excerpt of Daddy’s Fiancée nanny
Rafael
As a general rule, I don’t hate lawyers. I do however find them tedious, annoying and useless. Even the Royal Legal counsel at home and even the General Counsel for the family business, Estamillo Shipping. At least I felt that way until I found myself sitting in a sleek modern office inside a Beverly Hills law office.
“I just don’t understand how they even have cause to bring such a ridiculous fucking lawsuit!”
“Mr. Cavalleros you need to calm down.” Tara Hansen, my lawyer with a reputation for being a shark, calmly reminded me for the sixth time in the past half hour. “This is America, we can sue anyone for anything we choose. It is my job to make sure they don’t win, and I am damn good at my job.”
Her confidence did inspire me but how in the hell could any man in my position feel confident or inspired when someone tries to take away your child? “So you’re saying they have no chance to win custody of Sofia?”
Tara gave me a gentle smile and I hated it, so placating and fake. “There’s always a small chance,” she said to me while her fingers flew over the keyboard on her mobile. “But I have a private investigator looking into every aspect of their lives. We’ll find everything that reflects poorly on them as guardians for Sofia.”
This was exactly the part of the law that turned my stomach. How could I live with myself if I let this woman tear apart my former in-laws? They were still my daughter’s grandparents. But then again, how could I not use every tool at my disposal to make sure my little girl stays with me?
“I’d like you to run what you find by me first.”
“I know you are a royal Mr. Cavalleros, and therefore you are used to people bowing to your every whim. However, I only take cases I can win. So if you don’t trust me to do what I have to do, I’m happy to recommend someone else.”
Well hell. “No that’s fine Ms. Hansen but these people are Sofia’s grandparents.”
Tara leaned forward and then stood, turning her back to me to gaze out her window. “You need to remember that they are also the people telling the court that you’re not fit to take care of her. That your lack of a female companion is somehow hurting your child.” She turned around, blue eyes fierce and ready for battle. “The law is not for the faint of heart. Do you trust me to do everything in my power to keep Sofia where she belongs?”
I nodded, because what the hell else could I say? “I trust you.”
“Good. The Royal Counsel of Estamillo has sent me their recommendations, you want to hear them?”
I shook my head. My father, the King of Estamillo, was in agreement with the Counsel. Come home with Sofia and out of the reach of the American justice system. “I’ve heard nothing but for the past three days.”
She laughed. “They have good intentions but given our relationship with your country, I think it’s best not to turn this into a diplomatic fiasco.” Leaning against her desk, she crossed her arms and gave me an assessing look. “It wouldn’t hurt your case though to have a woman in your life. Is there someone?”
There was, but not officially. I admit I’ve harbored feelings for her for some time now, but she was too young. Had too much life to live to settle down with a man twenty years her senior and play mother to someone else’s child. And she was my nanny.
“There is,” Tara smiled and sat down, resting her chin in her hands. “A girlfriend? Because that would be good.”
“No, not a girlfriend.” Not even a woman I’d been on a date with, though we did spend a great deal of time together.
Her smile fell. “Well making her your girlfriend would be good. Making her your fiancée would be even better.”
I said my goodbyes to the lawyer and made my way to the sprawling beach home I purchased for my stay in America. I spent the ride home staring at the sparkling water to my left and thinking.
Losing my wife was hard for many reasons, but none more than the fact that my little girl would never get to know her mother. It hurt to live without her that first year, knowing that had Angelica simply stayed home instead of competing in the regatta during a storm, she would have been here to witness Sofia’s milestones. First walk, first laugh, first word. She’d missed it all and now her parents were trying to take Sofia from me.
I won’t let that happen.
I can’t.
By the time I arrived home, angry and terrified, I had to wipe it all away so Sofia wouldn’t pick up on it. She was a sensitive girl and I needed to shield her from this as much as I could. For as long as I could.
“Daddy! Come build with us,” she said in her accented English, smiling up at me and covered in sand.
“What are you ladies building?”
Sofia looked over to her nanny, Harper, for the word she was looking for and Harper looked up at me with those beautiful violet eyes that had enchanted me from our first meeting.
“We’re building the biggest, baddest sandcastle a princess ever built.”
“Yeah!” Sofia bounced on her knees, hands flying wildly, sprinkling sand everywhere. “Sorry Harper. Sorry Daddy.”
“No worries kiddo. Can’t go to the beach and not get sandy,” Harper smiled, leaning over to pat Sofia on the shoulder and giving me an enticing look at her sizeable chest.
“Come Daddy!”
“Yeah, come on Daddy,” Harper smiled and winked up at me playfully. She was goading me because I’m too serious she says. For the past eighteen months she’d been trying to pull me out of my shell, to get messy and do something spontaneous. It hadn’t worked.
Maybe that’s why she’s not interested.
“Give me five minutes to change.” As I made my way back inside I could still hear their laughter and happy conversation behind me. Harper had been everything Sofia needed and they’d taken to each other beautifully. She loved Sofia and would do anything to protect her.
Anything?
Maybe…