I’d polished the night before.
“Stop enjoying this so much,” I mumbled, sipping some orange juice. It was warm for a Saturday morning, and Caleb and I were sitting at the breakfast island, a cool breeze traveling through the open terrace doors.
“If I had known you were so much fun hung over, I would have locked my wine cellar.”
I rolled my eyes.
“After last night, I’m never touching a bottle of alcohol again. Wine is the devil’s lemonade.”
Caleb shook his head with a chuckle, and placed all our dirty dishes in the dishwasher. After a greasy breakfast, I was starting to feel a little better, and decided to spend the day at the fresh produce market in Union Square.
Alfie walked in, his gargantuan frame dressed casually for once. “Mr. Callahan. The new nanny is here.”
I sat up, and frowned at Caleb. “You got a new nanny? When?”
“I found him earlier this week,” he replied, walking towards the atrium. “He babysat for me once, and Braelynn loved him.”
“Him?”
He disappeared, and I heard a few muffled words exchanged before he came back, followed by a young man. His dark brown hair was cut short on the sides, with a few longer pieces hanging in his eyes. He had a lean build, with sharp cheekbones, and piercing eyes. Dressed in a light blue polo shirt, and khaki shorts, he looked like he was a model.
He was the new nanny?
“Kadence,” he gestured towards me. “This is Henry. He will be looking after Braelynn for the next week.”
I stood up, and took the hand Henry offered.
