Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Alex let out a long, low whistle. “So you’re still deciding, then?”
“No,” I sighed. “I’ve decided. Turns out my experience combined with my education has made me a good nanny.” I didn’t want him to ask why, so I turned the tables. “How did you become a hockey player?”
He laughed as he stepped back from the fridge with an arm full of sandwich ingredients, talking as he assembled them. “It might surprise you to learn there aren’t a lot of hockey opportunities in the backwoods of Tennessee.”
I grinned. “I thought I heard a hint of a southern accent in there.”
He flashed a proud smile. “Crayfish Hills,” he admitted with a shy grin. “I had a bit of a temper as a kid and I had exactly one friend who came from a so-called normal family. His dad noticed my temper and suggested hockey as a way to deal with it. My family couldn’t afford the equipment, never mind the team expense for me to play, so Mr. Morris paid for it and he taught me to play. Early in the morning and on the weekends, sometimes evenings after school. Turns out, I had a head for the game. It was the first time anyone had ever done something like that for me and it meant something. It meant a lot, actually.”
Ah, hell. His sincere words combined with that look on his face started the unfortunate stirrings of a crush. “That’s sweet.”
His green gaze narrowed in my direction but I just laughed. “I was recruited to a fancy private school for high school to play, and then college, going early in the draft.”
“A real Cinderella story. Good for you.” It was nice to see that everything he had was borne of hard work and determination, rather than his name or upbringing. “Do you enjoy it?”
“I do. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I stared at the strange mix of the man who was big and tough, working in a brutal profession, but also managed honesty and sincerity with ease.
“Will Dixie put a kink in your social life?”
He laughed. “You really haven’t looked me up online?”
I sighed as I shook my head. “Just briefly. I probably should have done a deep dive, but I know better than most just how little you can believe what is written about the rich and famous. Plus, everything moved so fast with this placement, I spent all of last two days settling Dixie.”
Curiosity burned in his gaze as he put the finishing touches on the biggest sandwich I’d ever seen, but he didn’t ask. “She might slow me down but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After my brief relationship with Tatiana went south, she decided to share intimate details of our time together with the world.”
My eyes bulged out of my head in shock. “Tatiana? You dated her? She’s gorgeous!” She was tall and leggy and busty, the absolute trifecta where most men were concerned.
“She’s gorgeous,” he agreed. “But that’s all she is. Trust me.” The look of disgust on his face urged me to believe him.
“Well I know a thing or two about that. Not beauty, per se, but it’s all about appearances in my world, or rather my parents’ small world. But he’s from a good family. Don’t you know who his great-grandfather was?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “As if any of that says a damn thing about the person or their character.”
His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. “You’re a rich girl.”
My face burned with embarrassment and I shook my head. “I’m not. My parents are rich and I grew up that way, but I’m a nanny.” Technically all of that was true. I had a substantial trust fund, but I didn’t use it so I wasn’t really rich. Right?
“We’re a fine pair, aren’t we? You’re a rich girl playing at being poor and I’m a poor kid pretending like I belong.”
I laughed. “Something tells me that you’ve always belonged, Alex. You just didn’t realize it.”
He flashed a satisfied smile and took a huge bite of his sandwich. “Thanks.”
I shook my head when he offered me a bite of the monstrous sandwich. “No thanks.” But I did have another question that was as much for my sake as for Dixie’s. “What do you plan to do about Dixie?”
He shrugged and finished chewing. “Not sure. Well, that’s a lie. If she’s mine then she’s my kid, my blood and I will do everything in my power to give her the best life possible. I’ll make sure she’s protected and cared for. Period.”
Good. “That’s what every little kid needs.”
“I agree.” His jaw was tense and I had a feeling that although our backgrounds were worlds apart, our experiences weren’t.
“And if she’s not yours?”
He shrugged again. “I don’t even want to think about it, Sasha. I don’t know what I want the test results to say, which makes me an asshole, doesn’t it?”