Nanny

48

Kate

Nelson came up to the penthouse to help me pack, but it felt like he was my escort. A security guard making sure I didn't steal anything on the way out the building.

Claudette cried when I said goodbye. Her emotion touched me, and soon I was weeping too.

"Keep your chin up," she told me through her tears and sniffles. "Always remember that you are a woman, and you can do amazing things."

Saying goodbye to the twins was even harder.

"I don't understand," Barry said, his eyes shimmering wetly. "Why are you leaving us?"

It would have been easy to blame their father. To tell them that I was fired, that he was getting rid of me. It was the truth, after all.

But I didn't want the twins to be angry with their father. I couldn't do that to him, even though part of me wanted to.

"I have to go home for a while," I said, crouching down to their level. "It's my choice. I just... I just really have to go home to Connecticut. It's nothing either of you did! You're the sweetest children I've ever met. I love you, and I'll never forget you."

"No me gusta," Barry said. I don't like it.

"Who's going to teach us?" Allie whimpered. "We were getting so good..."

"Someone else will take my place. Maybe a new nanny, or a dedicated linguist. Your daddy will hire someone really good."

"But they won't be you," Allie insisted.

Tears ran down my cheeks. I wiped them away and said, "No, they won't be me. But you'll both do great. You're going to do so great! I can't wait to see you in Forbes Magazine someday."

Barry wrapped his arms around me. "Te amo."

"Te amo!" Allie said.

I squeezed them tightly, then hurried into the elevator where Nelson was waiting quietly with the bags. I held out until the elevator door closed before falling apart, and then the tears flowed.

Nelson put down my suitcases and gave me a hug. "I'm sorry, Miss Renfroe."

It was the first time he had shown any emotion since I had met him. He patted me on the back and let me cry on his shoulder until we reached the ground floor.

Nelson rode in the back of the car with me as we drove out of the city. I stared numbly out the window as the skyscrapers disappeared. Was that it? Everything that had happened in the last two months was over with the snap of a billionaire's fingers? It was just a bedroom affair that could be written off like a bad investment?

I thought I had so much more with him. With all of them, Adam and Mathias too. They had just stood there, allowing it to happen. Powerless to stop the billionaire from deciding for all of them.

I couldn't believe how stupid I had been.

Miranda was unloading Monday groceries out of the back of her car when we arrived. She put her hand on her hip when she saw us get out of the car.

"No helicopter? Boring. And who's this yummy treat? You look like a sexy Secret Service Agent. Do you have handcuffs? Are you going to arrest me if I'm bad?"

Nelson smiled as he pulled my suitcases out of the trunk.

Miranda lowered her voice for me. "Is he part of the group relationship thing you have going on?"

"What? No!"

She frowned. "Don't act like it's obvious. How am I supposed to know who's part of your sexy party?"