CHAPTER 4
929 Words
Riley had never considered herself the maternal type. She was sarcastic, a little reckless, and prone to using glitter as a conflict-resolution tool. But with Emma, everything came easier than expected. The walls the little girl had wrapped around herself were fragile, not made of steel, like her father’s but of paper and silence.
And paper? Riley could gently tear through.
Emma clung to routines, so Riley learned them like gospel: triangle toast with pink juice in the mornings, silent reading after lunch, no loud noises before bedtime. But she also added her own flair. Afternoon scavenger hunts for “invisible stars.” Bathtime songs sung off-key. Whispers about Saturn’s moons and bedtime wishes blown into Mason jars.
It was working. Emma smiled more now. Laughed. Reached for Riley’s hand without being asked.
And Riley felt herself falling.
Not just for Emma.
But for the life she was building here one lie at a time.
She was folding laundry that afternoon. Yes, billionaire laundry still smelled like eucalyptus when she heard the soft sound of someone clearing their throat.
She turned, expecting Martha.
But it was Gina Torres, Nate’s impeccably dressed assistant. Sharp heels. Sharper eyes.
“You’re settling in quickly,” Gina said, crossing her arms as she entered the room. “Emma seems attached.”
“She’s amazing,” Riley replied, stacking towels.
“She is. And she’s been through more than any five-year-old should. So forgive me if I’m protective.”
Riley straightened, facing her fully now. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Gina stepped closer, voice lower. “You seem kind. Capable. But don’t confuse warmth with security. This house doesn’t do permanent.”
Riley kept her face neutral. “If you’re trying to scare me, you’ll need to be more original.”
“I’m trying to make sure you understand what’s at stake,” Gina said coolly. “Mr. Carter’s trust doesn’t come easily. And Emma doesn’t bounce back.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Riley said, softly but firmly, “I’m not here to steal anything his trust, her love, this job. I’m here to make sure Emma feels safe. Even if it costs me.”
Gina blinked. “Costs you what?”
Riley smiled, but there was no humor in it. “Everything.”
That evening, Emma came down with a low fever. Nothing serious, just exhaustion, the school bug everyone had been passing around. Riley sat with her in the upstairs lounge, a cool cloth on her forehead, reading The Little Prince by lamplight.
She was halfway through the chapter about taming when she heard quiet footsteps behind her.
Nate.
He walked in without a word, took one look at Emma curled against Riley’s side, and froze.
“I called the doctor,” he said finally. “She’ll be fine. Mild virus.”
“She’s sleeping now,” Riley whispered. “Wanted me to read her the part about the fox again. Said it reminded her of you.”
His brow arched. “The fox?”
“He hides his feelings behind logic. Pushes people away so they don’t see the soft parts.”
Nate folded his arms, watching Emma sleep. “I’m not soft.”
“No,” Riley said gently. “You’re human.”
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then quietly he said, “When she was born, I didn’t know how to hold her. The nurse had to show me. Three times.”
Riley looked up, surprised by the admission.
He wasn’t looking at her. Just Emma.
“I kept thinking what if I dropped her? What if she looked at me and knew I wasn’t enough?”
Riley stood, walked to him slowly.
“You’ve never dropped her,” she said softly. “Not once.”
He looked at her now. Really looked.
Something cracked between them.
She should’ve stepped back.
Instead, he brushed his thumb across her cheek. A stray glitter speck from earlier.
His touch was featherlight. Dangerous.
“I don't want to want you,” he murmured.
Her breath caught.
“Then don’t,” she whispered. But her voice betrayed her. It trembled.
“I can’t help it,” he said.
And just when the air thickened to the point of combustion
Emma stirred behind them.
Riley stepped away.
The moment broke like a wave against glass.
Later, Riley sat in her room, staring at her phone. Caleb hadn’t texted. Ethan had sent another message.
> You’re making this harder than it needs to be. Just tell the guy the truth. Or I will.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
But before she could type a reply, a soft knock echoed against her door.
She opened it to find Nate standing there with a glass of wine and a look that wasn’t business.
“I’m not here to talk about Emma,” he said.
“Then why are you here?”
He hesitated. “I don’t know.”
Riley exhaled. “That clause it’s looking more and more like a dare.”
His jaw tightened. “I wrote it for a reason.”
“And yet…”
He handed her the glass. Their fingers brushed.
That single contact nearly undid her.
He didn’t stay. Just lingered long enough to remind her that rules were one thing and chemistry was another.
And as the door clicked shut behind him, Riley realized two terrifying truths:
1.she was falling for him.
2. if he ever found out about Caleb and Ethan, the fall wouldn’t just break her.
It would destroy them all.
- Writer
