скачать книгу бесплатно
“In your in-laws’ pool?”
“Maybe. They have several.”
She’d been swimming in the pool on the terrace every afternoon while Jamie was napping. He’d had a slight cold since they’d brought him home from the hospital last Saturday night, but Dr. Wells said it was to be expected. A week later Jamie was well and beaming. Next week she’d be able to move him around on top of the water and see how he fared.
“Ready?” he called out.
“Just about.”
While he was moving around in the apartment, she hurried back to her bedroom and stashed the new suit inside her purse. After breakfast she’d gotten dressed for the drive to White Plains. She’d chosen to wear a rose-colored sundress with a white, short-sleeved bolero jacket. It was a step up from jeans, more presentable for a nanny who was about to face the Hirsts again. A white ribbon for her ponytail to match her sandals, and she left the bedroom.
“Let’s go!”
After putting the freeze pack with the milk into the diaper bag, Reese met him in the foyer. Nick had dressed in cargo pants and a tan crew neck shirt. Even though he’d shaved, there was that hint of dark shadow that gave him a slightly disreputable look, adding to his sensuality. The sight of him looking beyond handsome with his wavy black hair and the relaxed look on his face took her breath.
She quickly switched her gaze to his son strapped in his carryall. Nick had put him in his white outfit with the tiger on the front. The baby was three months and a week old now. He was bigger and looked so healthy you would never have guessed he’d been ill a week ago. Unable to resist, she kissed his cheek several times. His little mouth curved into a smile that reminded her of Nick. It turned her heart right over.
She tickled his tummy. “We’re going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship.” She sang the song one of her friend’s four-year-old loved. Jamie loved it, too.
He laughed out loud, provoking a grin from Nick. His gaze found hers. “You sound happy.”
“Who wouldn’t be? When I think of last week…”
“Don’t remind me.”
They left the apartment. Soon they’d climbed in the limo and were headed out of the city under a semicloudy sky, but nothing could dim her elation at being able to spend the whole day with Nick and Jamie.
Since that night in the hospital when he’d told her about his background and failed marriage, she wasn’t as nervous to meet Erica’s parents. Forewarned helped her to be forearmed.
Nick’s decision to break from tradition and bring on the condemnation of two families had been made because of his love and need of Jamie. It took an incredibly strong man of amazing character to do what he did. It couldn’t have been easy and she didn’t envy him having to deal with his in-laws today. For that reason Reese intended to be his support.
In some way things had been easier since the hospital. The bonding that had taken place with Jamie made everything they did seem more natural when the three of them were together. Nick had come home around four every afternoon. She understood his need to spend as much time as possible with his son.
Reese felt as if the penthouse had become a happy place for Nick. Nothing could mean more to her when she realized how much of his past had been marred by the weight of a painful childhood as well as a difficult marriage. Nick still hadn’t told her all that had gone on between him and Erica to drive them apart, but then Reese was only the nanny. Every once in a while she had to remember that, but it was getting harder and harder.
On this trip she sat next to Jamie, who loved his pacifier and blue rattle. With Nick sitting straight across from the baby, he could talk to him and keep him entertained, but it was Jamie who entertained them. Every time he laughed, his pacifier fell out and Nick put it back in. Jamie thought it was a game and kept doing it. Maybe he was too little to realize what was going on, but it was hilarious and they laughed all the way to White Plains.
When they came in sight of the Hirst estate, Reese understood even more the dividing line that separated people with lifestyles like Nick’s and his former wife’s from the rest of the world. They drove past a sign indicating public parking around the west side of the twostory mansion. Paul took the tree-lined driveway to the front entrance and helped Reese out with the diaper bag. Nick followed with Jamie and the three of them started up the steps. By the time they reached the front door, Walter Hirst had opened it. The older man couldn’t hide his surprise at seeing Reese.
“We’re in the dayroom.”
If it had been Reese’s father who’d opened the door, the first thing he would have said was something like, “There’s my grandson! Come here and say hello to your old granddad.” He would have reached for the baby and walked him through their house to show Grandma.
