He’d had some practice at changing diapers, so he was fairly confident and managed to complete the task without incident.
“Done,” he said and held his diapered daughter in the air.
“She’ll be perky for a little while since it’s still early, so she’d probably like a bit of time on her play mat.”
Play mat. Right. He looked around and nothing jumped out at him. “Where do we keep the play mat?”
“It’s folded in the bottom drawer. It has a mobile that arches over the top and she loves it when you play on that with her.”
He found the mat, laid it out on the carpet, put Bonnie on top and then clicked the arms of the mobile together. Bonnie seemed happy, but how, exactly, was he supposed to play with her? He wasn’t a complete idiot—he’d worked out how to play with Meg, but she had more control over her limbs and a rudimentary understanding of games. Bonnie was a different matter.
He rubbed a hand over his chin. “What—?”
“The soft animals hanging from the mobile arms all make different sounds if you handle them and Bonnie loves it when you touch them for her. Try the ladybug—she’s crinkly.”
Liam crinkled the ladybug, then surprised himself by losing track of time as he lay on the floor playing with his daughter.
“I think she’s getting tired,” Jenna finally said. “She’ll appreciate a bottle and a sleep.”
Reluctantly Liam packed up. When he’d spent time thinking about being a father to Bonnie, he’d mainly thought of himself as a caregiver in this phase of her life and not really being able to interact with her until she was a bit older. He’d never suspected that he’d be sorry to put a play mat away.
“Right,” he said, “we’re ready.”
Jenna stood back so he could pass her and head for the kitchen. She talked him through making up his first bottle. On the other night feedings, he’d held Bonnie while Jenna had made the milk, so the juggling act of holding a baby while carrying out the task was more of a challenge than the bottle itself.
Back in the nursery, he settled down into the armchair, bottle in one hand, his now fussy daughter in the other. “You know, they showed me how to do this at the hospital the day I met Bonnie, but I’m afraid I was so overwhelmed, I didn’t pay enough attention.”
“No matter. It’s all worked out perfectly fine,” Jenna said with a smile. “Lay her back along your forearm. And tilt the bottle to her.”
Getting the bottle past those angry fists was easier said than done, but once Bonnie had the teat in her mouth, she stilled, as if all her focus was on the food. Triumph surged through him at being able to successfully feed his daughter; it satisfied something primal inside.
“Have you heard anything more from Rebecca’s parents?” Jenna asked softly.
He sighed. “Our lawyers had a phone meeting today to see if they could negotiate an agreement.”
“No luck?”
“The Clancys aren’t interested in anything but full custody.”
“But anyone could see Bonnie belongs with you,” she said, gesturing to his hand holding the bottle.
“My lawyers think this is about anger. They’re angry their daughter is gone. And they want the last link to her.”
She nodded. “Bonnie.”
“Yes,” he said, gazing at his baby girl. “And they’re angry at me because I have her.”
“I’m sorry, Liam.” Her voice was full of compassion, and just for a moment he let himself accept what she was offering. But only for a moment.
“Thank you, but don’t be sorry for me—cheer me up instead.” He grinned as he glanced up, wanting to just sit and listen to her speak in her beautiful accent. “Tell me about Larsland.”
Her eyelids drifted closed as she rocked Meg. “It’s beautiful,” she said, her voice dreamy. “The sky is a blue I haven’t seen since I left. The birds are different, so the birdsong early in the morning is distinctive. And the old cities on the main islands are a mixture of modern buildings and stone structures, some dating back hundreds of years.”
As she continued to describe the sights, he glanced down at his daughter. Bonnie blinked at him as she drank, as if mesmerized. Her gave her a smile, then looked back to Jenna as she talked about her homeland, and suddenly he knew how Bonnie felt. Enthralled. He was enchanted by Jenna in the soft lamplight, by the glow of her skin and the emotion in her eyes. His body heated with heady warmth.
