Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
DEAN
Iused to hate Sundays.
Not because anything was wrong with them, but they were empty.
There weren’t board meetings to distract me. No investors were demanding updates. There wasn’t an excuse to spend fourteen hours buried in work, pretending I preferred it that way.
The penthouse was usually quiet. When I look back now … it was too quiet.
Now, somehow, Sundays have become my favorite day of the week. Mostly because there isn’t anywhere I have to be.
“You ready?” Aubrey calls from the kitchen.
“Almost,” I shout in return.
I finish adjusting the sleeves of my navy henley before grabbing a baseball cap off my dresser. A pair of sunglasses completes the disguise.
It isn’t foolproof. If someone really looked, they might recognize me, but it’s not like I’m Brad Pitt. Pictures are generally only taken at events where they know I will be.
But there have been occasions where my privacy was violated and plastered on the internet.
By the time I walk out of my bedroom to see Aubrey carrying Liana, I forget entirely why I was looking in the mirror.
“Wow.”
She smiles. “What?”
“You two,” I reply.
Liana is in a tiny brown sweater dress over red leggings, complete with little boots that serve absolutely no purpose, considering she can’t walk.
A knitted bow sits on top of her impossibly soft hair.
Aubrey looks just as beautiful in a cream sweater, tucked into dark jeans, her hair falling over one shoulder in loose waves.
“You coordinated.”
Aubrey glances down at herself before looking at Liana. “I didn’t even notice.”
I lean over and kiss her quickly. “You look beautiful.”
“So do you.”
I scratch the back of my neck. “I’ve really mastered this rugged disguise.”
She presses her lips together to keep from smiling. “I was actually talking about the man underneath it.”
I grab the diaper bag, then press the button to open the elevator doors.
“Careful, Miss Cooper,” I warn as I lean closer.
“Why?” she asks.
“You keep saying things like that, and we’re never going to make our reservation.”
The restaurant sits tucked away on the Upper West Side, the kind of place that caters to celebrities, politicians, and old-money families who value privacy over publicity.
I’ve been coming here for years.
The staff never stares or makes a scene. Exactly the way I like it.
We’re led to a quiet corner table in the back. Liana is asleep in her stroller, which I push into the corner.
I pull out Aubrey’s chair. She looks over her shoulder.
“Thank you,” she says with a surprised pitch.
I take a seat next to her. “Was that a question?”
She blows out a breath. “No, I’m just not used to anyone pulling out a chair for me.”
My head tilts to the side. “Why not? I’m sure you’ve been on plenty of dates.”
I don’t particularly like the idea of her going on dates. But I also want the answer.
“Well, would I call them dates? I mean, I’ve gone out to dinner with guys. But on a college student’s budget. And they never pulled out my chair.”
Right, college. It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about that or been in the position as a broke college student.
She makes it so easy to forget that she’s only twenty-two.
“Aubrey …” I shake my head. “A man shouldn’t wait until he can afford to treat a woman well before he starts acting like she deserves it.”
She looks down at the table, absent-mindedly tracing the edge of her napkin with one finger. “No one’s ever said something like that to me.”
Her confession is so quiet that I almost miss it.
“Then someone should’ve.”
The waiter comes over and takes our order.
Just as he is approaching with our food, Liana starts to move around in the stroller. She blinks her sleepy blue eyes open before stretching both arms over her head.
“Good morning, Peanut,” I whisper, lifting her onto my lap.
She answers by immediately grabbing my thumb.
“I think she’s hungry,” Aubrey says.
“I think she just likes pretending she runs my schedule.”
Aubrey chuckles as she reaches for Liana’s bottle in the bag beneath the table. She hands it to me without either of us saying a word.
I adjust Liana against my arm automatically. She drinks it happily while Aubrey steals a piece of bacon from my plate.
“That’s my bacon.”
She looks completely unbothered. “You have five pieces.”
“I had five pieces.”
She smiles around another bite. “Sharing is caring.”
“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Across the aisle, an older couple has smiled at us several times. I haven’t thought much of it until the woman catches Aubrey’s eye.
“You have the sweetest little family.”
Aubrey nearly drops her bacon. We’re both frozen in place.
The woman smiles warmly at Liana. “She has her daddy wrapped around her little finger already.”
Her husband chuckles. “And she’s clearly inherited her mother’s smile.”
For one suspended moment, neither of us speaks.
I could correct them. I probably should.
Instead, I look across the table at Aubrey who isn’t correcting them either.
She just smiles politely.
“Thank you,” she says softly.
The couple returns to their breakfast as though they simply commented on the weather.
The word lingers in my head. Family.
Not billionaire, CEO, or New York’s most eligible bachelor.
Not Liana’s nanny or Noah’s little sister.
Just … family.
I look down at Liana finishing the last of her bottle before glancing back toward Aubrey.
She wipes a tiny drop of formula from Liana’s chin with a practiced ease she’s somehow developed in only a few weeks.
