Page 45 of Prudence (Balfe Family #1)

By the time I got back to the office, my assistant, Whitney, had a million things that required my attention. However, I did manage tap out a quick message to Milly.

Me: FYI, my mother knows about us now.

Her response came fast.

Milly: What? How? Did you tell her?

I smirked at her obvious panic. We were a couple of thirty-somethings, and Milly was acting like an embarrassed teenager with a new boyfriend.

Me: No, but she has a sixth sense for these things.

Milly: Do you still want me to come to dinner?

Me: Of course. I want you any way I can have you.

I had a feeling that last message had her flustered and blushing—which pleased me no end—because it took her longer to reply.

And when she did, I wasn’t expecting her one-word response to make me want to ditch work and go find her so I could ravish her in some dark corner—perhaps the back seat of my car again.

Milly: Same.

Bloody hell, it was going to be a challenge to sit at the table with her at dinner with my entire family there and not touch or kiss her.

Work kept me longer than anticipated, which meant I was over half an hour late to dinner.

As I let myself into my parents’ house, I heard voices coming from the dining room.

Pausing by the door, I recognised my mother’s voice, as well as Milly’s.

She must’ve walked over because I didn’t see her red car out front.

“What made you choose radiology?” Mam asked her.

“Honestly, it wasn’t even on my radar at first. I always imagined myself becoming a GP because hospitals can be a lot of stress, but then when I began my residency, I was drawn to the technological advancements.

The idea of discovering new ways to detect cancers and other life-limiting illnesses in the early stages was incredibly rewarding to me.

Now I’ll be training up the next generation who’ll be working in the field, and I love the thought of passing on my knowledge and experience. I’m excited for the new challenge.”

I adored the passion in her voice when she spoke about her career, and when I finally stepped into the room, Milly’s eyes brightened, landing on mine.

“Hello, everyone,” I greeted. Gigi and Pablo were already there since they’d been spending the day with my parents.

My daughter sat next to Milly, with Nuala, Tristan and Mam opposite them and Dad at the head of the table.

The only free seat was next to Milly, which I suspected was Mam’s doing.

Gigi was happily quizzing her about every little thing Deirdre was getting up to over in London.

“Derek, you made it,” Mam declared happily as I took the free seat.

“I wasn’t sure I would. Things at the hotel were busy.”

“Nobody likes a bragger,” Dad grumped.

“He misses the excitement of handling all the little problems that used to come his way,” Mam explained.

“More like bored off my trolley sitting around the house all day,” Dad corrected. “Once I’ve recovered from this surgery, I might start volunteering at the local council. Mayor Devoy said she could use my expertise.”

“Let’s just take it a day at a time,” Mam interjected, but I knew by my dad’s face that there would be no dissuading him from his plans.

Milly’s floral perfume drifted past my nose, and she cast me a fleeting glance, a faint rouge tinting her cheeks before she returned her attention to her dinner plate.

“Are you still going to London to visit Deirdre?” Gigi asked, garnering Milly’s attention. Mine, too, since it was the first I’d heard of a trip to London.

“Yes, the week after next,” Milly replied as she looked at my daughter, and I noticed a certain hopeful gleam in Gigi’s eyes before Milly continued, “You’re still welcome to come with me to see her.

” Gigi’s face burst into a giant smile while Milly cast me a glance. “So long as your dad is okay with it?”

She stared at me questioningly, and I wasn’t sure how to respond at first because I was touched that she’d be willing to take Gigi along with her. Travelling with a teenager wasn’t always fun and especially when it was some else’s teenager.

“When exactly is the trip?” I asked, a frog in my throat.

“Not this weekend, but the weekend after,” Milly replied. “Just a short visit for two nights. Deirdre’s father will be away for a medical conference, so we’ll be staying in his townhouse. There’s more than enough room for Gigi.”

“Maybe I’ll come, too,” I blurted, and her eyes flared wide. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Oh, yes, please come with us,” Gigi put in. “You can take me shopping in Covent Garden, and we can go to that dress shop I love.”

“You should definitely go,” Pablo added, and Tristan let out a quiet chuckle.

“Not that it would benefit you to have the apartment all to yourself for an entire weekend.”

“Thanks a lot for pointing that out,” Pablo griped, as if I ever would’ve left him alone if my brother hadn’t said something.

He and Tabitha were officially boyfriend and girlfriend now, and no way was I providing them with an adult free apartment to get up to God knows what in for two whole nights.

“If I do go, you’ll be staying here with your grandparents,” I told him firmly.

Pablo muttered something in irritation under this breath, while I glanced at Milly.

Her throat flickered as she swallowed, colour rising in her cheeks again at the idea of going on a trip away with me.

Sure, we might not get much privacy with both our daughters present, but I’d still be able to enjoy her company.

“I don’t mind you tagging along, not at all,” she replied at last, and I felt like I’d won something. I’d have to spend every hour I had working like a dog over the next two weeks in order to free myself up to go to London, but it would be worth it to spend time with Milly.

“Well, that’s that all settled,” Mam said, looking pleased. “Now, who’s ready for dessert?”

While everyone was distracted by the white chocolate cheesecake Mam produced, I softly slid a finger along Milly’s thigh and watched with relish as a tiny shiver went through her.

It was the only touch I allowed myself, especially since Gigi was right there.

With how fast my feelings were growing, I decided I needed to be honest with my daughter.

It wasn’t fair to keep things from her, and being secretive for too long might be more damaging in the long run.

I wanted to handle the situation with care and the way in which I told her was important.

I needed to prepare the right words to ensure she didn’t feel betrayed or hurt by the news.

Pablo, I suspected, wouldn’t be at all phased.

