5+Us Makes Seven_A Nanny Single Dad Romance

by Nicole Elliot

  After we returned to our hotel last night, I wanted to make love to her, ready to ask her to be my girlfriend, for real this time, but she refused me, saying she didn’t feel well. She went to sleep early, barely exchanging a few words with me.

  Her excuse not to sleep with me didn’t sound plausible, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt, expecting her to go back to her old self next morning. However, she proved me wrong when we got up and started packing, being all distant and unresponsive.

  We were flying home, and all this time she was quiet and in her own head. I wanted to start a conversation with her, but I didn’t know how. She was nervous because of her fear of flying, and it bothered me that she didn’t even allow me to help her and reduce her anxiety.

  Clearing my throat, I turned my head to look at her. “Chloe?”

  She was gazing through the window, not moving an inch. “Yes?”

  I clenched my jaw, wishing she would at least look at me. “I’m worried about you. Talk to me.”

  She didn’t respond immediately, glancing at the book that was in her lap. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “How do I not worry about you when we barely spoke today? You’ve been acting weird since yesterday, so don’t tell me you’re fine. You aren’t fine.”

  She still wasn’t looking at me, and it was starting to piss me off. “Is this because of my decision? You’re afraid you’re going to lose your job?”

  She met my gaze at last, maintaining her blank expression. “We already talked about this yesterday, Bryce. I told you I’m supporting your decision, so what more do you want?”

  I winced, taken about with her bitterness. Something was definitely off. “What more do I want? I want you to stop acting like a sulking teenager and talk with me. We’re adults, Chloe. So we should talk about this.”

  She crossed her arms. “There is nothing we should talk about.”

  “Do you even hear yourself? Are you really leaving me with no explanation? You’ve been distant since yesterday, so don’t tell me everything is fine. If you’re angry with me, say it.”

  “I’m not angry with you.” Her flat voice made me even madder, and I fisted my hands on my lap.

  This was leading us nowhere. I was getting angrier, while she was becoming more reserved.

  “Fine,” I said and looked away. “If you say so.”

  We spend the rest of our flight in uncomfortable silence, which did nothing to tone down my anger and anxiety. Why did she have to be so difficult?

  I went to the board the first thing next morning, ready to notify them about my decision to quit. Just like yesterday, Chloe gave me the cold shoulder, sticking to business and refusing to talk about things irrelevant to her work, claiming she was too busy.

  My anger had diminished, leaving fear in its wake. I didn’t want to lose her. Now that I knew how much she meant to me, I couldn’t let her grow more distanced from me or even worse—to completely lose her. None of this would happen if I talked with her first and told her I wanted to be with her, but now it was too late to cry over spilled milk.

  If my guess was right, she was distant because she was afraid to lose her job, so I had to make sure she stayed on her position. I wasn’t going to let her lose her job.

  On my way to the conference room, I found her next to a photocopier in the hallway. My eyes instantly went down her slim back and lush ass, which were hugged tightly by her sexy gray suit. She was wearing sexy high heels, and once again, I wished to have her only in those.

  Inhaling the sweet fragrance of her perfume, I stopped right behind her and leaned into her ear.

  “I’m going now to the board to notify them about my decision,” I whispered, and she winced, startled by me. I placed my hands on her shoulders, reminding myself that we were in the hallway where anyone could pass and see us, and forced myself to maintain control over my urge to take her right here.

  “I’ll also make sure they keep you on your position, so you don’t have to worry about losing your job.”

  I planted a brief kiss on her earlobe and pulled away from her before she could even answer me. Spinning around, I headed to the conference room.

  “Good morning, everyone,” I greeted the members of the board, who were already seated, waiting for me.

  “Good morning,” they replied in unison.

  The secretary offered me coffee, which I accepted eagerly, needing a big dosage to keep me energized. I leaned into my chair and glanced at all ten members that were present today.

  “Let’s get down to the business. All of you have been with me since the beginning, so you’ve witnessed this hospital’s exponential growth from its humble beginnings.”

  “It’s all thanks to you,” Mr. Rowe, my CFO, said. “Your business skills showed us time after time that you’re capable of achieving anything you want.”

  “That is true, but all of that would be impossible without your help.” I motioned at them. “You’ve put a lot of faith in me, but you also gave me freedom to make decisions and proceed however I wanted. So I want to thank you all once again for everything you’ve done and enabled me to do so far.”

  “Why does this sound like goodbye?” Mrs. Lewis, one of the shareholders, asked.

  “Because it is goodbye.” My answer was met with shocked gasps and frowns, all of my members equally surprised. “I’ll be completely honest with you. For years my business has been everything to me. I planned to expand it, hoping to make an empire that would bring us billions one day. I hoped to create a hospital network, which would expand across several states and serve millions of people.”

  “And we gave you our full support,” another shareholder said.

  “Exactly. So, that had been my mission and top priority. But the thing is—I didn’t always want to be in the business. That is not why I started studying medicine. My dreams and goals were completely different back then, and I’m afraid I’ve forgotten them completely in my pursuit for money.”

