I was a child who’d never had the luxury of having parents who lived under one roof. So, as much as it killed me, I had to do what was right for the baby. If that meant stepping back, that was what I would do.
“Maybe it’s for the best.” My throat ached, but I pushed through. “If Dylan can have you both in her life, she should. I don’t want to get in the way of that. Go back downstairs and enjoy the time with your family, Max. I have some things to do, anyway.”
He hesitated, raking a hand through his hair with a groan of frustration. “This is new territory for me, and I have no idea how to handle it. None of this came with instructions, Addison. Please, give me a chance to think it all through before you write me off, okay?”
“Last night was probably a mistake anyway, Max. It was a hot fantasy, and now real life is back, you know?”
He drew back and his face went tense, but he didn’t reply.
“Go ahead, go back down and be with your daughter and her mother. We can talk another time.”
I turned away and closed my eyes, not opening them again until the door closed a minute later. Then I dropped my face to the bed and screamed hoarsely into the pillow.
So what if Max had given me a couple of orgasms? None of that mattered now. It wasn’t like I was his girlfriend or we’d made promises. I was just the nanny.
And it was time I started remembering that.
Chapter Eighteen
Max
I stared at the file in front of me and realized I’d read the same line a dozen times and was still no closer to comprehending it than I was when I’d started.
Fuck.
This whole thing with Addison had me in knots, not to mention the drama that had ensued afterward with Jenn.
Restless, I tapped my fingers on my desk and wondered where to go from here.
I knew where I wanted to go. My thoughts instantly drifted back to the other night with Addison. She’d been amazing. Responsive, sexy, and every curve of her body made my cock throb just thinking about it. More than that? I liked her. Really liked her. She got my sense of humor, and we got along so well.
Which was why I was still feeling stunned that she’d basically given me the brush-off.
I picked up a pencil and started absently drawing cubes on the manila file folder.
Addison been almost chilly when she’d basically told me last night that it had been a mistake. It sure as shit hadn’t felt like a mistake to me, though. Then this morning, I’d thought about talking to her. Telling her what had transpired between Jenn and me after she’d gone to bed, but she had refused to even look at me aside from wishing me a quick and not very convincing good morning.
A knock on the door scattered my thoughts. I looked up to see Tiffany standing in the doorway, a smile pinned to her lips.
“Hey there, boss man. How are things?”
I shrugged and smiled back. “Fine, how about you?”
Her grin dimmed and she stepped into the office, closing the door behind her.
“Who do you think you’re fooling, Max? You never doodle like that unless something is bugging you. Did I do something wrong?” Her brows knitted together in puzzlement, but I shook my head.
“No, not at all, it’s just. . . .” I wasn’t sure of the protocol here, but I could definitely use a woman’s perspective, and the brief little thing between Tiffany and me hardly classified as a relationship. Surely, since she was my friend and assistant, it would be okay for me to get her take on this whole mess. “Jenn came over last night.”
Tiffany’s eyebrows shot high as she sank into the chair across from me with a gasp. “Jenn Jenn? Your ex?”
I nodded grimly. “Yeah. It was super awkward. She didn’t tell me she was coming, and I think her showing up like that out of the blue upset Addison.”
Tiffany’s eyes narrowed and she stared at me speculatively. “Why would that upset Addison?”
The question caught me off guard. Why, indeed? If Addison didn’t care about me, and the other night had been a mistake, then it should have been a relief if she thought Jenn was coming back around. Unless she was really just that upset about the potential of losing her job. Not that I could blame her. Dylan had only been in my life a short time, but already, the thought of losing her felt like losing a limb.
“It’s complicated,” I said finally. “And I’ve got a meeting to go to that takes precedence over my personal life. Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. What’s up? What did you need from me?” I asked, eyeing her expectantly.
Tiffany seemed to hesitate, like she wanted to say more about the subject, but then finally nodded. “I just wanted to remind you about the meeting, and let you know that I ordered lunch from Benito’s for you guys to have in the conference room.”
“Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful that at least one thing in my life hadn’t turned to shit overnight. Tiffany was a good employee and was always looking out for me.
She waved off my thanks and stood. “If you ever need to talk or blow off some steam, Max, I’m here for you. We can grab a drink . . . and talk. Just remember that.”