Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Archer
The wedding was very heartfelt, with not a dry eye in the place. They’d kept it small and intimate, and Lulu’s family had gone all out on the reception, which took place in a swanky ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows and views of the Eiffel Tower.
Lulu and Rafe had arranged for a dance company to perform, and it was like something straight out of a Broadway show.
The music, the dancing, the costumes.
Sabine was planted in the chair beside me. She hadn’t left my side since we’d arrived. Nothing had happened last night, outside of a few cocktails and good conversation.
She was nice enough, but I wasn’t feeling it.
I glanced over at my nanny, who was standing on the edge of the dance floor with my daughter and her cousin. Cutler twirled Melody around, and Winnie chuckled.
Winnie wore a black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was pulled into some sort of loose knot at the nape of her neck, with a little silk bow tied around it.
She always wore bows, and now Melody was wearing them every day as well.
“I’m going to go grab us a slice of cake,” Sabine said as she winked at me.
I was still bothered by the text that I’d seen last night on Winnie’s phone, but I hadn’t brought it up today, because it wasn’t really my business.
Yet, it felt like it was.
“Thanks for being here, Archie,” Rafe said as he walked over and dropped in the chair beside me, the one Sabine had just left.
“Where else am I going to be?” I laughed. “I’m happy for you and Lulu. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “Winnie’s quite the hit, huh? She’s making life easier on you?”
“She is. I should have jumped on that sooner.”
His eyes widened, and he smirked. “Literally and figuratively?”
“No. Oh fuck, that’s not what I meant.” I shook my head and took a sip of my whiskey. “I meant that I should have gotten good help sooner.”
“Well, you had a soft spot for Mrs. Dowden, and thankfully she finally retired.” He chuckled. “But Winnie’s definitely what you needed.”
“What are we talking about?” Bridger asked as he slipped into the chair on the other side of me.
“The improvement in his nanny situation.”
Bridger nodded. “It’s night and day, huh?”
“Yep.”
“So how about Sabine?” Rafe asked. “She told Lulu she was really into you.”
“She’s nice enough. But I’m here for a week,” I said, shaking the ice around in my rocks glass.
“This is Paris. French flings are the norm here.” Rafe waggled his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes as I blew out a breath. “It’s not really my thing.”
“What? All you’ve had is flings since you’ve had Melody.
” He held his hands up defensively when I glared at him.
“I’m not judging you. I know you don’t get out often.
But I just meant that you aren’t looking for a relationship, so an international fling seems perfect.
And you have a nanny to stay with Melody. ”
Bridger snorted, and we both turned to look at him as he finished off his cocktail.
“Read the room, brother.” Bridger stood. “His eyes haven’t been on the Frenchwoman once. Probably because they’re always on the nanny. I’m getting a refill. I’ll be back.”
He dropped a bomb and then walked off like it was no big deal.
That was Bridger’s style.
“Pfft. This fucking guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” I shrugged. “My nanny is with my daughter. My eyes are on Melody. I’m making sure she’s okay.”
“You’re making sure she’s okay? You’re in a ballroom with security outside the doors, and it’s just family and friends in here.” Rafe arched a brow. “You sure it’s Melody that you’re watching?”
Lulu’s family was big in the political world, and they always traveled with security.
He was right. I wasn’t worried about Melody.
But it didn’t mean I didn’t naturally keep my eye on her.
If I happened to get a glimpse of my pretty nanny at the same time, it wasn’t a big deal.
“Don’t be ludicrous. She works for me. And she’s a decade younger than me, for God’s sake,” I hissed, unsure if I was trying to convince him or myself.
“Wait till you try this cake, handsome,” Sabine said. She sat in Bridger’s seat before handing me a slice of cake.
“Thank you so much for grabbing that for me.” I smiled as I forked a bite at the same time she did.
“I’ve already had two slices,” Rafe said, rubbing his hand across his stomach.
“Well, we don’t want to eat too much—we want to save our energy for after the reception,” Sabine purred, her French accent heavy as her blue gaze locked with mine.
Why the fuck don’t I feel anything?
She was stunning and smart and easy to talk to.
“Daddy, did you see me getting twirled by my best cousin, Beefcake?” Melody asked as I pulled her onto my lap.
“I did, angel face.”
“I want to dance with you now.” She smiled up at me.
I glanced out on the dance floor, where Cutler had dragged Winnie. Everyone was laughing as he poured on the charm.
She went right along with it, kicking her shoes off as she took his hand and they danced. Lulu, Henley, Emilia, Eloise, and my cousin Emerson all made their way out on the dance floor as well, then all joined hands and danced to “Dancing Queen” by Abba.
My nephew was having the time of his life, and Rafe and I chuckled. I glanced at Sabine.
“Will you excuse me for a moment?” I asked, and part of me hoped she would move on to someone else while I was gone.
“Of course. I’ll be waiting right here for you.” She crossed one leg over the other and licked her lips.
Rafe’s eyes widened, and he stood up beside me. “I’m going to grab my bride out on the dance floor.”
Sabine was unfazed. She was eating cake when Lulu’s mother walked over to speak to her.
I held Melody on my hip and joined everyone on the dance floor.
We were having a good time, and we stayed out there for three or four songs, until we were all overheated and ready for a drink.
“Why don’t I take Melody back to the room, and you stay and enjoy yourself?” Winnie said.
“You tired, baby?” I asked my daughter.
