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TheplayendedandAda was on her feet, cheering Kendall’s name. Jud and I looked at each other and shrugged before joining her. Joe, Alex, and Avery couldn’t resist, either. We cheered hard, despite all the looks we got. Kendall looked horrified on stage, but her eyes were bright and I could tell she was secretly thrilled to have everyone at her play, supporting her. Ada deserved all the credit. She was willing to fight for the kids and it was sexier than I ever imagined it could be.
After the play, everyone milled about in the entrance hall, waiting for their kids. Ada looked regal with her shoulders back and her curves shining in the dress I’d picked out for her. She was almost as tall as us in the heels and I had completely inappropriate thoughts about fucking her with those heels on. She glanced my way and when our eyes met, she grinned and winked before turning back to Kendall. My stomach clenched with desire and I had to look away.
“Who’s the girl?” Angie’s voice in my ear was definitely a mood killer.
I turned to face Joe’s ex-wife and forced my face to stay neutral. I hateed the woman. She was even worse than my ex-wife and I refused to even think about my ex so that was saying something. “Angie. Good to see you.”
She crossed her arms and eyed Ada suspiciously. “Don’t waste my time, Collin. Who is she?”
I noticed the man next to Angie eyeing Ada, too, and my neutrality vanished. “Have you even spoken to your daughter yet?”
I didn’t wait for her to respond, I just walked over to Joe and cleared my throat. Nodding towards Angie, I did my due diligence before wrapping my arm around Ada’s waist and guiding her towards a quiet spot in the corner of the room.
She looked up at me when I pulled her to a stop and immediately reached up to straighten my bowtie. “Good evening, Mr. Carrington. How can I help you?”
I ducked my head and shoved my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t grab her. “I just thought you might need a break. Wrangling a crowd of Carringtons is a lot for most people.”
“Good thing I’m not most people.” She looked down at her dress. “I really don’t know how to thank you, Collin. I didn’t feel like the help at all tonight. I mean, I am the help. I’m the nanny, of course. It was just nice to pretend to be one of you tonight.”
Throwing caution to the wind, I gripped her hips and tugged her into my chest. “You’re not just the help and I think you know that.”
She let out a breathy laugh and bit her lower lip. “Collin, people are watching.”
I kissed her then, long and languidly, tasting the mint she’d snuck during intermission. My dick hardened and I moaned against her mouth before pulling back to press my forehead to hers. “I don’t care.”
It was a swift kick to realize that I didn’t. After my failed marriage, I’d kept all trysts and dalliances private. I didn’t want to be publicly connected to another loss. With Ada, I didn’t care that the people who talked the loudest in our community were watching.
“Spend the night with me tonight.” The words were out before I could stop them and I found that I was glad. I wanted her.
She started to nod and then stopped. Her smile dimmed slightly and she took a step back. “I can’t. I don’t want to hurt anyone. It’s probably best if I just stick to myself.”
I was going to murder Joe and Jud. “It’s okay, Ada. I’ll wait for you to figure out that I’m the best Carrington.”
She laughed like I was hoping and wiped my top lip. “Lipstick smudge.”
“Collin.” Angie was back, honing in on her target. “And you must be Ada. I’ve heard all about you.”
Ada stuck out her hand to shake Angie’s and smiled brightly. “Hi! All good, I hope. Are you…”
I had to choke back a snort when I saw Angie’s face. Ada didn’t automatically recognize her and that pissed her off. I couldn’t hide my smile as I introduced Angie. “Ada, this is Joe’s ex-wife, Angie.”
Ada laughed easily, letting the knowledge of who she was speaking to roll off her back. “It’s nice to meet you, Angie. Kenny talks about you all the time.”
We both knew that wasn’t true. Angie was about as good at being a mother as she had been a wife. Angie worked her jaw back and forth and I could practically hear her grinding her teeth. “Kenny?”
“Kendall?” Ada shrugged. “We like it.”
“It’s a man’s name.” Angie frowned like she thought Ada was an idiot.
“I once knew a boy with the nickname Catfish. Nicknames are supposed to be silly or different. My dad calls me-”
“Oh, my god.” Angie held up her hands, rolled her eyes, and walked away.
I opened my mouth to shout at her to apologize to Ada but Ada was laughing. I stared at her and tilted my head. “Why are you laughing?”
She wiped her eyes and tried to stop. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting that. I think I sounded like an idiot but I’m fine with it.”
“You didn’t sound like an idiot.” I glared at the back of Angie’s head. “She’s a pain in the ass. She spent most of her marriage to Joe fucking other people.”
