Page 17 of Pucking Daddy

It’s for her.

***

By the time I pull into the garage, exhaustion has settled deep, the kind that doesn’t shake off easily.

I grab my bag and head for the elevator, already shrugging out of my jacket and rolling up my sleeves.

The building is quiet and polished. Exactly how I like things.

The elevator doors slide shut, and for a second, there’s nothing but the faint hum of machinery and my own reflection staring back at me.

I look tired.

I feel worse.

And that’s when she slips into my head.

Zara.

I don’t even try to stop it.

It hits fast—her smile, sharp and easy. The way she’d looked at me like she saw straight through everything I was trying to keep in place.

The way she’d reacted to me.

God.

My jaw tightens.

But it was just this one night. I’m never gonna see her again and that’s a good thing. I don’t have room for anything more in my life.

It’s just Lily and me. And that’s what counts.

***

The apartment is quiet when I step inside.

Lily must already be asleep.

The new nanny did her job well, then. I don’t like Lily staying up too late. She’s six. She needs her sleep.

I drop my bag by the door and roll my shoulders as I head toward the kitchen.

It smells… incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything this good.

Sweet. Warm. Chocolatey.

Whatever it is, I want it.

My feet pick up pace, drawn toward whatever magic is waiting for me.

I step into the kitchen—

And stop.

A woman stands at the counter. It must be the new nanny, because it sure as hell isn’t Mrs. Henriksen.

Her back is to me. Her hair is pulled up, but not neatly—loose strands falling along the back of her neck. Curly. Auburn.