The Billionaire's Surprise Baby

College Nanny Romance

By: Erica Frost

Table of Contents

The Billionaire's Surprise Baby

College Nanny Romance

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

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Foreword

Have you ever met someone and knew they were wrong for you, in every way? I was finally getting the hang of college, working part-time as a yoga teacher when Joe Magella came into my life. A divorced big city trader who turned his back on his billionaire lifestyle to come volunteer at our small college. He offered me a job as a nanny for his son. The money was great. What could go wrong? Only, everything! My part-time job turned into a romance, which was fine until I fell pregnant. Now, instead of assignments and exams, I had diapers and night-time feeding to plan for. How would I ever cope with a baby, my studies, my yoga clients, not to mention a guy who was never supposed to be more than a fling? Only one way to find out...

The Billionaire’s Surprise Baby

Chapter 1

Tammy

I didn’t notice him right away. It wasn’t like I checked out the yoga studio each time I led a class, making eye contact with everyone, smiling warmly while enquiring about their day, and how they were feeling at this point in time of their astrological chart. I’m not that kind of a yoga teacher. Back when I taught my first classes, the only way I could deal with the nerves was to pretend I was alone in the room, and that all those people were on a Zoom screen in cities far away, maybe in Prague or Vienna or something. The technique has kind of stuck with me. 

Lots of people like it. They say it’s more honest. Spiritual even, which I definitely like, even though it couldn’t be further from the truth. Most days, I’m an insecure wreck, wondering if my thighs look too chunky in my leggings. 

So, yeah. I didn’t notice him at all, actually.

I started the class, we did some stretching, I put on some relaxing generic music, no annoying pan pipes or weird chanting, just waves breaking on a sandy beach or forest noises interspersed with bird calls.

Once the class got going, I walked through, checking positions, gently offering corrections and adjustments. Lots of tight shoulders and stiff necks, as per usual, from all the bending over books and hunching over laptops. In the back, I saw a guy doing a particularly odd downward dog. He was too stiff, all rigid. He needed to relax more. I watched him for a bit, then walked up to him and put my hand on his back to push him down a bit more. I leaned down to whisper to him to let go, but I never got the chance.  As soon as my hand touched his back, the guy bolted upright, so fast I had no time to step back. He knocked right into me, pushing me off balance. I fell back, hitting the ground hard, with my bum and my elbow taking the most impact.

Are you okay? I opened my eyes and saw concerned faces crowded around me. Someone gave me a hand to help me sit up. I rubbed my arm and my head, trying to figure out what had happened.

I’m so sorry, someone said. Are you okay? I... just reacted.

I looked up and that was when I saw him for the first time.

Or saw his eyes, to be precise. So blue, so incredibly bright against his tanned skin, I mean, I remembered thinking that this particular shade of blue must have a name, like Cerulean or Cyan. Something arty. Obviously, I was concussed, thinking about naming the exact shade of some random guy’s eyes.

What is wrong with you, man?! One of my regulars was being very un-yogi like, confronting Blue Eyes. Are you off your meds or something?

I’m fine, guys, thanks, I said, trying to stay cool. But my elbow was throbbing, and I was feeling a bit dizzy.

Let me get you some water, Blue Eyes said and went off to the water cooler.

I think you need to go to the clinic and have them look at your head, someone else said. You can’t be too careful with a fall. My mother’s neighbor slipped on the bathroom floor...

I’m okay, really, I quickly said. I’m going to sit down, and we’ll do a nice cooldown to end the class.

I reassured everyone and talked them through the rest of the class.

When it was over, Blue Eyes came over to me, looking very embarrassed.

How’re you feeling?

I think I’ll live.

I can’t believe I wrecked my first yoga class!

It was your first time? I asked.

You couldn’t tell? He looked pointedly at me, and I laughed.

