Page 72 of The Billionaire's Virgin

“Because this is not my home,” she replied, and I wondered if she truly felt that way.

“Don’t you like it here with Daddy and me?” Jenna asked.

Taylor raised her eyebrows, and I saw how hard it was for her to answer these questions. “Of course I like it here,” she replied. “I love it here, in fact. But you and your daddy have your own little world here; it belongs to the two of you.”

“But I want you to be in it too,” Jenna said.

“What do you mean, Jenna?” I asked, sensing that she was going somewhere with this.

“Malcolm missed school yesterday,” Jenna revealed. “He’s mommy is getting married, and he’s going on vacation with them.”

We had just entered dangerous territory, and I had no idea how to navigate the waters. A glance at Taylor told me she was just as lost.

“Jenna—”

“Why can’t you and Taylor get married?” Jenna said bluntly. “That way she can stay here with us forever and this will be her home.”

Taylor looked distinctly uncomfortable, but I had the urge to just come out with it and admit that Taylor and I were together. But then I realized that Jenna would understand the implications of that kind of relationship. She would just assume we would get married and that was not something I needed her thinking right off the bat. It would hurt more if things didn’t work out between Taylor and me.

“Jenna, sometimes grownups meet each other and get married,” Taylor said. “And sometimes they meet and become friends.”

“Can’t they do both?” Jenna asked.

Taylor smiled. “Sure, sometimes they do,” she said. “But it all depends.”

“I don’t understand.”

Taylor looked towards me helplessly, but I found myself lost for words. “Jenna,” Taylor said, trying again. “I’m here now, aren’t I? We should just enjoy that.”

“But one day you’ll leave,” Jenna said. “And I don’t want you to. I want you to be my mommy. Sometimes I pretend that you are my mommy.”

I felt a prick at my heart, and I wondered if Taylor felt it too. She certainly seemed deeply touched by the heartfelt testament, but I also knew she didn’t want to make promises that she couldn’t keep.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Sometimes I like to think you’re my kid.”

“Really?”

“Really,. Taylor nodded. “I don’t have to marry your dad to feel that way.”

“But we won’t be a real family if you don’t marry Daddy,” Jenna said.

Taylor smiled and reached out to hold Jenna’s hand. “There are so many different kinds of families in the world, Jenna. Just because your family is different, doesn’t mean it’s any less of a family, okay?”

Jenna looked slightly confused, but she nodded at last. “Okay,” she conceded.

I breathed a sigh of relief and hoped that Taylor had successfully ended that conversation. After dinner when Jenna was in the living room putting away her toys, I joined Taylor in the kitchen. She was washing dishes by the sink.

“You handled that masterfully,” I said, lowering my voice slightly.

“You think?” Taylor asked, looking at me with conflicted eyes. “I thought I messed up.”

“No, I did,” I said. “I should have said something.”

“It’s okay; we were both blindsided.”