The Billionaire's Nanny

I choose you too

I woke up with a jolt, breath coming down in heaving pants and my body nearly trembling. I could faintly register the warmth of something in my palm, small, delicate, smooth. Shaking my head I adjusted my eyes to the lighting in the room, taking a moment to regain composure, to remember that it was just a nightmare and I was still here sitting next to Chris in her hospital room—the same spot I had occupied in the last 12 days—and that the fullness in my palm was from where my hand held on to hers.

It was a nightmare, just a dream, yet it felt like anything but so. Too real, maybe because that nightmare was a mirror of what my life was right now. It had nearly been two weeks and while her vitals were looking okay, Chris had still not shown any sign of waking up anytime soon, neither the cops nor my men had ground on where Sarah was, and my life was still fucked up in more ways than I would have ever imagined.

With a grunt, I sat up in the small hospital chair where I had made my refuge every day for the last twelve days. The steel, cold chair was two times smaller than me and uncomfortable as hell. It made my back hurt like a bitch but it meant I was as close to Chris as close I could be, nothing else mattered.

"You're awake," a voice gruff and familiar said from above me.

I looked up to see my brother staring from above me and I realized then that I must have come awake from his tap on my shoulder. In the last few days, the support from my family had been beyond my imagination and I could not be more thankful for having the most amazing family anyone could ask for. Mia handled the paparazzi, putting her wedding in the spotlight to draw them away from Chris, Robin and Alexander helped take care of the search for Sarah, making sure the villa was safe and the very last place Sarah would even dream of going, Lilian helped with the kids. Celine had mostly been broken, spending just as much time as me here with Chris and also holding o to the thread of hope I shared—that Chris would wake up soon. Thankfully, she always knew just when I needed to be alone with my girlfriend.

Having them all here, made this much easier to bear. Even though with each day, I felt hope slip away from me. I felt her slip farther away from me.

"Have you even left that seat today?"

The grunt ripping through me as I attempted to stretch answered that question. "What do you want?" I growled, rubbing a hand over my face. Exhaustion seeped through me. I had barely gotten any sleep since she was admitted here, partly because I would rather have my eyes on her most of the time and partly because the demons waited patiently in nightmares every time I closed my eyes.

"The kids are here," he said simply striding across the room to pick up a duffel bag before tossing it in my direction.

My eyes widened at him as a frown formed on my face "What? why?" This was the very last place I needed them to be.

"Well they have barely seen their father for five minutes in more than one week, and they have not seen Chris either, we can only lie to them for so long. Lilian has run out of ideas to divert their attention, they miss you both, so freshen up and go downstairs to meet them."

Shit. I had been so bone-deep invested in not taking an eye of Chris, that I had completely neglected the kids, only seeing them over a few minutes video call from the hospital. But the thought of leaving Chris here, by herself when that maniac was out there made something twist in my chest. "Have them come here."

He gave me a shocked look, that spelled 'are you crazy?" I felt crazy because I was thinking right, I would know seeing Chris like this would only traumatize them even more and lead to more questions, questions I was not near ready to answer.

"I think they have been through enough already," he said with a sigh, then strode back to me. He gave a tight pat on my shoulder, before adding, "I'll look after her. Go to them, I hear there's a park nearby."