Page 35 of The Billionaire's Promise

I should've been relieved to hear that everything was normal. The doctor was good. The best. I was a Winters. We always had the best. Still, Rosie had gotten worse since she'd woken from her nap.

A nagging worry prodded me. What if he was wrong? What if he'd missed something? What if it wasn't a cold? What if it was pneumonia?

I pushed my anxiety away. This wasn't me. I didn't worry. But I’d never had anyone completely dependent on my judgment before. I hated seeing Rosie so miserable. She looked at me from watery blue eyes identical to my own, and I imagined I saw accusation there. I was her father. I should be able to fix everything. Why wasn’t I fixing this?

Blowing off work for the rest of the day, we went back to Magnolia’s after picking up the dog and a few supplies at the loft. We were both too worried about Rosie to focus on business.

“Can you hand me the thermometer?” Magnolia asked. Pacing the small sitting room off the kitchen, she held Rosie against her chest, rubbing her back in gentle circles.

“You just took her temp, Babe. The doctor told us not to worry,” I said, giving her the thermometer. It was easy to tell Magnolia not to worry but harder to take my own advice.

I didn’t want her to know how freaked out I was. I was supposed to be the strong one. Wasn’t I? I didn’t feel strong. I was helpless and frustrated and grateful Magnolia was there to worry with me.

“What is it?” I asked when the thermometer beeped.

“99.1,” she said, relief evident in her voice.

“Good. Better. Let me take her, and I’ll change her. Maybe she can get some sleep. She’s off her nap schedule.”

I took Rosie and headed upstairs. Diapers and feedings no longer scared me. This cold was new, but I felt like I’d changed a thousand diapers and made even more bottles in the past few weeks. I held Rosie tucked into my arm as I gave her the bottle, relieved to see her eating, even if she didn’t seem as into her formula as usual.

From the sitting room in the master suite, I had a full view of the expansive grounds behind the house. Rolling green lawn sprawled between artfully placed trees and free-form flower beds. While the front of the house was formal, the private spaces looked like the setting for a fairy tale, cultivated and beautiful, but with a thread of wild beneath. Just like Magnolia. She was out there with Scout, throwing a tennis ball for her dog over and over.

She’d changed clothes when we’d come home. She dressed more formally during the work day, but I’d realized that my girl liked to be casual when she wasn’t working. One more thing her dickhead of an ex had given her shit about.

He’d wanted her dressed to the nines around the clock. How could he have been so stupid? Watching Magnolia playing with Scout, her dark red hair streaming behind her as she ran after the ball, her full ass and round tits sexy as hell in her faded jeans and worn t-shirt, I couldn’t understand how he’d let her go. How could anyone miss how beautiful she was?

All afternoon, I’d been waiting for Magnolia to blast me for telling Sloane we were together. I hadn’t said we were fucking, but I hadn’t denied it either. I’d gone out of my way to make it clear that Magnolia was mine. I’d expected her to confront me as soon as Sloane left.

If it weren’t for Rosie, she probably would have. Now that her temper had cooled, she’d reverted to form. Typical Magnolia. Ignore, deny, and pretend there’s nothing to talk about. That wasn’t going to work this time. I could wear her down. Iwouldwear her down. She belonged with me. We both knew it.

I was finished with giving her space. If she didn’t want to talk about it, that was fine. I’d said we were together, and I’d meant it. We were already closer than most couples, especially now that we were living together. There was only one thing missing.

Magnolia hadn’t had sex in over a month. At least. Probably more. I had a feeling the dickhead hadn’t done his part in the bedroom. I hadn’t slept with another woman since before they’d broken up. I was holding out for Magnolia. She was the only woman I wanted.

We’d both feel a hell of a lot better once I got her naked.

Watching her bend over to pick up the tennis ball, her luscious ass in full view, I hoped I’d be able to manage it soon. I was working on the worst case of blue balls I’d had since I’d learned what my dick was for. I’d been patient long enough. So had Magnolia. She just didn’t know it yet.

Rosie fell asleep after her bottle. Her cheeks still felt too warm, but not as hot as earlier. I burped her carefully, trying not to wake her. It drove Magnolia nuts that I could manage to burp Rosie while she was sleeping.

I always told Magnolia it was my skill with women, but the truth was that I had no idea how I did it. Much like the rest of being a dad, I was working on instinct, doing the best I could. I checked the monitor to make sure it was on and went downstairs to find Magnolia fiddling with the lock on the back door.

“Was it open again?” I asked.

“Yeah. I thought I checked it before we left this morning and it was shut, but when I went to let Scout out, the deadbolt wasn’t closed all the way. It’s weird.”

“Who has the keys?” I asked, suddenly suspicious.

“No one,” Magnolia said, shaking her head. “It was only Brayden and me, and I took his keys when he left.”

“But you never had the locks changed?” I said.

“I’m sure it’s nothing. I just need to call a locksmith and get this fixed. It’s been sticky forever.”

“I’m calling Evers,” I said. “You need better security here. I don’t know why I didn’t have it upgraded earlier. I assumed your grandmother would have had a better system on the house. You barely have an alarm.”

Magnolia put her hands on her hips and faced me, color high in her cheeks. “I don’t need you to upgrade my security, Vance. I can take care of myself. Contrary to what you told Sloane, we are not together. You don’t get to take charge of my life.”