If I sat down to have a serious conversation with him about dating Milly, he’d probably look me square in the eye and tell me he couldn’t care less about my love life.

At the end of dinner, Gigi and Pablo settled in with my parents to watch a TV show, while I offered to drive Milly home. She stated she was quite happy to walk, but then she saw that it was beginning to drizzle and gladly accepted the lift.

“So, you’re sure you want to come to London?” she asked when I pulled to a stop outside her house. I got out and came around to her side.

“Of course, I’m sure,” I said as I helped her out before walking her to her door. I ran my fingers along her jaw then pressed a chaste kiss to her temple. “Why? Do you want me to come?”

“It’s just that we’ll all be staying in Colin’s house, and I wasn’t sure if you’d want to—"

“I’m comfortable enough in my masculinity not to feel threatened by Deirdre’s father, if that’s what you’re asking,” I said with a hint of teasing.

“No, it’s not that. There’s nothing between me and Colin aside from friendship, and besides, he won’t be there.

I was more referring to the fact that we’ll be sleeping under the same roof, and since we’re taking things slow for the sake of the girls, I thought maybe you wouldn’t be comfortable with that. ”

Smiling, I leaned down to softly brush my lips over hers as I let out a heavy exhale. “Resisting you will be hard, of course, but I think I’ll be able to struggle through it. Just about.”

Milly giggled when I tickled her hips, and the sound did something strange to my chest. I wanted to hear it again. Every day.

“Well, in that case, I look forward to the trip.” She paused, pulling her lower lip between her teeth as she gazed up at me. “Would you like to come in for some tea? We could finally discuss that … subject you wanted to speak about.”

Despite being the one to bring it up, she seemed apprehensive.

I noticed the faint nervous flicker of her throat, the pressing together of her suddenly dry lips.

I didn’t want to cause her unease, so I took her hand in mine, interlinking our fingers and brushing my thumb back and forth over her rapidly increasing pulse.

“About that, you don’t have to tell me. I mean, if you ever feel comfortable discussing it, fine, I’ll be happy to have the conversation.

But right now, it’s clearly still stressing you out, and I never want to be the source of your discomfort, so let’s just put that one on hold for now. ”

The relief in her eyes told me it was the right decision. “You’re far too patient,” she said, eyelashes fluttering.

“I care about you a lot; that’s all,” I murmured, lifting her hand and maintaining eye contact as I pressed a hot kiss to her knuckles.

“Besides,” I went on. “If I go inside with you right now, there’s no way I’m coming back out any time soon.

Neither one of us will get a wink of sleep,” I told her huskily.

“And I have to be up at six in the morning for an important meeting, so …”

Milly’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and the idea of her thinking about all the ways I planned to keep her up all night in the not-too-distant future had me seriously considering foregoing sleep.

But she lifted our linked hands, returning my knuckle kiss by nuzzling my wrist, and the action made me want to growl.

“I better not keep you any longer, then,” she said. “Goodnight, Derek.”

Stepping back, I reluctantly dipped my head to her. “’Night, Camille. Sleep tight.”

***

I vastly underestimated what it would take to free me up for those two nights in London.

I barely had a chance to see my own kids, never mind carve out some time for Milly.

I even ended up having to grab a flight early on Saturday morning instead of flying over with Milly and Gigi on Friday afternoon.

When the taxi pulled up outside the three-storey Victorian townhouse that belonged to Deirdre’s father, I was reluctantly impressed.

I mean, we Balfes weren’t short of money by any stretch of the imagination, but this Colin Morgan had to be seriously wealthy to own a place like this, especially in such an upscale part of the city.

You will not be intimidated.

I knocked on the door, and when it opened, Milly appeared. She wore a calf-length black dress that hugged her hips and breasts in a way that had my mind wandering. I noticed she wore a light cardigan and had her handbag over her shoulder like she was about to leave to go somewhere.

“Perfect. You’re here just in time,” she breathed, taking me in. “How was your flight?”

I grimaced. “Horrendously early.”

“Poor baby,” she murmured, a smile tugging at her lips as she reached out as though to hug me but then realised the girls were inside.

Something deflated inside me because after the last two weeks of barely seeing her, I really needed that hug.

The good thing was that the transition for me taking over Dad’s role at the hotels was now complete, so things wouldn’t be quite so hectic going forward.

All I wanted to do was push her up against the wall, sink my face into her neck and breathe her in.

But no. That was a selfish instinct. I needed to put Gigi first. I wouldn’t upset her during this trip, but I decided that once we got home tomorrow evening, I would tell her.

She deserved my honesty. I just hoped the news didn’t upset her too much.

“The girls are in the living room,” Milly said.

“I promised my aunt I’d meet her for brunch, but I’ll be back in an hour or two.

Deirdre’s taking Gigi to visit her friend, Shelly, this evening.

She lives just down the street. They’ll probably be eating dinner there.

Is that okay? I can have Shelly’s mother call you for a chat if you’re not comfortable with Gigi going to a stranger’s house, but I promise you, they’re lovely people. I’ve known them for years.”

“That’s okay. I’ll trust your judgement,” I told her, fixated on the mention of her aunt.

The woman had always disliked me, and I worried about her badmouthing me to Milly like I suspected she’d done when we were younger.

But no, Milly was no longer an impressionable teenage girl, and I had faith that she wouldn’t be so easily influenced.

“All right, well, I’ll be late if I don’t leave now, but Deirdre will show you where you’re sleeping. The room has a connected bathroom if you need to shower or anything.”

“Go,” I told her fondly. “I’ll see you later.”

With a final smile, she went, and I battled down the instinct to beg her not to mention me being back in her life to her aunt for fear the woman might ruin what was building between us before it even got started.