The Billionaire's Super Nanny (A BWWM Romance)

by Tiana Cole

  She looked down in awe at the bright red dot growing steadily on her shirt. She looked at me, a sickening smile on her face.

  “He’ll always be mine,” she said, collapsing in a heap on the floor.

  I heard a commotion in the doorway and more officers made their way into my condo, guns drawn. The officer who shot Lynne rushed forward to check for a pulse. Taylor stood in shock, staring down at Lynne’s lifeless body and the pool of blood spreading beneath her.

  “Get me out of here!” I screamed, straining and bucking against the ropes.

  Taylor blinked, rushing to action and grabbing a knife from the cutting block on the counter. He sawed at the ropes while I sobbed and mumbled for him to hurry. I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t feel my hands.

  “Taylor, hurry.”

  “Deep breaths, Zeya. I’ve almost got it.”

  I was freaking out and I knew it, but there was a dead woman at my feet and I was tied to a chair in my own kitchen. After keeping my shit together for so long, I didn’t have it left in me to remain calm for one more second.

  Chapter 18

  Taylor

  When the last rope fell away, Zeya fell out of the chair and I carried her into my lap and onto the floor. I scooted away from Lynne’s body until my back was against the wall. I cradled Zeya in my arms, her face pressed against my chest as chaos erupted around us. I whispered in her ear, apologizing over and over for the things I’d said.

  “I didn’t mean any of it,” I whispered.

  “I know.”

  Her voice was distant, her body almost convulsing, she was so frightened. And who could blame her?

  I tried not to look over at Lynne, but it was inevitable. She didn’t look dead, and I wouldn’t believe it until a coroner pronounced her as such. I felt like I was in the beginning of a bad horror movie. I was holding my breath, waiting for her to jump up and declare that she was just fine.

  But she didn’t, and the light in her eyes faded even as the light smile remained. I closed my eyes and wished her a swift and peaceful journey to the other side. She’d been a horrible person, and I had every right to hate her. But in her more lucid moments, she’d known what she was and she’d fought to free herself of her internal prison.

  A single tear slid down my cheek while I mourned the loss of that Lynne, and not the one who had held a knife above my unborn child. I would never mourn that woman.

  “When were you going to tell me you were pregnant?” I asked, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice.

  “I didn’t know. I took the test last night and it was negative. I guess it darkened overnight?”

  She looked up at me, and through the tears I could see she was waiting for me to say that I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t angry, but if I had known I—

  I what? Would’ve had the bodyguard on her around the clock like I already planned against her wishes? It wouldn’t have gone over well, and it probably wouldn’t have prevented this. Zeya was headstrong and independent. There was no way she would have allowed that, pregnant or not.

  My thoughts raced. She was pregnant. We were going to have a baby.

  “What are you smiling about?” she asked, incredulous.

  “We’re going to have a baby.”

  “We are.”

  An officer came over to us, squatting down on his haunches so that he was eyelevel with Zeya.

  “I just want to say I’m sorry for what happened last month.”

  Zeya looked at him, then looked away. She stopped trembling and her body went rigid. She said nothing to him, but I felt her fist clench against my leg.

  “I think it’s a little late for sorry,” I said to the man. “Your negligence nearly cost two lives today. Think about that the next time you write someone off because you think they ‘look like the type’ to cause drama.”

  The officer nodded, his face red as he stood and walked out into the hall. I could see a man standing there. The bars on his arm identified him as a higher-ranking officer, probably brought in to investigate a police-involved shooting. They were going to be here awhile, sorting through the scene and trying to piece together what happened.

  I set Zeya on her feet and stood, arm around her, leading her toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” asked the officer with the bars.

  “We’re going home.”

  I handed him my card and kept walking, ignoring him. He could make an appointment and interview Zeya somewhere comfortable where she felt safe. There was no way I was going to allow her to endure hours of questions in sight of a dead body. There was no sense in being rich if I couldn’t throw my weight around now and then.

  I led her to the sidewalk and toward my chopper. She walked as if she was in a daze, and I was getting more and more concerned.

  “Zeya, are you all right? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

  She shook her head no, but said nothing.

  I didn’t push. She’d been through a lot, and I wasn’t going to force her out of her shell now.

  She didn’t even seem to register the chopper and sat placidly in the seat while I buckled her up and ran around to my side. I flew slowly, easing the chopper through the city and landing lightly at home without any fancy flying or showboating.

  Thank God for Sonja. She jumped right in, sliding an arm around Zeya and leading her to the guest room. I heard a bath drawing as the door shut in my face. I knew she was in good hands.

  “Daddy! Daddy, you’re home!”

  Tanner and Tara ran from the playroom, squealing in delight when they saw me. I kneeled down and they flung themselves into my arms. Holding them tight, I closed my eyes against the tears that threatened.

  I’d almost lost everything today, and I had to force myself not to go over and over the times that Lynne was close enough to snatch the kids and hadn’t. She’d been right there and had gone for Zeya instead.

