Page 79 of Spare Heir

‘Okay, so I’m firing you. You’re not the nanny anymore!’

She struggles to speak but takes a deep breath and says quietly as tears mingle with the raindrops splattering on her face. ‘I can’t let you lose everything you’ve worked so hard for, just to be with me.’

‘But don’t you see, baby? Youareeverything! Nothing is worth anything without you. I know that now.’

‘And Daisy,’ she whispers.

‘And Daisy, of course.’

I get up and move towards her, and she stumbles into my arms. The rain is coming down even harder and splashing onto our heads, but I don’t care. I kiss her lips and we devour each other’s mouths and hold on to each other so tightly, like we’re each other’s oxygen and can’t breathe if we’re not touching.

Her stiff nipples poke through her wet t-shirt, and I have a raging hard-on at the sight of them. It reminds me of the day she burst into my life, and it was never the same again.

‘You’re so wet,’ she whispers a while later when we finally unglue our lips, and she runs her hands through my hair.

‘You’re soaking too.’ I laugh. ‘You’re not the easiest woman to find, by the way. I’ve been like Sherlock fucking Holmes since you left.’

She pulls me inside the building, laughing too now.

‘Let’s go up to the flat and we can dry off.’

‘Does drying off involve us getting naked?’ My tone is teasing, but I’m desperate to feel her skin against mine and I’m praying that Juliette really isn’t at home.

‘It might do,’ she says. A coy smile spreads across her wide mouth, and as we walk up the stairs, her hand nestles in mine. Something tells me we’re going to be fine. More than fine. My heart’s blazing with love for her and nothing has ever felt so right.

My seat on the board, my shares in the company and my position as CEO aren’t worth anything without her.

I’ll give it all up for her in a heartbeat, if that’s what it takes. Andwhateverhappens with my family, I’ll spend every day, starting today, making sure she knows she’s the love of my life.

‘You didn’t give me an answer,’ I say.

She looks at me. ‘To being your girlfriend—are you serious?’

‘Of course, I’m serious. I’ve never been more serious.’

‘In that case, yes.’ She nods and the look of pure joy on her face tells me all I need to know.

‘I love you, Nat,’ I say, unable to hold back any longer.

‘And I love you too,’ she says. Her eyes shine as she opens the door of the flat, and the second we’re inside we strip each other’s sodden clothes off and make frantic, passionate love on the sofa.

Much later, when Nat’s out the room, I reach for my suit jacket and extract a box from the pocket and flip it open. The topaz necklace gleams on the velvet lining, and when she returns, she sees it and gasps. She sits on my knee, and I gather her thick golden hair in one hand and sweep it over one shoulder, and then I place the necklace around her neck and close the clasp.

‘This belongs to you,’ I say, admiring how perfectly it matches her eyes.

She touches the necklace and I can see how much it means to her as she leans over to kiss me.

As soon as she’s got used to the idea of being my girlfriend, I’ll make another proposal. The kind that requires a ring.

I can’t wait for her to bemy wife—Mrs Nathalie Rochester.

EPILOGUE

Nathalie

I release a contented sigh and rest my magazine on the table beside the sunbed. It feels great to be back in France and I’m loving this holiday. The glint of my topaz engagement ring next to my wedding band catches my eye, and my heart flutters at the memory of Sebastian searching for me in Knightsbridge and turning up soaked with the topaz necklace in his pocket.

Being Mrs Nathalie Rochester still feels surreal. Who would have believed I’d marry Sebastian when I took the position of Daisy’s nanny?