Okay, I could, I laughed. He was very good-looking; I couldn’t help noticing. Tall and well-built, dressed like he was going out for a run. The guys who came for yoga were usually thin and reedy, in flowing hand-printed pants and man buns to keep the long hair from falling in their faces. This guy had proper biceps and arms for chopping wood and climbing up rock faces. I started imagining what other things he could do with arms like that. 

I’m sorry about crashing into you, he said. I wasn’t expecting any touching, I guess.

I should have asked you if you were okay with adjustments, it’s my fault, I countered.

Are you a student here?

No, he shook his head. Lecturing. I’ve recently moved here from New York.

That explains it then, not liking to be touched.

Exactly! Where I’m from, only the muggers touch you, or the beggars.

I thought your accent sounded different. What brings you to Seattle? 

Lecturing in the business department.

I’m studying business administration, I said.

I grew up around these parts and I wanted to take a break. A kind of coming back home, in a way.

This sounded interesting. Oh?

But he was not very forthcoming with any more information. It was obviously a sensitive subject.

Yeah, things were getting pretty stressed out there.

You mean all the drugs, sex, and rock ‘n roll?

It’s not like that, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.

C’mon, I’ve seen the movies, I teased him. You Wall Street guys are all the same, aren’t you? High on adrenaline and big money stakes, making deals in the dead of night, phone calls at 3am? I was having fun.

Maybe, he said, looking away.

I sensed I’d lost him. I was getting ready to say goodbye.

Then he said, I obviously need to relax and destress more than I realized. 

Yoga will definitely help with that. It is quite addictive, actually. Better than valium.

Really? he was smiling again. Those white teeth combined with the blue eyes was something else. I felt my heart beating a bit faster and wondered if that had anything to do with knocking my head just now.

Come again next week, at least three times. The gym offers it for free to the lecturers, right?

Health and wellness, yeah. One of the perks, he said. 

We walked out into the gym together. 

Actually, maybe you could help me, he said. I’m looking for a nanny to help me out with my son, Justin? He’s six but he needs someone to fetch him from school and so on. You wouldn’t happen to know of anyone?

What kind of hours, full-time?

No... he’s in school now, so it’s really after hours, minding him, feeding him, checking his homework. Very basic. Just until I get back from class. I’m staying with my parents for now, but I can’t leave him with them all the time.

And your wife? I had to ask.

I’m divorced.

I nodded. Well, it sounds like a great job, ideal for a student. Especially if one could go to class in the morning.

You know of anyone? I don’t just want to put up an ad and I don’t really know anyone in town.

You know me now, I joked. Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll see if I can think of anyone.

That would be great.

Could I buy you a juice or something to make up for... back there?

We were passing the juice bar.

I’m okay, thanks, I said, but then the thought of a cool berry smoothie suddenly made my mouth water.

He must have seen it on my face.

Why don’t I get us two, yeah?

I watched him go off to the counter and order two smoothies for us. I sat down at the table and when he came over with the order, he sat down next to me.

So, how did you get the lecturing gig?

I’m actually volunteering.

No salary?

He shook his head.

No, I know what that sounds like, but... I’ve been wanting to give back, and this seemed like a good idea.

How are you finding it? I asked. The lecturing?

It’s... different, he said.

Some of the students are real shits, I said. I know, believe me, I’m one of them.

It was meant to be a joke, but he turned to look at me, those incredible blue eyes fixed on me like a soldering iron, the white-hot heat of his stare. Jeez, what was up with me, I wondered. I must have really knocked my head back in there.

I took another gulp of my smoothie and found it was empty.

I got up quickly.

I may know of someone who can help you out with the nanny job, I said. What are you thinking of paying?

When he named the hourly rate he was willing to pay, I immediately knew I was going to go for it. I was saving up to start my own yoga studio and that kind of salary would make my dream a reality a lot sooner.

Would you need the nanny to live in?

He nodded. There is an extra room. It just makes it easier over weekends.

What are your job requirements? I asked as we walked out of the health center.

