Devoted - The Complete Series: A BWWM Romance Boxset Read Online Free Page A
Author: Sadie Black
about is yourself!”
“You fired Alyssa? Where is she? Where’s Brooklyn?”
“What kind of question is that? She’s right here. What kind of mother do you take me for?”
“Let me talk to her!” I roar into the phone, cutting off her self-pitying tirade. For once she doesn’t protest, I hear the phone rustle as she hands it over.
“Braddy? Is it you?” My heart twists in my chest as my eyes flicker up to the picture on my desk as if she speaking to me from within the frame.
“Yes, baby. Is everything okay? Are you okay?” I’m trying so hard to keep my emotions from flooding my voice. I know it won’t do anything but upset her to hear how I truly feel.
“Yes, I okay. Don’t be sad. Mommy said Alyssa go away. Can she come back and play tomorrow?”
“I’ll see what I can do honey. I won’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.” Eileen snatches the phone from Brooklyn, and I steel myself for her wrath.
“I told you that I fired her. Don’t go telling her that you’re going to get her back. You obviously don’t even care about us if you want me to have a Nanny that robs the blind and abuses Brooklyn like that!”
This isn’t the first time Eileen is accused nannies of both of these things. In other cases, the police have investigated, and they have always come up empty-handed. Every Nanny that I’ve hired has had an extensive background search, a police records check and come with a plethora of references, yet she finds something wrong with each and every one of them. I thought we had finally found a winner with Alyssa since it’s been over a month of employment without any major protests, yet here we are.
“That isn’t true. I do care about my family, and I do care about what goes on there. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be on the phone with you right now, would I?” I open the calendar on my computer; there goes another weekend . There’s a flight on the redeye tonight, so I can make it there in four hours. “Just hang tight I’ll deal with it tomorrow morning, I’ll be there before you even have breakfast on the table.” Of that much I’m certain since one of the reasons a full-time live-in Nanny is an essential service is because Eileen has been known to go for days without eating or serving Brooklyn proper meals.
“Oh, wonderful! We can have pancakes and blueberries. I’ll get us some whip cream to top them up with, and we can have a nice family breakfast together,” her mood swings upward like a child sitting on a teeter-totter.
“It all sounds lovely,” I rub my fingers across my forehead “I’ll see you then.” Hanging up the phone I realize Rachel needs to reschedule my meetings for today. Eileen can’t be trusted to look after Brooklyn, not even for the next twelve hours. I’m going to have to arrange some sort of emergency care.
When I pick up the phone to call Rachel, the line is live. For a second, I’m thrown off by the phone not buzzing through to her desk, and my stomach sinks as I wonder if somehow I’m still connected to Eileen. “Hello? Sir? Um, I’m sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to remind you of the Cole-Blackwell wedding this afternoon? You asked me to give you three hours notice? Sir?” I rub the ear piece of the receiver over my throbbing temple, tempted to jab it into my brain. Fuck . As usual I got swept up in Eileen’s whirlwind and forgot about all other obligations.
“Christ on a stick, that’s today? Of course it is. Thank you, Rachel.” I manage to utter through clenched teeth. The last thing I want to do right now is go to some drawn out ceremony that will surely involve a media frenzy and more handshaking than any amount of sanitizer can rub off. Did I say ‘fuck’ yet?
By nothing short of a miracle, I’m sitting in the pew at Grace Church, surrounded by well-wishers and family members of the groom. Showing up for this was about 90% obligation since I
“You fired Alyssa? Where is she? Where’s Brooklyn?”
“What kind of question is that? She’s right here. What kind of mother do you take me for?”
“Let me talk to her!” I roar into the phone, cutting off her self-pitying tirade. For once she doesn’t protest, I hear the phone rustle as she hands it over.
“Braddy? Is it you?” My heart twists in my chest as my eyes flicker up to the picture on my desk as if she speaking to me from within the frame.
“Yes, baby. Is everything okay? Are you okay?” I’m trying so hard to keep my emotions from flooding my voice. I know it won’t do anything but upset her to hear how I truly feel.
“Yes, I okay. Don’t be sad. Mommy said Alyssa go away. Can she come back and play tomorrow?”
“I’ll see what I can do honey. I won’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.” Eileen snatches the phone from Brooklyn, and I steel myself for her wrath.
“I told you that I fired her. Don’t go telling her that you’re going to get her back. You obviously don’t even care about us if you want me to have a Nanny that robs the blind and abuses Brooklyn like that!”
This isn’t the first time Eileen is accused nannies of both of these things. In other cases, the police have investigated, and they have always come up empty-handed. Every Nanny that I’ve hired has had an extensive background search, a police records check and come with a plethora of references, yet she finds something wrong with each and every one of them. I thought we had finally found a winner with Alyssa since it’s been over a month of employment without any major protests, yet here we are.
“That isn’t true. I do care about my family, and I do care about what goes on there. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be on the phone with you right now, would I?” I open the calendar on my computer; there goes another weekend . There’s a flight on the redeye tonight, so I can make it there in four hours. “Just hang tight I’ll deal with it tomorrow morning, I’ll be there before you even have breakfast on the table.” Of that much I’m certain since one of the reasons a full-time live-in Nanny is an essential service is because Eileen has been known to go for days without eating or serving Brooklyn proper meals.
“Oh, wonderful! We can have pancakes and blueberries. I’ll get us some whip cream to top them up with, and we can have a nice family breakfast together,” her mood swings upward like a child sitting on a teeter-totter.
“It all sounds lovely,” I rub my fingers across my forehead “I’ll see you then.” Hanging up the phone I realize Rachel needs to reschedule my meetings for today. Eileen can’t be trusted to look after Brooklyn, not even for the next twelve hours. I’m going to have to arrange some sort of emergency care.
When I pick up the phone to call Rachel, the line is live. For a second, I’m thrown off by the phone not buzzing through to her desk, and my stomach sinks as I wonder if somehow I’m still connected to Eileen. “Hello? Sir? Um, I’m sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to remind you of the Cole-Blackwell wedding this afternoon? You asked me to give you three hours notice? Sir?” I rub the ear piece of the receiver over my throbbing temple, tempted to jab it into my brain. Fuck . As usual I got swept up in Eileen’s whirlwind and forgot about all other obligations.
“Christ on a stick, that’s today? Of course it is. Thank you, Rachel.” I manage to utter through clenched teeth. The last thing I want to do right now is go to some drawn out ceremony that will surely involve a media frenzy and more handshaking than any amount of sanitizer can rub off. Did I say ‘fuck’ yet?
By nothing short of a miracle, I’m sitting in the pew at Grace Church, surrounded by well-wishers and family members of the groom. Showing up for this was about 90% obligation since I
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