Reese had thought she was prepared for this, but even with the explanations Nick had given her, to see and feel the continued lack of personal warmth and affection coming from Erica’s father disturbed her.
The interior of the mansion might be an architectural triumph of nineteenth-century elegance, but the only life Reese could see came from Jamie, whose head kept turning as they followed Mr. Hirst to a room with a surprising contemporary decor. His grandmother, wearing a stylish two-piece suit in lime-green, was just walking through the doors leading in from a beautiful flower garden Reese could see beyond her.
“We didn’t expect you this early. I take it Jamie’s better now.”
“He’s fine,” Nick stated. “In fact you’re perfect, aren’t you, sport.” He kissed his cheeks while he undid the straps and lifted him out. “You’ll notice he’s grown.”
“Put him down in the carriage.”
With no playpen or swing, Nick had little choice unless he wanted to plop Jamie in his grandmother’s arms. But she gave no indication that she wanted to hold him. Reese knew there were many people in the world who couldn’t show affection, no matter their social class. Still, this was Jamie’s family and it just didn’t seem natural.
Now that she thought about it, a hint of Nick’s rebellion had come out when he’d shown them the nursery and deposited Jamie in her arms. Today he held back and abided Anne’s wishes.
The trouble with a carriage was that it blocked part of the view for the baby, who started crying as soon as Nick moved out of his line of vision. Reese’s first instinct was to take him right out. Like Nick, she, too, had to hold back from grabbing him.
“I brought this.” Reese set the diaper bag down on one of the chairs. “It has enough bottles and diapers for today.”
“We have everything he’ll need. Walter? Will you tell the nurse they’re here.” Jamie was not happy and his cries were getting louder.
“I’ll be back for him at six.” Nick flicked Reese a glance. “Let’s leave them alone, Ms. Chamberlain.”
They walked out the mansion through the front door with Jamie’s cries still following them. She assumed he meant they were going to explore the estate and go swimming later on. To her shock Nick headed for the limo and helped her inside.
She stared at him in puzzlement. “I thought our plan was to stay close by. What if Jamie needs you?”
“Then he’ll cry his heart out until he falls asleep.”
“Nick…”
His grim expression was too much. The past week had been so carefree, Reese could hardly bear to see his brooding expression come back. “I didn’t have a choice, Reese, because I made them a promise. But after today, all promises are off.”
He flicked on the intercom. “Paul? Drive us to the heliport.”
“Where are we going?” she asked when he’d finished.
“Out on my sailboat.”
Her heart thudded with sickening speed. “If we need a helicopter, it must be pretty far away.”
“Don’t worry. We’re only going to Martha’s Vineyard outside Edgartown. One of our summer homes is there.”
A summer home there, an estate with horses on Long Island, a penthouse on Park Avenue, a villa in Cannes. Reese had an impression those possessions only constituted the tip of an enormous iceberg. If Jamie didn’t have a daddy who’d decided to break the cycle of emotional neglect that went with so much luxury, he could be suffocated by it all the way Nick had been.
He studied her for a moment. “Have you ever been sailing?”
She knew it was his favorite sport. “No. One time our family went to Wisconsin and we crossed Lake Michigan on the ferry in choppy conditions. None of us did well. That’s the sum total of my knowledge of being on water.”
A light gleamed in his eyes. “As long as you can swim, that’s all I need to know. When we get out beyond where the breeze fills the sail, you’ll find out you’re a wonderful sailor.”
“That’s wishful thinking. I only hope I won’t be imitating Jamie’s bout of last weekend.”
He chuckled. “You don’t have the flu.”
Reese knew Nick wanted and needed this outing, if only to take his mind off leaving Jamie with his grandparents. Please don’t let me get seasick. When she saw the helicopter, another prayer went up about not getting airsick. She’d never been on one of those, either.
In the end she needn’t have worried because Nick’s cell phone rang before they even exited the limo. After he picked up, his gaze sought hers. She tried to read his expression as he listened to the person on the other end. It went on for a minute. After he hung up, he told Paul to turn the limo around and go back.
