Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Hey, buddy, what are you doing?”
He looked up with a smile that quickly faded. “I’m reading, Papa. What’s wrong?” He was too young to be so observant.
I sat on his bed and pulled him onto my lap, even though he swore he was too old for it. “We’re going away for a little while.” I waited, breath held for fear to strike.
Instead, his eyes widened in surprise. “Is it because of the man?” he whispered.
My heart stopped for a few seconds. “What man?” My voice came out sharper and harsher than I intended.
My son blinked as if he was trying to remember. “At school. He said he was a friend of the family, but he didn’t seem friendly. And he talked funny, but not like Great-Grandma Frannie funny.”
An accent. My stomach twisted, knowing just how close those fuckers had been to my kid. Rage surged, hot and boiling. I’d kill them all, starting with Sergei. I steadied my breathing and found a smile to keep Matteo calm. “Thanks for telling me,” I said softly. “You did the right thing staying away.”
He nodded, smiling at the praise. “Are we going far?”
I nodded. “Yes, but it will be an adventure for both of us.”
That word perked him right up. “Like the kind where we sleep in a hotel and have pancakes for dinner?” He gasped. “Or sleep outside and eat warm marshmallows? That was the best!”
I smiled at his boyish exuberance. “We’ll see.”
Matteo studied me with intense green eyes identical to mine. “So you won’t be working all the time?”
Shit. That was the problem that hadn’t arisen until this moment. “I’ll be working less,” I assured him, but now I had another problem. Running the DeRossi family holdings remotely was possible, but not with Matteo constantly underfoot, especially in a new, unfamiliar place. He needed structure that wouldn’t disrupt his education. He needed someone consistent. Someone who could live in the house with us. “I’ll let you know when I do, okay?”
He nodded, accepting the answer with an easy grin.
“Try to get some sleep. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”
“Okay, Papa.” He snuggled under the blanket with Leo the lion, smiling when I kissed his forehead.
I stepped out of Matteo’s room, knowing that this life had already taken too much from me and my son, and I’d be damned if I let it take anything—or anyone—else.
Chapter 3
Serenity
By late afternoon, the office had that soft, golden glow of late afternoon that I loved. The phones were finally quiet, the lavender scent was finally faint in the air, and the pinks and oranges of the sun bled toward dusk outside the windows. Completed paperwork waited in satisfying piles. I’d just finished onboarding three new hires—smart, capable women who’d aced background checks and glowed in their practical assessments. Now came the fun part: the final pep talk before they started with a new family.
“Remember,” I began with a proud smile. “If you ever have doubts or questions, you call me. Do not swim in confusion when you don’t have to.”
Angie, the youngest of the newbies, flung her arms around me and squeezed tight. “I can’t thank you enough, Serenity. I found you just when I needed you.”
I hugged her back, surprised by how easily warmth rose in my chest. “I’m happy to help. Go out there and do good.” Many of my girls came to me when they needed a change or a rescue, and I was grateful I could be there for them.
“I will,” she smiled, her grin so big it obscured her big blue eyes. “I promise.”
The excitement of starting a new job faded as they shuffled out of my office with wide smiles and goodbyes. The door clicked shut behind them, and I exhaled. It had been another long day, and after last night’s dating fiasco and intrusive thoughts that made it difficult to sleep, I was ready for an early night. I was updating the shared schedule when my office door opened and Toni appeared with a strange expression that was a mix of excitement and worry. “What’s up?”
“You have a visitor.”
I glanced at my digital calendar. “There’s nothing on my—”
“He’s a walk-in.” Her mouth slanted into a grin. “A really gorgeous one, I might add. Says he needs to speak to the owner. I’ll keep an eye on Mattie.”
I frowned. “Who the hell is Mattie?” My jaw clenched as I felt my early evening turning complicated. “We don’t take walk-ins,” I reminded her, the words an automatic response on my tongue. Too much went into a placement to leave it to chance and panic, including background checks on our nannies and our clients, plus a compatibility system I’d built myself as my clientele became more elite.
“I told him that,” she said quickly. “He was... insistent.”
Of course he was. The wealthy—and he had to be if he’d found my business—always believed their urgency mattered above all else. “Fine,” I said on a sigh. “Give me a few minutes to see who’s available, then send him in.”