Miles said he would take care of Henry this morning when he woke up, but I couldn’t help but head over to check on him. I missed the tyke, and there was nothing like his sweetsmile first thing in the morning. I let Chloe sleep in since her game wasn’t until mid-afternoon. I arranged some scones on a plate and wrote a thank you card for Miles before I made my way to the main house. The trek each morning on the cobblestone path was getting colder and colder. My hoodie and athletic pants were barely adequate to keep me from shivering.
When I walked in through the mudroom, I was surprised to hear voices so early on a Saturday. More surprising was to hear my name. I stopped and listened more intently. It sounded like Miles and Oscar were in the kitchen.
“Bloody hell, what a mess you’ve created for yourself. Why don’t you just fire Aspen already then?” Oscar asked.
My breath ceased, waiting to see what Miles would say.
“Believe me, if that would solve the problem, I would do it now.”
The plate and scones dropped to the tile floor, making an earsplitting clang when the plate broke in several pieces.Dammit.I stood there looking at the broken glass and crumbled scones, shaking, not sure what to do. He wanted to fire me? Penelope was right. I was a naïve poppet. In my panicked state, I left the mess and headed for the door.
Miles and Oscar came rushing in to investigate before I could escape. Their wide eyes looked between the mess on the floor and me.
I didn’t even bother looking at Oscar, it was only Miles who needed to hear what I had to say. “I quit.”
I ran out the door before I could even comprehend what I just did. But on some level, I must have known since I burst into tears. The ramifications began to swirl in my mind as I ran toward the cottage. The most beautiful place I hadever lived. The place where my daughter slept peacefully, not knowing her mom was disrupting her life. And then there was Henry. How was I going to leave him? A loud sob escaped me.
“Aspen,” Miles called after me. “Please, stop.”
Not happening. I had to pack and disappoint my daughter. After that I needed to figure out what was wrong with me. Or buy a cockroach. Probably both.
Miles caught up to me. He grabbed my hand moments before I made it to the cottage’s front porch. “Bloody hell, woman.” He turned me toward him. Did I mention he was only wearing pajama pants? He chased after me barefoot and half-naked. By how perky his pecks were and all the goosebumps that covered him, I would say he was uncomfortable to say the least. I was so heartsick, though, I didn’t even care how beautiful his body was or that he must have been freezing.
He pulled me toward him, though I put up a fight. “Aspen, what’s happened? Why would you quit?” His teeth chattered.
“I figured I would beat you to the punch. I heard you tell Oscar you wished you could fire me.” I yanked my hand away from him.
He scrubbed his hands over his face. “What you heard was taken out of context.”
“Was it? Because Penelope said this would happen.”
His jaw clenched. “Please, let’s go inside and discuss this.”
“No. It was a mistake to think I could work for you. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t pretend that I don’t have feelings for you. That I don’t want to entangle our lives, romantically, emotionally, and every other way. But I’m going to believe you and leave before you hurt me.”
Miles’s shivering ceased. He stepped closer. “Why do you think I said I want to fire you? I hate having that bloody contract between us, but I know it’s what keeps you safe from me. If you think for one second that I don’t want you, that you don’t keep me up at night wishing you were sharing my bed, wishing I could be the man you deserve, then you are sorely mistaken. Never before has a woman bewitched me the way you have.”
He ran the back of his cold hand down my wet cheek. “From the moment I met you, I knew there was something special about you, more than just reminding me of Isabella. Your goodness became more apparent as I’ve watched how you’ve taken care of Henry and me.”
He drew closer to me, taking my face in his shaky hands. “Then the night we kissed.” He leaned down as if he wanted to relive it. Our breath mingled between us. “I thought I could simply walk away from it unchanged, but I can’t stop thinking about you. The connection was something I’d never felt before. In that kiss, you so willingly gave yourself to me and I realized you deserved that in return. Aspen,” he whispered, “I don’t know if I can be that man. Like your ex-husband, I’ve been a selfish bastard my entire life. I would never subject you to someone like him again. And like my father, I can’t keep my eyes off the nanny. What kind of man does that make me?” He dropped his hands and backed away.
“You’re not Leland or your father.”
He hung his head. “I’m afraid I am.”
I took his hand in mine and held it against my heart that was about to beat out of my chest. “Believe me when I say you are no Leland. He would have never canceled his plans to take Chloe last night, and she’s his flesh and blood. Hewouldn’t have stopped that night we kissed. He would have taken all he could get, not caring that he planned to break my heart. And how can you say you’re like your father? He was a married man when he pursued your mother.”
“That is one sin that I have not committed.”
“What sins do you think you’ve committed?”
He pulled his hand away from me. The heavy breaths he released in the cold air lingered between us. “Most of my life I’ve done what I wanted, caring very little about others. There have been exceptions, but even then, I’ve still hurt them. Take Penelope, for example.”
My forehead crinkled at the sound of her name.
“I couldn’t commit to her the way she wanted. I haven’t been able to commit to any woman for long.”
“Maybe you haven’t found the right woman.”
