The Billionaire's Housekeeper (Betsy Jones Book 1) - Unedited

The Billionaire's Housekeeper - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The news that his in-laws were finally departing for their second home in France for three week sojourn should have been welcomed. Yet, despite Nick's initial misgivings about their presence within his home, they had had a positive effect on the children. He hadn't even realised how much he had deprived Delilah and Tommy by locking them within the fortress of his own making. He had wanted to protect them, to keep them safe from harm, but maybe by doing that he had been hurting them in a different way.

Nick ground his teeth together. Admitting his failings, even if it was just to himself, was not easy. His way was the right way. At least that was what he had been telling himself for so long. Maybe in this matter he was wrong.

Drawing in a deep breath, Nick brushed off his shoulders to remove the invisible specs of dirt. Then, with a nod of his head he left his bedroom.

His in-laws voices drifted down the hallway. Carol's voice spoke softly and, dare he think it, with warmth as she read aloud 'The Tales of Peter Rabbit' to the children. Delilah's voice blended with her grandmother's as she perfectly recited the words to the story. She had been obsessed with Peter Rabbit since she was little. Her mother had read them to her when she was a baby, when she was too small to truly register the words but maybe somewhere deep in her mind she remembered.

Drawn by the familiar words, Nick's feet drew him forwards until he stood in the doorway to Delilah's room. His daughter lay in her bed, snuggled under the covers as Carol perched on the edge, book firmly in her hands as she read. Greg sat in the white rocking chair in the corner, Tommy curled up on his chest. Nick's son fought to stay awake. His lashes drifted closed before snapping back open. They remained closed for longer and longer each time but still Tommy refused to give in.

Nick leant against the door frame, arms folded over his chest as he watched his family. His lips curved up into a smile. Never did he think this moment could happen; a slice of happiness which involved his in laws. And he had Betsy to thank for it. There was no denying that.

In the morning his in-laws would be gone. Nick's smile dropped from his lips. Their departure came with a sense of dread. He had barely had a moment alone with Betsy in the week since his office had been ransacked, though he had tried his damnedest to talk to her. He had tried to confess to her his mistake but maybe he hadn't tried hard enough.  But, it would have to wait even though the news hung over their head like a darkened cloud.

"Is everything okay, Nicholas? Are you about to leave?" Carol asked. She placed her hand between the pages of the book to keep her place, a crease forming between her brows

Shaking his head, Nick's lips pulled up into a small smile. "Yes, we're about to leave. I just wanted to say goodnight before I left."

Stepping into the room, Nick walked over to the bed. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to Delilah's head before wrapping his arms around her small body.

"Night Daddy," Delilah mumbled, burying her head into his waist.

"Goodnight squirt." Nick pressed another kiss to her hair unwinding her hers. "Be good for your grandmother. Okay?"

Delilah nodded her head and settled back against the pillows with little protest. She glanced at the book in her grandmother's hands expectantly earning a laugh from the older woman.

As Carol's voice filled the air once more, Nick went over to Tommy and pressed a kiss to his forehead too. His son didn't even notice. The boy had stopped fighting and had fallen into a deep sleep. Little snores were already escaping his mouth, his hands fisted into his grandfather's expensive shirt. The boy could sleep anywhere.