She catches me staring. “What?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
She narrows her eyes. “That’s never true.”
Maybe it isn’t. Because for the first time since she walked into my penthouse, I allow myself to wonder something I’ve refused to even consider.
Maybe this isn’t temporary.
Despite the twelve years between us or every logical reason to slow this down … she could actually be someone I see a future with.
The thought should terrify me. Instead, it feels strangely comforting.
TWO WEEKS LATER
I have never been this nervous about a date, which is ridiculous.
I’ve negotiated billion-dollar acquisitions and stood in front of thousands of shareholders.
I’ve given interviews on live television without breaking a sweat.
Yet, somehow, waiting for Aubrey to come out of her room has me checking the time every thirty seconds.
“You’ve looked at your watch four times in the last minute.”
I glance toward Sawyer. “I have not.”
He chuckles. “You just did it again.”
“I was seeing what time it was.”
He deadpans. “That’s generally what watches are for.”
I reach over and shove his shoulder. “You’re annoying.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Kayla laughs from the living room, where she is kneeling beside Liana’s play mat. “I told you not to tease him.”
“I can’t help it.” He looks back at me with entirely too much satisfaction. “I’ve been waiting for this day.”
“What day?”
“The day Mr. Relationships Are an Inefficient Use of Time finally admits he has a thing for the nanny.”
I smack him across the chest. “Watch your mouth.”
He clutches his heart dramatically. “You hit me!”
“I’ll do it again.”
Kayla rolls her eyes. “You two are exhausting.”
Sawyer ignores her. “You know what the best part is?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I can’t wait to hear it.”
“I knew.”
I sigh. “You did not.”
“I absolutely did.”
“You were delusional.”
He points at me. “I knew the instant I saw you two together. The way you looked at her. And how often you brought her up.”
“I barely talk about her.”
His eyebrows turn down. “You called me once because she made pancakes.”
“I was talking about breakfast.”
“You described the pancakes.”
I stare at the floor. “They were good pancakes.”
He looks at Kayla. “See?”
She snorts. “I do remember the pancake phone call.”
I rub a hand over my face. “I hate both of you.”
“No, you don’t,” Sawyer replies.
“No”—I sigh— “I really don’t.”
Before Sawyer can think of another way to torture me, footsteps sound on the hardwood floors.
Our conversation stops just as Aubrey walks into the room … and every coherent thought leaves my head.
She’s wearing a simple white dress that hugs her just enough before flowing softly to just above her knees. Gold heels catch the light with every step, matching the delicate jewelry at her ears and wrist.
Her hair falls in loose waves over her shoulders, and somehow, she’s managed to look effortlessly elegant while still looking unmistakably like herself.
Beautiful doesn’t even begin to cover it.
She smiles uncertainly. “What?”
I realize everyone was just staring at her, including me—especially me.
“You …” I clear my throat, suddenly unable to remember how words work. “You look …”
She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Too much?”
I shake my head immediately. “Not even close.”
A smile slowly spreads across my face.
I look her up and down again. “You look incredible.”
Color blooms across her cheeks. “Thank you.”
Sawyer leans toward me just enough so that only I can hear. “Close your mouth.”
Without taking my eyes off Aubrey, I reach over and smack him again.
He laughs loud enough that Aubrey looks between us suspiciously.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” Sawyer answers far too quickly.
I point a warning finger at him. “Behave.”
“I always behave.”
Kayla snorts. “No, you don’t.”
He looks offended. “I behave … occasionally.”
Liana chooses this moment to let out a happy squeal from Kayla’s lap.
I honestly can’t believe she is almost five months old.
I walk over and scoop her into my arms. “Hey there, Peanut.”
She immediately wraps both hands around one of my fingers.
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
She blinks up at me like she understands every word. I kiss the top of her tiny head before handing her back to Kayla.
“If she gives you trouble—”
“Dean,” Kayla interrupts with a smile, “I’ve got this.”
“I know.”
Sawyer grabs the diaper bag. “Now get out of here before you change your mind.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“I know.” He grins. “But now I don’t have to listen to you pretend I wasn’t right … like always.”
I decide it’s best to ignore him and lead Aubrey toward the elevator. “Ready?”
She slips her hand into mine. “I’ve been ready.”
The elevator doors close behind us, leaving the noise of the apartment behind. For a few seconds, neither of us speaks.
She catches me staring, and she steps closer.
I don’t think. I simply reach for her.
My hand settles against her waist as I pull her gently toward me, capturing her lips in a kiss that is equal parts excitement and relief.
When we finally separate, she rests her forehead against mine, smiling.
The elevator chimes as it reaches the parking garage.
I lace our fingers together. “My driver’s waiting downstairs.”
She looks up. “No paparazzi?”
I shake my head. “We’ll go straight from the garage.”
I squeeze her hand. “For tonight, I just want you to enjoy being my date.”
The elevator doors slide open, and together, we step out into the quiet garage.