  I didn’t like how things had played out, but I couldn’t come up with a better scenario in my mind. Everything had gone to shit, but somehow, I’d come home with my family intact.

  I played with the kids for hours, and slowly, the picture of Lynne holding a knife in two hands above her head, ready to plunge it into Zeya, faded away. Everything was all right. My kids were safe. Zeya was safe.

  And Lynne was gone for good.

  I left Zeya alone until after the kids were in bed. I knocked softly on the door and waited for Sonja to answer.

  “Can I see her? Is she all right?”

  “She’s resting, but she ate a little bit for dinner.”

  “Do I need to call the doctor?”

  “No. She just needs to rest.”

  “He can come in,” Zeya said softly from the bed.

  Sonja stepped back, letting me in and hurrying out the door to give us space.

  “I’ve been worried about you,” I said, sitting on the side of the bed and grabbing her hand.

  “I’m all right. I’m exhausted, but every time I close my eyes I see her and—”

  Her voice broke and she dissolved into fresh tears. I pulled the covers back and kicked off my shoes as I crawled into bed beside her. I wrapped the blankets around us and pulled her against me. She was shaking again.

  “It’s going to be all right,” I said over and over. “I’m right here, and I’m never leaving.”

  She was quiet for a long while, and I just held her. I was starting to think she had fallen asleep when soft laughter bubbled out of her.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing is funny. It’s just, what a hell of a way to find out I’m pregnant. I didn’t even know, and she’s just waving the stick in my face like a madwoman. It’s like a crazy dream that I couldn’t wake up from.”

  “Except you’re still pregnant.”

  “I am. And I feel pregnant. Sonja says that’s why I’m so tired.”

  “I would trust her. Still, I’ll have the doctor come in the morning to check on you.”

  “Here? At the house?”


  “Yes, why?”

  She shook her head.

  “You are a sweet and intelligent man, but you are so out of touch.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’d like to see my own doctor. She’s been my doctor since I was a little girl, and I want her to be one of the first to know.”

  “Okay. We’ll go see your doctor tomorrow.”

  “We?”

  “Of course we. I’m not going to make you go alone. I want to be there. Every step of the way.”

  “Wow.”

  “What?”

  “I just can’t believe this is all happening.”

  “You don’t have to think about it right now. Get some rest, and we’ll talk in the morning.”

  She yawned wide.

  “That sounds like a good idea,” she said.

  She snuggled deeper into my arms and was instantly asleep. I moved slightly, trying to get comfortable. It was going to be a long night, and as long as she was comfortable and felt safe, I wasn’t going anywhere.

  ***

  The next morning, I woke up with a stiff neck and my arm was asleep. Zeya was sleeping peacefully in the bed, the stress from the day before gone from her face. She’d tossed and turned some throughout the night, but not nearly as much as I thought she might.

  I moved out of bed slowly, quietly closing the door behind me and making my way to the kitchen.

  I was greeted by Tanner and Tara, who were helping Sonja cook pancakes on a large griddle.

  “What are you two doing?” I asked, kissing them both on top of their heads.

  “We’re making breakfast in bed for Zeya. Sonja said she needs her rest, so we wanted to make her food.”

  My heart melted. What sweet babies I had. They didn’t deserve the hand that they’d drawn in this life.

  I jumped in to the fray, rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on breakfast. Tara and Tanner chatted non-stop, making plans for the day.

  “Are we going to school?” Tara asked.

  “Not for awhile.”

  “That’s good. I didn’t like it when that lady showed up.”

  Tara shot me a nervous look. I knew why she’d said “that lady”, instead of mommy. She was trying to distance herself emotionally, to separate the mother she knew and loved from the monster Lynne had become.

  Tara was waiting for me to react to, but I didn’t. I didn’t know how to tell them that Lynne was gone, this time for good.

  Hopefully, Zeya would help me navigate such an important conversation. I knew I would only have one shot at it, and I didn’t want to screw it up.

  “I didn’t either, Tara. We’ll talk about that a little later.”

  “Is that why we’re not going?” she persisted.

  “It’s part of the reason. But it’s also because I’m taking some time off and we’re going to go on a family vacation.”

  Both kids instantly erupted into delighted squeals.

  “Where are we going?” Tanner asked.

  He bounced around in the kitchen, eyes wide and a huge smile on his face.

  “I don’t know yet. We’ll figure it out together.”

  I grabbed the serving tray and held it down so that they could load the tray up with her food. Sonja placed a tiny vase on the tray with a single yellow daisy in it.

  “I picked that,” Tara said.

  “I helped!” Tanner added.

  “She’s going to love it. Now let’s all be quiet so we can surprise her.”

  I led the way up the stairs, taking my time so they could keep up. I was as eager to surprise Zeya as they were, but I wanted to do it right. They’d worked so hard on this meal, and I didn’t want to take anything away from that.

  I knocked softly on the door.

  “Come in.”

  “Tara and Tanner made breakfast for you. I hope you’re hungry.”

  The kids bounded into the room before she could respond, rushing to the bed and launching themselves into Zeya’s arms.

