Even after his diagnosis, Phil found a way to be positive and upbeat, claiming he had too much to do to feel sorry for himself. Top on his list was to find someone to help Vivian with the baby.
Belle had been blown away, touched, and flattered when he said he wanted to introduce her to Vivian, insisting the two of them would hit it off and that Belle would make a damn fine nanny.
She’d been a nervous wreck the day he arrived at the shop with a visibly pregnant Vivian. Her anxiety had been for naught, because Vivian had been as nice as Phil, and Belle had indeed instantly clicked with the woman. So much so that, as the years passed, Vivian had started calling her the “sister of her heart,” and while Belle had three sisters of her own, she’d never been anywhere near as close to them as she was Vivian.
Which was why Belle knew exactly how much the book Vivian was writing meant to her, and why she would never be the reason her beloved boss didn’t finish it. So she’d immediately said yes to Viv taking the trip.
Even if itdidmean moving in with the Beast.
That was how Belle had secretly started referring to Vivian’s grumpy older brother, Victor, right after meeting him for the first time.
Then she’d laughed her ass off when she learned it wasalsohis nickname amongst his teammates.
Obviously, it fit.
She had never watched professional hockey prior to moving into Vivian’s house, but that quickly changed. Nowadays, she considered herself one of the Stingrays’ fiercest and most loyal fans, proud to wear one of her too-many T-shirts, jerseys, or sweatshirts on game days.
Despite the fact her agreement meant she’d be spending three months in the bear’s den with the Beast, Belle had assured Vivian—countless times—that Pip would be well cared for in her absence. Vivian said she wouldn’t even consider leaving Pip with anyone other than Belle and Victor. So, once Belle agreed, they’d shifted into overdrive, preparing for Vivian’s trip to Africa and Belle and Pip’s move to Victor’s house.
Belle believed in lists. Lists brought order. Stability. And peace of mind. She’d needed lists during the early days of living on her own, simply so she could keep her head above water. She’d left home right after graduation, and as an eighteen-year-old on her own for the first time ever, it had been intimidating and scary. So…she’d embraced the idea of lists.
She’d had a list for household chores, a running grocery list, a chart of what bills were due when, and so on. There was comfort in the lists, giving Belle a sense of control at a time when she’d really needed it because adulting was hard.
The lists continued when she became Pip’s full-time nanny. At first, she used them as a way to ensure she didn’t forget anything, that she didn’t fail in her new position. Even though Phil wasn’t there, Belle was determined to prove he’d been rightto hire her. Given Vivian was trying to function as a first-time mother and newly widowed wife, there was simply too much at stake. Belle had refused to let her down. She hadn’t been treading water just for herself; she’d been trying to keep Pip and Vivian afloat, as well.
The first few months after Pip’s birth, Vivian struggled hard. Who wouldn’t? She’d lost her husband and had a baby all within the span of a few weeks. It wasn’t unusual for Vivian to laugh with joy over something adorable Pip did, only to dissolve into gasping sobs, wishing Phil was there to see their daughter. Postpartum depression was hard enough, but when combined with a soul-deep grief, Belle had spent most of those first few months in her new job in awe that Vivian was still getting out of bed every morning and functioning.
Belle had been waiting at Vivian’s house the day Victor drove his sister and Pip home from the hospital. He’d gruffly acknowledged her—barely—before gently guiding his sister upstairs to her bedroom. For those first six weeks, he’d been a daily presence in the house, doting on Vivian while suspiciously watching Belle, as if she were there to steal the baby.
Vivian had assured Belle that Victor didn’t have anything against her, that he was just protective by nature. But that didn’t mean there hadn’t been more than a few times when Belle considered seeing if she could get her old jobs back because she was convinced the Beast, with his rough nature and fondness for four-letter words, was going to demand she be fired.
Somehow she’d survived those early days, and life became decidedly easier when Victor went back to work and she was able to do her job without his unwavering scrutiny.
Moving Pip to Victor’s house for three months had required alonglist, covering lots of components, complete with color coding. The list had been effective, because by the end of their first day in his house, Pip’s clothes had been folded and putaway in the dresser, her favorite nightlight plugged in, and her beloved stuffed llama strategically placed on the pillows for optimal bedtime success.
However, there weren’t enough lists in the world to give Belle a sense of control when it came to Victor.
Not because he still made her nervous or looked at her like she was some interloper who had no business being there.
Nope.
This particular lack of control was worse.
Somewhere along the way…Belle had developed a crush on Vivian’s older brother.
Which was the dumbest thing she could possibly do. While he was only eight years older than her, sometimes it felt like more. Victor certainly gave off grumpy-old-man, stay-off-my-lawn vibes, while she spent way too much time watching makeup videos and scrolling on TikTok.
To add insult to injury, she was certain she wasn’t even a blip on the attractive man’s radar. Why would she be? According to Vivian, her brother was stubbornly determined to hang on to his bachelor status after a nasty breakup years earlier, continually telling his sister that there was no need for him to have kids of his own since he already had Pip.
That fact alone meant her feelings for him needed to go away. Because if there was something Belle wanted more than anything, it was to get married and start a family of her own.
As far as Victor was concerned, Belle had always felt somewhat invisible. The man seemed to go out of his way to avoid her, though she wasn’t sure if that was true or if she was just being paranoid. Prior to this week, the two of them hadn’t had too many conversations where Pip and/or Vivian weren’t included. To Victor, Belle was merely the nanny, someone he probably didn’t even think about unless Pip was around.
Unfortunately, no amount of telling herself to get a handle on her feelings managed to beat back the butterflies she felt whenever he was in the same room.
She couldn’t pinpoint the exact day when she stopped jumping at Victor’s bark. She suspected the shift in her feelings was more erosion than explosion. Her attitude toward him had evolved slowly over time, as the intimidation she felt around him fell away. She’d discovered Victor was all bark and no bite, and for all his scowling and cursing, the man was incredibly sweet and attentive to his little niece. Belle found that wildly attractive. Well, that and his long, dark hair, sexy beard, and those bulging muscles she spent too much time fantasizing about.
There was something about the idea of the Beast tossing her over his shoulder and dragging her to his lair to have his wicked way with her that really—REALLY—got her engine revving.