Oh, I don’t know. PhD in astrophysics and qualified chef able to make toasted sandwiches and fries?

So really high-level stuff, I joked.

Justin is an easy kid. Just someone responsible, who’s good with children, he said, and I noticed his face softening.

That is part of all this, me coming back, spending more time with him...doing...I don’t know what. Being there, I guess.

He shook his head.

I don’t know how to do anything, he admitted. Being a father is much harder than you’d think.

Six-year-olds are easy! I said, more to cheer him up. They like animals, catching balls, playing Lego, building and smashing stuff. And ice cream, preferably every day, more than once.

He stared at me.

Exactly!

I shrugged it off. I have a stepbrother. I actually looked after him a lot when he was small.

You’d be perfect! What about you? Aren’t you interested? It’s a part-time gig, really.

Me? I pretended to think about it for the first time.

You probably want to get out my sight, though, right, after what happened in there, he said with a wry smile.

Well, if you can promise not to throw me across the room again... I said jokingly.

Not unless you deserve it, he said, with a flicker of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

It came out very flirty and I again felt a flutter in my stomach. I obviously needed to eat after that fall, shock to the system and all that. 

So, we have a deal? He stood with his hands on his hips, a power pose if I’d ever seen one. I imagined him in a suit, on the trader’s floor. Sexy as hell. He was probably fantastic at his job and at quite a lot of other things as well. 

I’ll have to think about it, I said, stepping away. I have quite a busy semester coming up and I’ll need to do some serious studying.

He nodded slowly.

Think about it, and call me? My name is Joe, by the way.

Tammy, I said, introducing myself before walking away, forcing myself not to turn around, knowing that I would definitely be thinking about him, and the job, but mostly about him. I wouldn’t be thinking of the boy or the divorce or all the warning signals about a man with a past, getting away from stress and needing time out. No, I’d be thinking of those blue eyes and his sure hands as he pulled me up. Thinking about how Joe was all kinds of trouble and getting involved with someone like that could mean trouble. But some kinds of trouble are just so much fun, and I had a feeling Joe wasn’t a psychotic killer hiding a knife in the back of his jogger shorts.

I was right about that, at the very least.

Chapter 2

Joe

Professor Archibald Henderson is the head of the college Business School. I was in the first week of my volunteer lecturing position when he called me and asked me to lunch.

Everything all right? I asked.

Oh, sure, sure, he hastened to reassure me. I thought we’d touch base, see how things are going.

He mentioned a place nearby and told me to be there at one o’clock.

Professor Henderson, or Archie, as everyone called him, was generally well-liked by the faculty and students. He was middle-aged with sandy hair, which was beginning to thin, and his large frame hid the extra pounds. I had been the one to contact him about getting a job at the college and as soon as he heard I didn’t want to be paid, he was only too delighted to offer me a lecturing gig to start off with.

I arrived early at the restaurant he’d mentioned.

It was a typical diner, meat and gravy, fries, and burgers.

I can’t stand this new kind of rabbit food, he sighed as soon as he sat down, arriving a few minutes after me. They do a great steak pie here.

I had a feeling this was not the time to tell him I was trying to eat healthier too.

We ordered our food and then Professor Henderson started out awkwardly,

So, Joe, how’ve you been settling in? Been hearing good things! he said, smiling quickly.

I am many things, but I know I’m not a people’s person. Too direct, people sometimes say. I’d worked hard on my first lecture earlier in the week and I thought it had gone well. Several students had come up to talk to me afterwards and I’d felt good about it.

All good, I said. Trying to make up for my curtness, I added, If there has been some feedback, Archie, just tell me, I can take it.

Professor Henderson laughed nervously. It’s not negative, dear boy, no, no. But I thought it might be good to have a... uh...chat, you know.

About what?

I couldn’t believe how weird he was being. What on earth could this be about?

"I heard some of the staff talking, our faculty secretary, have you