  Mrs. Lewis leaned toward me, intertwining her hands on the table. “What are you saying, Bryce?”

  “I’m saying that I’ve completely disregarded my original dream. I’ve forgotten that my first and biggest dream was to save lives. But thanks to a special someone”—I broke out into a huge smile, thinking about Chloe and her words—“I managed to remember what truly matters to me. I want to see more patients. I want to get back to research, which will allow me to help more people. I want to dedicate myself to what truly matters to me.”

  No one said a word as they waited for me to continue, still bewildered.

  “So I decided that I won’t be in charge of the hospital anymore. As of today, I’m stepping down as a president.”

  Mr. Hernandez, my COO, was the first to break the silence that stretched on after my revelation. “Are you absolutely sure about this, Bryce? You are aware that this can change a lot of things, right? If we assign someone else to take your place, we will have to postpone the new hospital project.”

  “I’m perfectly aware of this, and I’m fine with it. After all, the future of my business now lies in your hands.”

  “Let me make this clear,” one of the shareholders said. “You are okay with any outcome?”

  “As long as I can dedicate my time to my patients, yes. You have absolute freedom to do whatever you want.”

  I leaned my elbows against the table and looked at each of them. “Look, this doesn’t come as an easy decision, but it is definitely the right one. And I believe you will be able to find the suitable person to replace me.”

  “Well, if that is what you really want, then I will support you,” Mr. Rowe said. “I believe in your judgment, and if going back to medicine is what you really want, then all I can do is wish you all the best with your future endeavors.”

  “Thank you, Steve.”

  “I also agree,” Martha added. “You’re a valuable part of this hospital and rather irreplaceable, in my opinion, but I’ll respect your decision.”

&n
bsp; I nodded to her. “Thank you, Martha. I appreciate that a lot.”

  One after another, all members agreed, making my decision a lot easier. A rush of joy spread through my chest and relief flooded my system. Now that this was over with, I felt completely free—like I had finally found myself—and I wanted to celebrate.

  Immediately thinking of Chloe, I decided to invite her to dinner in the name of this.

  “How about your brand-new assistant, Chloe Lewis?” Mr. Hernandez asked. “What should we do with her?”

  “She has to stay. You have to keep her on for the transition and the next president, and that is my only demand,” I informed them. “Chloe is a valuable worker, and she showed one hundred percent devotion to her work. She is extremely knowledgeable, responsible, and ambitious, so I’m sure that whoever becomes a president can completely rely on her.”

  “Well, if you insist and guarantee that she is a good worker, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t let her remain on her position,” Mr. Rowe remarked. “I agree.”

  Mrs. Lewis smiled at me. “You know the best, Bryce. Besides, we don’t have to waste time on finding someone new. It’s better to have someone who has already shown their commitment to work and has good skills. I agree.”

  They all gave their approval, and my excitement rose. Chloe wasn’t going to lose her job. Knowing her, I was sure she would make a lot of progress here, quickly climbing the ladder, and I was happy for her. I couldn’t wait to tell her the news.

  Our meeting finished half an hour later, after all the details of the transition and the nominees were discussed. I exited the room feeling more carefree than ever. My smile was plastered across my face as I went back to my office, my footsteps light.

  “Chloe?” I called her when I reached her desk.

  She turned her gaze from her computer screen to me, looking at me questioningly. “Yes?”

  “I think you’ll be pleased to know that the meeting with the board went extraordinary well. We’ve discussed your position, and they agreed to let you stay. So you don’t have to worry about losing your job.” Her lips parted, her face twisting in silent surprise.

  I reached her and glanced around to see if there was anyone looking our way before I lowered my lips to her ear. “I miss you, Chloe. These few days you’ve been different, but I hope we can get over that and start fresh.” I placed a kiss on her cheek, wishing to do so much more to her.

  “I want to invite you to dinner. We need to celebrate this, and I really hope you’ll say yes.”

  14

  Chloe

  It was so easy for Bryce to mess with my senses and reason. Even though I had tried to put some distance between us, for the fear of losing my job was taking quite a toll on me, it wasn’t easy to ignore how I felt whenever he approached me.

  My pounding heart and clenching mound reminded me whom I really wanted, making me feel worse because I couldn’t let myself fall more for him if I was to lose my job and never see him again. It was bad enough that we were having sex together, but actually expecting him to put his heart on the line for me was outrageous. Or so I had thought.

  This morning, Bryce showed me that he cared for me more than I could have imagined, doing all he could to help me stay on my job, and I felt so grateful to him.

  I had to admit that I hadn’t been fair to him. He had told me he wouldn’t let me lose my job, but I hadn’t believed him, spending these last two days sulking and going over all the grim possibilities in my head. I was already preparing myself for the tedious round of interviews as I tried to find something that would be as good as this job, which was almost an impossible mission.

  I didn’t want to lose this job, and I didn’t want to lose Bryce. But hearing I wouldn’t lose my job after all raised my spirits, bringing me much-needed relief.