Her brows lifted. “Jamie?”
“He won’t settle down. Anne says the nurse can’t do anything with him, so if she can’t, that’s it.”
Reese bit her lip. “I was afraid of that. Jamie worships you.” She bet Nick’s mother-in-law told him it was the nanny’s fault for spoiling him and probably decried Nick ever removing Jamie from their house in the first place.
“Nothing could please me more,” he declared in a satisfied voice. “Now we can take him with us. I’ll call ahead for a cooler of food and drinks to be packed for us.”
The burst of elation exploding inside Reese only lasted until she remembered her mother’s last question to her. “You’ve got a terrific head on those shoulders and broke off with Jeremy for a reason. I don’t have to worry about you losing sight of your career plans just yet, do I?” Not for the first time, Reese had to remind herself that she was just the temporary nanny. But the pain she felt at the thought of leaving this little family was becoming too much.
When they reached the mansion, Reese could hear Jamie’s heart-wrenching sobs from the foyer of the mansion. They hurried down the hall to the dayroom and found the nurse pacing the floor with him. His in-laws stood around looking upset.
“Hey, sport? What’s going on?” Nick walked over to the distraught-looking woman and took the baby from her arms. Jamie caught sight of his daddy and lunged for him before bursting into another paroxysm of tears. Reese could almost hear him saying, ‘Why did you leave me?’
When he burrowed his head into the side of Nick’s neck, Nick must have felt it deep in his heart. In a few seconds peace reigned. While Jamie clung to him, everyone in the room looked infinitely relieved.
“I think there’s been enough excitement for one day. Why don’t you come to the penthouse next weekend and we’ll try this again.”
“We’ll be in Salzburg. Don’t you remember?” Anne sounded indignant. “You and Erica went with us two years ago.”
“I’m sorry. This new job of parenting has taken over my life. Call me when you’re back and we’ll make arrangements. Have a safe trip.”
Jamie refused to leave his arms, so Reese picked up the carryall and diaper bag before they headed for the limo waiting outside the mansion. Once Nick got in the backseat with him, Reese’s eyes zeroed in on the baby.
“Your cute little face is all splotchy from crying. Here’s your pacifier. Do you want your rattle, too?”
His fingers glommed right on to it. He didn’t fight Nick as he strapped him in the infant car seat.
“Crisis averted,” he said to Paul before the older man shut the door. In seconds they were off.
Her eyes flew to Nick’s. “That wasn’t a pleasant moment back there.”
“No, and there’s not going to be another one like it again.”
She covered Jamie’s face with kisses until she got a smile out of him. “You’re so worn-out, you’ll probably sleep all the way.”
Reese didn’t realize how prophetic her words would be. He slept through the fabulous helicopter flight that took them to the famous little island off Cape Cod. They were set down at Katama Airpark only a few miles from Edgartown.
Nick took them to one of the harbor restaurants where they ate a delicious shrimp lunch. Afterward they walked around the historic part of the town and visited some of the shops. It wasn’t until they reached the boat dock on the Wainwright’s property that the baby’s eyes fluttered open. He’d missed everything.
Reese found it so funny, she started to laugh. Nick joined in. He was still smiling when he transferred his son from the ramp onto the end of the immaculate, twenty-three-foot sailboat called the Aeolus.
“What does it mean?” she asked him.
“In Greek mythology, Aeolus was the god of the winds.”
“That’s beautiful.” The white keel had a blue stripe. She thought of the little boat she’d bought for Nick and couldn’t wait for him to open his present, but she’d put it off until after they’d finished sailing.
Excitement mounted in Reese to see all the boats out on the water. This was a day out of time, one to treasure before they went back to the city. But having Jamie with them was the reminder she needed to remember she was his nanny, nothing else.
Nick brought out two adult life vests and an infant life jacket. While he went about getting the boat ready and undoing ropes, she laid Jamie down on one of the benches and changed his diaper. He loved being bare and kicked his strong legs as if he was doing exercises. She laughed with pure pleasure before putting a fresh diaper on him.