He’d never wanted to kiss a woman more.
Of course, the irony was that he’d never met a woman more off-limits. She was an employee, and he’d never cross that line and become a boss who made advances to women who worked for him. That type of behavior was deplorable.
Worse, Jenna Peters was the employee he particularly couldn’t afford to scare off. Bonnie was the most important thing in the world to him, and Bonnie needed Jenna. If he made a pass at Jenna and she left, he’d never forgive himself. Being able to handle a night feeding on his own was a far cry from being able to look after his daughter’s every need. Sure, he could get another nanny, but could he guarantee he’d be able to find one Bonnie liked as much? Whom he could trust as much?
No, kissing Jenna would be bad on so many levels. He held back a groan. Perhaps he should change the subject to something more practical, something she’d be less passionate about.
“I heard you met with Danielle again today.” He’d asked his PA to meet with Jenna as soon as she could schedule it to get moving on the launch of the Midnight Lily and they’d now had two meetings in two days.
“She’s great,” Jenna said brightly. “We had our meeting while I changed diapers and carted babies around. She didn’t flinch or lose her train of thought once.”
Liam was pleased but not surprised. Hawke’s Blooms was known for paying its staff well, but in return, they had high expectations of every employee. “Did you get far with the plans?”
“We made a list of what needs to be done in the next week, and she’s going to liaise with people in Adam’s and Dylan’s offices. She’s already booked The Gold Palm as the venue and they’re talking about the guest list. I think everything’s on track.”
“Thank you again for agreeing to help with this. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, smiling. “It’s actually been fun.”
From the expression on her face, he didn’t doubt that, but she was still doing him a favor. “I’ve been thinking, since you’re handling this on top of your nanny duties, you should be compensated accordingly.”
She held up a hand, her eyes suddenly serious. “I couldn’t take more money. I’m barely doing anything—Danielle is doing most of the work.”
“I’m not comfortable with you getting nothing. If you won’t take extra money, then what?” He settled his gaze on her, wishing he could see inside her mind. “Tell me what you want, Jenna.”
* * *
Jenna couldn’t catch her breath. With his dark green eyes on her like that, her body quivered. What did she want? Him. No question. Just him.
But that wasn’t what he meant. She bit down on her lip and looked away. “I can’t think of anything.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Then you’re a rare person. Everyone wants something. What about a trip home to Larsland? We could wait until Bonnie’s a bit older and get someone to fill in here for you for a couple of weeks.”
Jenna stroked Meg’s head as the baby’s eyes grew heavy. “I’m not ready to go home just yet.”
“Well, a trip somewhere else. Or if you don’t want to travel, then perhaps a night out. Dylan’s always getting tickets to Hollywood premieres and offering them to me. Fancy a night on the red carpet?”
An event swarming with media? She suppressed a shiver. The very last thing she needed was to be snapped in the background of a celebrity shot by a paparazzo and have the photo beamed around the world.
“I’ll just take Meg next door,” she said, glad her daughter had fallen asleep. She needed a moment to think of something to distract Liam.
After laying her daughter in her crib and kissing the top of her head, she went back to Liam and Bonnie. “The only thing I can think of is a puppy. Bonnie could have her own dog to grow up with her, and the puppy would be another constant in her life.”
The royal court had several dogs, and one of the happiest memories of her childhood was when her parents had let her have a puppy of her own. The only stipulation had been on the dog’s size. Because it would be living in a palace, it needed to be small and easily controlled. Her little Sigrid had been white, fluffy and her best friend. One day she hoped to be settled enough to get a dog for Meg, but there was no reason Bonnie couldn’t have a little puppy soon—they’d just need to carefully supervise their interactions while Bonnie was so small.
Liam’s gaze told her he hadn’t been fooled for a second. “I have no problem with Bonnie having a puppy, but that’s not something for you.”
“I’d love a dog,” she said earnestly, “so having one for Bonnie would be like having one for me too.”