“Mary?”
Her face and voice emotionless, Audra’s mother said, “Your new nanny quit.”
“Oh?”
“She tried to call you but didn’t get an answer.”
He winced. “I turned off my cell phone.”
Mary smiled thinly, disapproval finally evident in her expression. Her gaze slid over to Audra, then immediately came back to Dominic.
“You have to be available when you have a baby.”
Audra assumed the disapproval was meant for Dominic, a little scolding for turning off his phone. Nothing serious. Just enough that he would remember the lesson. But at the same time, Audra had been on the receiving end of her mother’s gentle scolding one too many times to let herself off the hook so easily.
Her mother had warned her about dealing with Dominic. Even before Audra had decided to work for him, Mary had made sure Audra knew the youngest Manelli was a playboy. Then, when she and Dominic had had trouble communicating, Mary had reminded her daughter that Dominic was different. He’d been raised differently. Wanted different things. Expected different things. Played by different rules. Because he was wealthy. Privileged.
He took a breath. “You’re right. I should have thought of that. But I—”
Had been so eager for our date that I forgot. Audra suspected that was what he had been about to say. And though the thought that he’d been as eager to see her as she had to see him filled her heart with even greater happiness than the locket he’d given her, it struck an odd chord with her. She wanted him to love her differently than he loved Joshua. Not more.
Joshua stretched from Mary’s arms to Audra and Audra grabbed him. “Hey, sweetie.” She brushed a kiss across his forehead as he snuggled into her chest.
Mary’s mouth thinned again. “I’m not surprised he’s cuddling you. I think he’s missed you.” She glanced back at Dominic again.
He smiled. “I get it. I’m the love giver. The one he’s supposed to be accustomed to. The one he should reach for. I’ll take him.”
Audra handed him the baby, smiling with pride. He’d remembered the number-one lesson. The most important thing. Joshua was Dominic’s family. He needed to give the love. So what if he forgot and turned off his cell phone? He was learning.
“Babies need two parents,” Mary said, then she turned and walked back down the corridor, pushing through the swinging door before either Dominic or Audra had a chance to react.
Holding the squirming Joshua, Dominic took a breath. “I’m not sure what she meant by that.”
But Audra knew. Her mother wouldn’t condemn her for making love with someone. She considered that part of the process of finding a mate. But she knew Audra and Dominic had no intention of marrying. Though Audra considered that an outdated, antiquated way to look at life, her mother had actually made a better, stronger point. Dominic had no intention of marrying her. Audra knew that, but the ramifications of that hadn’t sunk in until just this second. Someday Dominic would want to marry. And when he chose a wife, someone to help him raise Joshua, it wouldn’t be her. She was the girl he was playing with.
She was the girl he was biding his time with.
He would never marry her.
And she knew better than to put herself in this kind of position. Her mother had raised her to fight for what she wanted, not settle for second place or second-rate, even if it did seem right in the moment.
Yet here she was, settling.
Dominic handed Joshua to her. “Here, you put him to bed. I’ll grab a bottle of champagne and some chocolates and meet you in my room.”
It didn’t seem like an out-of-line request. She knew how to care for Joshua, and Dominic knew where to get the champagne. She didn’t. Yet suddenly it all seemed wrong.
She licked her dry lips. “I, um, no.”
Half-turned to the left, Dominic stopped. “No?”
“Didn’t you hear what my mother said?”
“Yes.” He frowned. “Which part?”
“A baby needs two parents.”
“No, a baby needs family. Someone to love him. Not necessarily two people. Especially since I will always have a nanny to care for him.”
“And I’m the nanny?”
“No.”
But she stood there holding Joshua, had been told to put him to bed.
He ran his hand along the back of his neck. “I know this looks bad, but that’s not how I see you.”
“But you also don’t see me as somebody you would marry.”
“I’m not getting married.”
“You say that now, but my mother was right. Eventually you’re going to see that Joshua needs a mother. Once you get comfortable as overseer of Manelli holdings, you’re going to realize you’ve settled down. And you’re going to want someone to share your life with.”