  “We missed you so much,” Tanner said.

  Tara was silent, holding Zeya tightly with her little eyes closed just a tightly. When she finally let go, her voice was soft and hesitant.

  “Zeya, are you going to stay with us forever?”

  Zeya was shocked, but she quickly hid the expression and looked down at Tara with a gentle smile.

  “I’m going to stay as long as you need me.”

  “I think we’ll need you forever,” Tanner offered.

  Zeya looked at me, eyes shiny with unshed tears.

  I sat on the side of the bed and squeezed her hand.

  “We all need you, Zeya.”

  “I’m such a mess, though,” she said.

  “No you’re not. You’re stunning and wonderful.”

  “And hard-headed, and stubborn and independent.”

  “You’re those things too, but that’s just part of your charm.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  I looked up, noticing that the children were staring at the two of us, hanging onto every word even though they probably didn’t understand half of what we were saying. I sent them outside to wait in the hall with Sonja so we could talk in private. I didn’t know how the rest of this conversation was going to go and there were things that little ears didn’t need to hear.

  When the door closed behind the children, I looked Zeya right in the eye.

  “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “We’ll talk about it later.”

  “I’m not ready to think about anything permanent, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  “Permanent can come later. Right now, I’m willing to take it one day at a time.”

  “I have a job I can’t just walk away from.”

  Actually, she could. But I didn’t think now was the time to tell her what I’d done.

  “I have three extra rooms here that are taking up space. I can covert one into a studio and you can do your radio show form here.”

  “You aren’t getting it. I have a contract that I would have to pay a percentage of my earnings to buy my way out of. That’s going to be much more that I got a raise—”

  She stopped, understanding suddenly dawning on her face.

  “Wait. That day in the booth, when you and Ted were acting strange and he gave me a raise out of the blue?”

  “Yes?”

  I thought playing coy was my best defense, but I could tell she already sort of knew.

  “You bought out my contract, didn’t you?”

  “I did.”

  She whacked me in the side with a throw pillow. The gesture was somewhat playful, but I wasn’t so sure.

  “How could you? I didn’t need you to buy me out.”

  “Oh yes you did. Ted is not the man you imagined him to be, though I’m sure he means well. I hope.”

  She gave me a sly look.

  “So that’s what all that ridiculous posturing was about. Ted lost his leverage.”

  “Exactly. You can work from home here, and I’ll hire someone to do all the behind the scenes work. All you have to do is your show. And if I have to buy the rights to the show from him too, I will.”

  “No. I own the rights to that.”

  “Good. Then it’s settled.”

  “Nothing is settled,” she said. Her body was stiff, her tone all business. “I never said yes. And you never actually asked me if I wanted to work from here.”

  “Touché.”

  I knelt before the bed, holding one hand in mine and looking up at her.

  “Zeya Sparks, will you do me the honor of letting me take care of you the rest of our lives and allow me to build you your very own studio in our home?”

  “This isn’t about the radio show, is it?”

  “Not entirely.”

  I winked at her and we both laughed softly.

  “What if I say yes to the studio and ‘I’m not sure’ to everything else?”

&nb
sp; “I can accept that, for now.”

  “And if I don’t change my mind?”

  “Then I guess I’ll have to work harder.”

  I brought her hand to my lips, kissing her ring finger, eyes locked with hers so that my intention was clear. I was going to put a ring on that finger, even if it took me the rest of our lives to do it.

  Zeya set her plate away, thanking Tara and Tanner for the lovely meal, even though she’d only eaten a small portion of it. The pair took the tray and the plate. They waved off my offer of help and headed out the door on their own. I moved closer to Zeya, putting my arm around her and resting my free hand on her belly.

  “You only have a few months at most before I’m showing. What if I still say no?”

  “It’s not about that. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.”

  “So my pregnancy changes nothing?”

  She lightly touched her belly, a tender smile touching her lips.

  “It does and it doesn’t. I already loved you before I knew you were carrying my baby. Now there’s just more to love.”

  I pulled her into my arms, gently kissing her bruised mouth.

  “Whether your answer is yes or no doesn’t change how I feel about you, Zeya Sparks. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Chapter 19

  Zeya

  I said no to Taylor that day, much too overwhelmed with everything I’d been through to think about marriage or anything beyond getting ready for our baby and designing the perfect in-home studio. I wasn’t going to let him build it yet, at least not until I was ready to say yes to marrying him. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to marry him, but everything happened so fast. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t rushing into it like I did the last marriage. We all know how that mess turned out.

  What I did say an immediate yes to was the “family” vacation. I didn’t feel like part of the family yet, but we all needed to get away from everything that had been going on in the last few months. I’d never been to Europe, and I was excited about going. And it was as magical as I thought it would be. We spent six glorious weeks exploring before we made our way back to New York. It had been like living in a fairytale, but both Taylor and I decided that it was time to head back.

  I never went back to the condo. I decided to sell it and its contents without looking back. Taylor retrieved a few personal items for me, and the album taken sporadically throughout my childhood.