“Aw, see? She just needed a second to remember who her mama was.”

I turned away so Jenn couldn’t see that her aim had been true and her pointed barb had pierced my heart.

She wasn’t lying. Facts were facts, but, God, did it hurt.

I tried to make small talk as I bustled around the kitchen, prepping chicken-and-veggie stir fry. It was a difficult task, though, as what I really wanted to say was never far from the tip of my tongue.

Who the fuck could leave this precious child?

How dare you come waltzing back in like nothing happened?

Can you please go back to wherever you came from and never return?

That was selfish and I knew it. If Dylan could have both her mother and her father in her life, that would be ideal. I had to put her needs before my own, no matter how much it hurt.

When the front door opened a few minutes later, I was a ball of seething emotion and an inch from tears.

“Hey, whose car is—” Max broke off as he stepped into the kitchen and his mouth dropped open in surprise. “Hi, Jenn. Uh, what’s going on?”

“I missed my little girl,” she said simply, patting Dylan’s bottom awkwardly as she squeezed her closer.

I watched the interaction more confused than ever. The way she was looking at Max, like he was what was for dinner, made me wonder if her visit here had been about Dylan at all. One thing seemed clear that made me feel marginally less horrible. He obviously hadn’t known she was coming tonight.

Max shot his gaze from me to Jenn and then to Dylan, who cooed with delight and kicked her feet. His puzzled face morphed into a smile as he set his briefcase down and took his daughter into his arms.

“Hi there, little bear. Daddy missed you.” He kissed her cheek and shot a warning look at Jenn. “We’ll talk after dinner.”

I should have taken that as my cue to go. Instead, glutton for punishment and not sure how to handle any of this, I stayed. The next forty-five minutes was a pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy as I watched Jenn fawn over Max, taking every opportunity to bring up their past together.

She was refilling his wineglass as she let out a peal of laughter so shrill, it sent a chill up my spine. “Remember that time we went to Cabo and you drank so much tequila, you climbed onstage to play the maracas with that mariachi band?”

He smiled and nodded, forking in some chicken and then pausing to give Dylan a bite of rice.

“I don’t, actually, but I have the pictures to prove it.”

“We had some good times . . .” Jenn trailed off and covered Max’s hand with hers.

“Okay!” I blurted, and then pushed myself away from the table, pasting on a fake grin. “So, I’m going to go make some phone calls and let you guys . . . do whatever it is you guys plan to do with your night. Jenn,” I turned and offered her a little wave, “it was nice meeting you. Max, give me a yell if you want me to do bath time with the baby.”

I ran out of the room like the hounds of hell were chasing me, but even at that, I still didn’t make it to my door before the tears started.

Shit, shit, shit.

How had I let myself fall so hard so fast? For Max, and for Dylan. And now it might all be over before it had even started. He didn’t seem receptive to Jenn’s come-ons, but be wasn’t exactly putting her off either. And none of it explained why he hadn’t mentioned the call, or more importantly, why he hadn’t pulled her aside and demanded to know what she was doing here the second he walked in.

I swiped a hand over my face and chewed on my bottom lip.

This was crazy. I needed to get a grip.

I had just managed to talk myself out of tears and into anger when there was a knock at my door.

“Come in.”

Max stepped into the room, and I sucked in a steadying breath as I took a seat on the edge of my mattress.

“Is everything okay?” he asked gently, his eyes filled with concern.

“Um, not so great, actually.” I tried not to stare at his muscular tattooed arms because all that did was make me wish they were around me, comforting me right now. “I’m just a little thrown off, and felt like I was interrupting family time down there.” I managed to bite back an acidic comment about strolling down memory lane, but it was a close call.

Not my place to say. None of it was.

“I’m thrown off too. Addison, I had no idea she would show up.”

“She called you yesterday. She didn’t mention it then?” I asked.

He had the grace to look ashamed as he shrugged. “I should’ve told you that, but it was a nothing conversation. Certainly not one that indicated she would be coming back into the picture anytime soon.”

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?”