Page 15 of The Billionaire Dating Dad (The Holidates #18)

Violet

Two months later

V iolet glanced across the sofa and seeing the love reflected in Dimitri’s eyes as he watched Maddie practice her ballet melted her heart.

Each day, Maddie moved farther away from the skeptical child that expected her father to leave.

Their closeness was so heartwarming at times that Violet couldn’t help the regret that filled her at her own lack of family.

Although neither of them really knew Maddie before her mother left, Violet liked to imagine that the child dancing and giggling was a close replica.

It broke her heart to think of the pain Maddie must still feel from never seeing her mother again or not knowing if she ever will.

But Maddie was a strong little girl, far stronger than Dimitri realized.

Anger tore at her chest that she’d had to be strong at such a young age, that her mother hadn’t chosen differently.

Yet, how could Violet hate May for wanting to leave Maddie with only the best memories? For not wanting to see her weak or sufficient, or helpless.

Her breath lodged painfully in her lungs.

She should hate the woman for hurting Maddie but couldn’t.

Instead, all she felt was an odd mix of gratitude.

Had May’s circumstances been different, Dimitri wouldn’t have known his daughter and she might never have given their relationship a chance at love.

Her eyes widened. Love. Did she love him?

Them. They’d shared so much and gotten closer as they cared for Maddie.

Like now, watching them gave her enormous joy, but did she love him?

They shared breathtaking nights wrapped in each other's arms only to part ways before Maddie woke.

Yet, her heart throbbed in her chest as she caught his heated glances or felt the fleeting brushes from his hand when he passed her in a room. Were those intimate moments love?

What about the passion he stirred with his hungry kisses or his whispered words that stroked the flames of their desire hotter? Or the hollowness that vibrated in her stomach when she thought of him.

Love. Damnit, she wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her boss. Three months was all she’d promised and now her heart was in it for much longer. When had her walls crumbled?

Dimitri’s cheering broke through her musing and she blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. She clapped, though half the performance had passed in a blur. “Great job, Maddie.”

“You’re getting so much better, sweetheart.” Dimitri caught Maddie when she launched herself into his open arms.

“Do you think I’ll be ready for the recital next month?”

“I have no doubt,” Dimitri said. “I can’t wait to see you perform.”

Maddie turned her bright brown eyes toward Violet. “You’ll be there too, right?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” She said quickly, not wanting any doubt to cast a shadow over Maddie’s happiness.

“And so will Aunt Katya and Aunt Candice and your Uncle Alexei.”

Maddie lowered her eyes for an instant before nodding. When Dimitri’s smile faltered, Violet knew he’d guessed Maddie’s thoughts had shifted to her mother. No matter how much Dimitri tried to ease his daughter’s pain, wiping it away completely was impossible.

Secrets and pain. That’s what their relationship was born from and Violet didn’t want to make the same mistake.

Although her emotions were a jumbled mess, she wanted to let Dimitri know that their relationship had turned into more than lust. She was more than Maddie’s nanny and he meant more to her than a boss.

Tonight she would tell him how she felt even if he didn’t feel the same. She’d tell him because he deserved the choice to back out or not.

What if warm nights were all he wanted?

She shoved the thought from her mind. The truth was far better than not being honest. And at least she’d know where she stood. “After that performance we need dessert.” Violet stood. “Pecan pie or ice cream?”

“Both!” Maddie leaped off the sofa, running toward the kitchen.”

Dimitri took her hand, linking their fingers, he pressed a kiss against the back of her hand. The gesture tickled her skin, sending warmth along her arm. “Hey, are you okay?”

Violet stared at their hand, curling her fingers around his for the briefest moment before detangling herself, but he kept their hands cocooned. “I’m happy,” she confessed. “I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself happiness.”

“It’s peaceful, isn’t it?” Dimitri rested his forehead against hers. “I thought I knew what joy was until Maddie came into my life and introduced me to its untapped depths. Fear, wonder… delight.” He kissed her cheek, the corner of Violet’s lips as they parted in awe. “And you Violet—”

“Daddy! Violet!” Maddie called, a note of impatience ringing in her voice.

Dimitri smiled. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”

Violet flushed. They hadn’t talked about what would happen to their involvement after the three months he’d asked for were up.

Let alone what any type of relationship would look like for Maddie, a child who clung to the hope of her mother returning.

While Maddie caught glimpses of them teasing and laughing together, they refrained from being overly affectionate in her presence.

Perhaps tonight would give Dimitri and her a step toward clarity, and a glimpse of a happy ever after.

Dimitri’s thumb caressed the back of her hand in circular patterns just before he severed their connection.

The loss of their nearness and the skin-to-skin contact was profound, vibrating like pinpricks on her palm.

Every cell in her being was hyper-aware of Dimitri as he silently maneuvered the kitchen to help Maddie scoop salted caramel ice cream into the plates on the counter.

“Thank you,” Dimitri said when Violet added slices of pie to their plates of ice cream. His hand skimmed her lower back and when she peered in his eyes, she saw gratitude, affection, and a longing that mirrored her own.

The longer Violet stared into the magnetic current of his brown eyes, the more drawn she was. She swayed closer. Beckoning the slightest connection that promised to ignite her body into flames.

Hot.

Wicked.

Needy sparks of fire. Did he feel the bond between them tightening, flexing, and adjusting each time she sought to put a lid on the growing passion between them? Her emotions only dug deeper each time she tried to deny him. Deny them.

The doorbell rang, breaking their trance.

“I’ll get it!” Maddie cheered.

Violet glanced toward Dimitri in a wordless exchange.

The days had grown into months, and would soon approach a year since Maddie last saw her mother.

They did not doubt that she was happy and had adjusted well to living with her father, but each time the doorbell rang, they saw the hopeful spark that lit up her face, followed by disappointment.

And in his way, Violet realized that Dimitri often tried to save his daughter from that disappointment.

“No you will not,” Dirmitri said to his daughter. “Finish your dessert, it's almost time for bed.”

“Ahh,” Maddie pouted.

“We’ll answer the next one together, I promise,” Dimitri said, kissing the child’s forehead, before leaving the kitchen.

“Hi…” The voice at the door was unfamiliar to Violet.

“May?”

Maddie dropped her fork, the clank of metal against ceramic echoed Violet’s surprise, then the piercing cry from her soul.

No! How? Nothing prepared her for May’s return.

She looked at Maddie through a cloud of her own shock, too late to slow the moment or give Dimitri any time to gather his thoughts before Maddie bolted from the kitchen.

“Mommy!”