With him propped against her shoulder, she went down to the galley. There was a microwave so she could warm his bottle. By the time she climbed the stairs with him, Nick had everything ready to go. She put the bottle down. Together they helped put Jamie’s infant vest on, but she was unbearably aware of Nick and his potent masculinity. Their hands brushed, sending rivulets of yearning through her.
He kissed his boy’s tummy before snapping everything in place. “I know you don’t like it, sport, but that’s the rule.” He fastened him back in his carryall. “You’ll get used to it.”
With a speed that took her breath, Nick’s gaze unexpectedly flicked to hers. “Now it’s your turn.” The message in his dark brown eyes was unmistakable. They traveled over her features and down her body, melting her from the inside out. She got this heavy sensation in her legs. Her hands felt pains that traveled up her arms.
His male mouth was like a vortex drawing her in. Thrilled and terrified because her desire for him was so palpable he had to know it, she put out her hands to take the vest from him so he wouldn’t touch her. Instead his hands closed over hers, pulling her against him, sending a paralyzing warmth through her body.
“I’m going to kiss you, and I very much hope that you won’t fight me.”
She couldn’t have if she’d wanted to. From the moment she’d climbed in the back of the limo and had discovered a man who surpassed her every notion of the ultimate male, she’d wanted him. It was that simple, and that impossible, but right now she couldn’t remember the reason why and didn’t want to.
In the next breath he found her softly parted mouth. Incapable of doing anything else, she melted against him and let herself go, craving the taste of him as he took their kiss long and deep. Oh… She’d never felt sensations like this in her life. He drew her closer in a quick compulsive movement. The vest fell to her feet, but she was barely cognizant.
It came as a shock to realize his hunger matched hers, sending fire licking through her veins. Reese felt the low groan way down in his throat before it permeated her body. As it reached her inner core, her helpless cry drew a response of refined savagery from him.
“You couldn’t possibly know how beautiful you are.” A fever of ecstasy consumed her with each insistent caress of his lips on her face, her hair, her throat. “I want to take you below,” he whispered against her lips, swollen from the passion they shared. “If I’ve shocked you, I’ve shocked myself more.”
She took an unsteady breath and eased herself out of arms that were slow to relinquish her. The slight rocking of the boat didn’t help her equilibrium. “What’s really shocking is that I’d like to go downstairs with you,” she admitted because total gut honesty was required right now.
“But after I broke off with Jeremy, I made a promise I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of my goals. A man can make you lose focus. Who knows what could happen to me after a glorious day on the ocean in your arms. I—I know it would be wonderful,” she stammered, “because I’ve just had a taste of you and crave more.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed on her mouth. He might as well have started kissing her again. She had to look away or she’d fling herself back into his arms.
“Your honesty is another quality about you I admire.” Out of the periphery she watched his hard body lounge against the side of the boat. “What happened between you and Jeremy?”
“Probably the kind of thing that went wrong with you and Erica.” She’d reached the tipping point and needed distance from this man who’d caused her world to reel.
Jamie wasn’t fussing yet, but she knew his hunger had been building. She pulled him out of his carryall, then sat down and settled him in her arms to feed him.
“You mean you allowed yourself to drift into your engagement?” he asked in a benign tone.
Her head flew back. “Is that what happened to you?” she asked before she realized how revealing that question must have sounded. All along she’d been thinking Erica had to have been his grand passion because he could have had any woman he wanted.
“Why don’t we concentrate on you and Jeremy first.”
“He’s not in my life anymore.”
“Humor me anyway,” he insisted.
“Well, we met at the bank where my father does business. That was the summer before I started at Wharton. We fell in love and dated until I went away, then we relied on emails and phone calls until we could be together. I went home at every vacation opportunity. He came to see me twice.
“Last fall he asked me to marry him and gave me an engagement ring. He knew I didn’t want to get married before graduation, but when I went home at Christmas, he wanted to be married right away. No more waiting.
“I told him I would, but that we’d have to live apart while I was still away at school. That’s when he gave me an ultimatum. Either I marry him before the end of the month and stay in Lincoln, or we break up.”
