3

Zander I sat at my mahogany desk with a glass of scotch that had gone entirely untouched. It was three in the morning, and the house was dead silent, but my mind was a chaotic, deafening noise. Seeing Collin Tanner standing at the bottom of my staircase had felt like having the breath violently knocked out of my lungs. Four years. Four years of training myself to bury his ghost. Four years of convincing myself that what we had was just a foolish, naive college romance that never could have survived the ruthless realities of my life. Yet, in a single second, all it took was the sound of his voice to obliterate every wall I had painstakingly built around myself. I leaned back, rubbing my thumb over my temple. I remembered everything about him. The way his laugh could fill a room, the warmth of his skin against mine in that tiny, rundown apartment, the way he looked at me like I was the only person who mattered in the world. I had loved him. God, I had loved him so deeply it terrified me. But terror had won. My family’s legacy, the suffocating pressure of taking over Kash Enterprises, and the relentless eyes of the media had forced my hand. I was a coward back then, and I broke his heart to save my own skin. After Collin walked out of my life, I did what was expected of me. I married Vanessa Hale—a woman of the right social standing, from a family of equal wealth and power. It was a cold, complicated arrangement disguised as a marriage. It lasted three miserable years before descending into a bitter, highly publicized divorce. I refused to let myself analyze whether marrying Vanessa had been a calculated attempt to become the respectable, traditional man my family demanded I be. It didn't matter now. Vanessa was gone, leaving behind deep scars and two wounded, confused children. And now, by some twisted joke of fate, the only man I ever truly cared about was sleeping in my guest room, taking care of my children. At seven in the morning, I heard a quiet knock on my study door. "Come in," I said, setting down my cold cup of coffee. Collin stepped inside. He had changed into a clean, simple shirt and jeans, his dark hair still damp from the shower. He looked entirely composed, but the hard, guarded distance in his eyes told me everything I needed to know. "Good morning," I said, keeping my tone as even as possible. "Let's make this quick," Collin said, stopping a few feet from my desk. He didn't sit down. "I want out of the contract. You can call the agency and tell them it wasn't a good fit. I'll pack my bag and leave as soon as your substitute arrives." I nodded slowly, leaning forward and resting my hands on the desk. "I agree. Having you live under my roof is a terrible idea. It's completely inappropriate, and it opens up... complications neither of us needs. I'll have Mrs. Gable terminate the contract immediately." Right on cue, the heavy doors of the study opened, and Mrs. Gable stepped inside. She held a stack of files, but her expression was unusually severe. "You called for me, sir?" she asked. "Yes," I replied smoothly. "Cancel Mr. Tanner's contract. We will be taking a different candidate from the agency." Mrs. Gable closed the file in her hands with a sharp snap. "With all due respect, Mr. Kash, that would be a catastrophic mistake." I frowned. "Excuse me?" "Sophie has rejected four caregivers in the past twelve months," Mrs. Gable said firmly, her voice leaving no room for argument. "She spent half of last night sleeping peacefully because Mr. Tanner was in the room down the hall. And Oliver has been completely withdrawn since the finalization of the divorce. In less than twenty-four hours, Mr. Tanner is the only person who has managed to get both children to sit in the same room without a total breakdown." She looked directly at me, her eyes unyielding. "If you send him away today, you will be setting your children back months of progress. I strongly advise against it." Silence settled heavy in the room. I looked up at Collin, whose lips were pressed into a tight, frustrated line. He hated this just as much as I did, but I could see the conflict in his eyes. He genuinely cared about what happened to Oliver and Sophie. "Two weeks," I said finally, my voice dropping an octave. "Stay for two weeks, Collin. Just until Mrs. Gable can vet a permanent, qualified replacement who the children respond to. I will double the contract pay." Collin stared at me, his jaw working as he weighed his options. Finally, he took a slow breath and stepped closer to the desk, crossing his arms. "Fine. Two weeks," Collin said, his voice laced with cold precision. "But we set clear rules right now." "Name them," I said. "First, this relationship is strictly employer and employee," he said, holding up a finger. "Nothing more. Second, we do not talk about our past. Ever. Third, you let me do my job. You don't micromanage how I handle the kids unless it's an emergency." He took a step even closer, leaning down slightly so his eyes were level with mine. The intensity in his gaze burned right through me. "And most importantly, Zander... I am here as a professional to help your kids. I am not interested in becoming your secret again." The words hit like a physical slap. I stiffened, my shoulders going tense as the sharp memory of how I had hidden him away years ago rushed back. I swallowed the pride rising in my throat and forced a quiet, firm nod. "Agreed," I said. An hour later, I was walking down the broad hallway toward the kitchen to grab another cup of coffee before my morning conference call with London. Before I reached the archway, the sound of bright, ringing laughter stopped me in my tracks. I paused at the edge of the door, staying out of sight. Collin was standing by the stove in a messy white apron. Sophie was sitting on the granite countertop right next to him, giggling uncontrollably as Collin let her pour an absurd, reckless amount of chocolate chips straight into a bowl of pancake batter. "Woah, woah, hold on!" Collin laughed, gently catching her wrist. "Are we making chocolate chip pancakes, or are we just eating melted chocolate for breakfast?" "Chocolate!" Sophie cheered, clapping her hands together. "I think it needs more," a quiet voice added. I shifted slightly to look farther into the room. Oliver was sitting on a barstool, leaning over the counter. He wasn't glaring. He wasn't hiding behind his tablet or scowling at the floor. He was looking at Collin with a tiny, genuine smile on his face—a smile I hadn't seen on my son's face in almost a year. "You hear that, Soph? Your brother is a bad influence," Collin teased, pouring a golden circle of batter onto the hot griddle. "More chocolate it is." I stood there frozen in the shadows of the doorway, watching the three of them. A strange, tight knot formed in my chest. For the first time since Vanessa left—maybe for the first time ever—this cold, empty house actually felt like a home. And it was all because of the man I had pushed away. I couldn't stop looking at him. The way his hair caught the morning sunlight, the easy grace of his movements, the genuine warmth in his eyes when he looked at my children. I stayed standing in that doorway far longer than a professional employer ever should have. Collin turned around to grab a spatula, and his eyes instantly locked onto mine. The laughter in his expression vanished, replaced instantly by the cool, professional mask he had put on earlier. Before either of us could say a word, Sophie swung her small legs off the counter and looked between the two of us with wide, curious brown eyes. "Daddy," Sophie asked innocently, tilting her head. "How do you already know Collin?"