  So when Bryce invited me out to dinner, I gladly accepted, growing more and more excited about it. After work, he sent me a dress and roses, completely taking me by surprise, and I couldn’t stop admiring the flowers or the short red dress that looked like it cost a fortune. I decided to wear it tonight, pairing it with black-red high heels.

  Looking myself in the mirror as I applied makeup, I contemplated about the possibility that Bryce liked me too. Why would he try so hard and send me flowers and a gorgeous dress if he didn’t want something serious with me? Maybe this was a start of something real between us. Just the thought of being Bryce Evander’s girlfriend made me tickled pink.

  I was unusually nervous when I got out of my building and found him waiting for me, leaning against his Audi. His eyes skimmed over the dress I was wearing, stopping on my bosom that was accentuated with the low cut of the top, and my pulse sped up.

  “You look beautiful, Chloe,” he told me when he approached me and kissed me, putting a halt to all my thoughts.

  I responded greedily, realizing just now how much I had missed kissing him these last two days, and wrapped my arms around his waist to bring him closer to me. Our tongues clashed against each other, our mutual hunger growing stronger the more we spent time in a heated embrace.

  “Fuck. You have no idea how much I needed this. I needed you.” He pecked my forehead, looking at me with adoration. “Thank you for wearing my dress. It looks amazing on you.”

  “Thank you. Also, thank you for the dress and flowers. I love them. How did you know that roses are my favorite?”

  He flashed his sexy smirk. “It was a lucky guess. Now let’s go before I decide to take that dress off you before we even had dinner.”

  The place he’d taken me to was exuding money and elegance. It was furnished with the most expensive furniture and serving the richest people around, if their expensive clothes were anything to go by. Bryce looked like he was in his element, acting confidently, which was totally sexy. We ordered our food and wine, unable to stop staring at each other as if we had been separated for months.

  “I’m sorry, Bryce. I’ve been difficult since our trip, and I wasn’t being fair at all. I was really afraid I was going to lose my job, and even though you assured me that wouldn’t happen, I was still freaking out and thinking about the worst-case scenario.”

  He cupped my hand with his, his beautiful green eyes peering into mine. “I understand. I just wish you talked with me about it. I want you to believe in me, Chloe, because I care about you.”

  My heart picked up its pace immediately. “You care about me?”

  “Yes. I care about you, and I won’t allow you to stay without your job no matter what. I want you to advance your career and become more successful, and I believe you’ll be able to achieve that if you stay in my hospital.”

  I was floored, his highly encouraging words giving me a boost I needed.

  “So even though I’m stepping away from the board and focusing more on my patients, you’re set for at least a year. They assured me they will keep you on the same position for the transition and when the next president comes. They will present you a new contract in a few days, which will contain this new clause. Of course, as I mentioned, I believe that if you keep working like this, you’ll be promoted soon.”

  I smiled back at him, exhilarated at the prospect of being promoted. Even though it was early to talk about this, knowing that Bryce believed in me spoke volumes. I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to worry about my job, and now, after everything, I wondered why I had ever made such a fuss about his decision, jumping to conclusions too quickly.

  “Thank you. You know, I’ve been lost before, searching for an adequate job that never came, so when I started working for you it was heaven-sent. I’ve finally found something that suits me and makes me happy, so hearing I won’t lose my job makes me ecstatic. Seriously, thank you.”

  “No need to thank me, sweetheart. If there is anyone who should be thanking right now, that is me. You’re the one who made me see that I want more interaction with patients and time to do research. You helped me remember my real dream. I want to save lives. I want to do what really fulfills
me instead of just chasing more money.”

  My smile grew huge, my chest expanding with powerful emotions. I wanted to reach out to him and kiss him senseless. “Really? I helped you?”

  “Yes. You reminded me that money doesn’t really make me happy. Saving people’s lives does. Research and working with patients are more important than money.” He palmed my cheek and caressed it languidly. “I was able to change thanks to you, and I can’t even explain to you how much you helped me.”

  “Oh, Bryce.”

  I was elated. I was thrilled to see him like this—to see that spark in his eyes as he talked about medicine—and I wanted nothing more for him than to do just that. He would be truly happy, and nothing else mattered.

  “Remember when I told you I researched about you? Well, I’ve read one of your interviews and I remember you said there is nothing better than saving a life. It makes me happy that you reflected on your choices and decided to make a difficult but the right choice. And I was so wrong for thinking you should stay at your position.”

  I’d been selfish, thinking that maybe resigning from his position was unnecessary, without even considering what actually mattered to Bryce. I was thinking about my own future, completely disregarding the fact that Bryce would remain unhappy if he stayed in the charge of the hospital.

  In the end, I couldn’t actually be happy if he was in the place that didn’t bring him what he needed.

  “That was selfish and you didn’t deserve it—especially my cold treatment. So I’m sorry for how I acted these last few days.”

  He slid his hand over my arm and across my neck, reaching my cheek. I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes as I basked in the feel of his skin against mine.

  “You don’t have to apologize. I understand. So I just want you to relax now and enjoy this time with me.”

  “I always enjoy spending time with you. And I’m so happy for you because you’re able to get back to what you really love.”