“I’m tired, but I’m having the super-most fun ever. But my tummy doesn’t feel so good.” Melody yawned, her eyes barely open as she rested her cheek on my shoulder.
“All right. I’ll walk you both upstairs and get you settled.”
“I’m fine to take her,” Winnie insisted, but I shook my head no. I wanted to make sure they made it upstairs safely.
I stopped by the table where my parents were sitting and let them know I was taking Melody upstairs. They both kissed her cheek and told her they’d meet her for pancakes in the morning, and my mom gave Winnie a big hug and thanked her for the millionth time for being here.
We stopped at the table where Sabine was sitting. A group had gathered around her, so I didn’t feel too bad about leaving her on her own.
“My little girl is exhausted, so I’m going to walk her and Winnie upstairs,” I said, and she turned to look at me before directing her attention to my nanny.
“Isn’t she capable of taking her to the room by herself?” Her tone had a bite, which caught me off guard. I didn’t know Sabine well enough to know if that was the norm, but it was out of left field and out of line.
“I, er, I offered,” Winnie said defensively, her eyes glancing between the two of us, obviously trying to figure out what was up.
“I would like to take my daughter upstairs and put her to bed,” I said, my words coming out harsher than I meant them to, but I didn’t appreciate the way she’d spoken to Winnie.
“Fine, Archer,” she snipped.
What the fuck was this about? I barely knew this woman. I was at my cousin’s wedding. I had my daughter with me.
She was acting like we’d arrived at this wedding together and I’d ditched her for another woman.
I motioned for Winnie to follow me, and we walked out of the ballroom, making our way to the elevators. No fucking way I was coming back down here. Sabine had just shown me who she was, and I didn’t like it.
“Seriously, I’m more than happy to take Melody upstairs by myself,” Winnie said as she reached for my daughter. “You don’t need to escort us.”
“I don’t feel so good, Daddy,” Melody moaned. Her head popped up just as the elevator doors closed.
Before I could respond, projectile vomit had left her lips, and she doused the elevator in puke. She heaved three times before bursting into a fit of tears.
Fuck.
Winnie took her wrap from her shoulders and dabbed it along Melody’s mouth and chin, cleaning up her little face. “You’re all right, sweet pea.”
The elevator doors opened, and thankfully, someone in a uniform was standing there. I stepped off and explained that my daughter had just gotten sick, and he told me not to worry about it. The guy immediately called someone on his walkie-talkie and stepped on the elevator.
Melody was crying hard now, and Winnie pushed the door to our suite open and hurried toward my bathroom. “How about I run her a bath and get her cleaned up.”
“Thank you,” I said as I carried my daughter to the bathroom while Winnie started filling the tub. “Do you need to throw up some more?”
She shook her head and sniffed several times. “No. My tummy feels a little better.”
A tear ran down her face, and I set her down on the counter and grabbed a washcloth to get her cleaned up.
“I’m going to order some ginger ale and see if they have some crackers they can send up,” Winnie said as she left the bathroom.
I hung my jacket up on a hook and quickly got Melody undressed. I checked the temperature of the water before helping her into the tub. Her hair was already tied up in a bun, and she sank down and rested her back against the cool porcelain.
Melody had only been sick a handful of times in her life, but it always scared me.
I hated to see her suffer.
I turned off the water when it was halfway full.
Winnie walked in with Melody’s favorite plastic pink cup, then held the straw to her lips. “Take a sip, sweets. It’ll help your tummy.”
Melody took a small drink, and Winnie set the cup on the side of the tub.
We sat there quietly as my daughter held her arms up. “I’m ready to get out.”
While Winnie left to get her jammies, I grabbed a towel, lifted her out, and wrapped it around her. Between the two of us, we had her dressed, teeth brushed, and tucked beneath the covers in a matter of minutes.
“I’m going to set these crackers on the nightstand in case she wakes up during the night and she’s hungry,” Winnie whispered to me. Melody had already rolled to her side and was sound asleep.
I nodded and motioned for her to follow me out of the room.
“You should go back down to the wedding. I can lie in there with her,” Winnie said.
“No. I’m not going back downstairs,” I said. I typed out a text in the family group chat to let them know where I was.
“Archie, this is the reason you brought a nanny with you to Paris.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Plus, I think Sabine might gouge my eyes out if you don’t go back down.”
“First of all, I didn’t bring you to Paris so you could sit with my daughter when she was sick. Secondly, I want to be here,” I said, my gaze locking with hers. “And Sabine should not have spoken to you like that, so I have no desire to go back down and meet up with her.”
She blew out a breath and chuckled. “You don’t need to protect me from your French lover.”
I didn’t find it funny. Sabine had been rude, and that wasn’t okay with me. “If someone disrespects you, I’ll damn well say something. So I suggest you get used to it.”
“Trust me. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a very long time.” She glanced in the bedroom. “Do you want me to go lie in there with her for a while?”
I want you to stay out here with me.
But I didn’t say that.
“No. I’ve got it. You go get some sleep.” I took a step back, because her lavender scent was doing fucked-up things to me.
“All right. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will.” I cleared my throat. “Did you block that asshole ex-husband of yours?”
She appeared surprised that I’d remembered, arching an eyebrow as she turned around to look at me. “Yes. He’s blocked.”
Good girl.
I nodded. “Glad to hear it. Good night, Winnie.”
“Night.”
I was both relieved and bothered when she disappeared into her room.
And that scared the hell out of me.
Time to get myself in check.