So he was the one who had to get in line. And that should be a piece of cake. He’d been ignoring women for fifteen months now.
He dressed in trousers and a white shirt and tie and walked through the great room into the kitchen area. Tory had the babies in the two highchairs, and was alternating feeding them. Her auburn hair had been caught up in a long ponytail that made her look about twenty, but she wore baggy jeans and a blousy top that hid all of her curves.
Still, when he saw her, his stomach jumped. Nerve endings he didn’t even know he had bounced to attention.
She smiled at him. “Hey, good morning.” Her gaze tumbled from his head to his toes and her smile grew. “Well, look at you.”
His mouth went dry. He tried to say good morning, but when the words came out they were more like a jumble of mush.
“I have coffee.”
“Great.” He walked to the pot, scolding himself for being ridiculous. Yes, she was pretty. And, yes, it had been a long time since he’d really looked at a woman—and since one had looked at him. But she was dressed in clothes obviously not meant to attract him. So the once-over she’d given him was nothing more than a friendly acknowledgment that he looked better in a shirt and tie than blue jeans.
He had to stop reacting to her. He needed her.
As a nanny.
He found a mug, poured himself some coffee and took a swallow before he said, “Are you okay being alone with the kids this morning?”
She smiled at him. A big, beaming smile that made her brown eyes sparkle. “That’s sort of my job.”
His hormones jumped again. Every fiber of his being wanted to flirt with her. But, again, she might be friendly, but she wasn’t flirting. Any attraction he thought he saw was strictly in his head or maybe wishful thinking.
He sucked in a breath. “Great. Because I actually have a meeting with my brother.”
“Ah. That explains the tie.”
He flapped it away from his shirt, and let it fall down again. “Dead giveaway, huh?”
“Well, I didn’t think you’d need one to go to your mom’s for breakfast.”
He caught her gaze. “She doesn’t require a tie for breakfast, but she does for dinner.”
Tory winced. “Sounds fun.”
“It’s a pain in the butt. Just like this meeting with my brother is going to be.” He finished his coffee, walked back into his room and grabbed his suit jacket.
Striding through the great room to the front door, he said, “I don’t expect to be back for a few hours—probably two.”
“Okay.” She turned to Cindy and Sam. “Say goodbye to your daddy, kids.”
Both kids squawked happily.
He groaned in his head. She had him so tripped up that he’d forgotten to say goodbye to his own kids.
After a quick kiss to the top of each twin’s head, he left the cottage and jumped into his SUV, blowing his breath out on a long sigh. He told himself to think of Liliah, to remember relationships were always trouble. To remember he didn’t want to be hurt. To remember he didn’t want his kids to be hurt by another woman who abandoned them.
He started the SUV and headed up the lane to the street. Twenty minutes later, he stood outside the yellow brick Montgomery Development building. Quiet and dignified, it sat among buildings older and taller and yet it still somehow intimidated him. How could four measly stories project such an air of power?
He sucked in a breath. It was no wonder he was tired of drama. Not only had Liliah made him miserable, but with the exception of Gwen, his family life had been trouble too. He’d thought all that was over when his dad died, but his brother had relentlessly followed him for the past few years, trying to get him to come home. He’d always managed to give him the slip, until last week when he couldn’t take the babies and run.
So after Max called, he’d called their mom to talk things through with her, and he’d come home. Not to placate his brother and certainly not forever. He would always call Gwen Mom, and now that the truth was out about his dad, he would always have a relationship with her. But he wasn’t sure he wanted a relationship with the brother who’d kept their dad’s secret. And he had a feeling the only way to stay away from persistent Max would be to go back to Tennessee.
Blowing his breath out on a long sigh, he headed for the entryway. He would let his brother have his say, thank him for any offers he made and refuse them. He wouldn’t start trouble. He wouldn’t open old wounds. There didn’t need to be any arguments. He would calmly ask his brother to let him alone—for good this time—and be done with this.
He stepped through the glass double doors and stopped, totally surprised. Vaulted ceilings soared to the roof. Sunshine poured in through skylights and fed the potted trees that sat on each side of the two white sofas in the reception area. A polished yellow wood reception desk sat in the center of everything.
Wow. His mom had said Max had changed things, but he hadn’t expected that would mean even the building.
Dark brown travertine tile led him to the reception desk. The pretty twentysomething brunette greeted him with a smile. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I have an appointment with Mr. Montgomery.”
She glanced down at a small computer screen. “Your name?”
“Chance.” He paused. “Montgomery.”
The young woman glanced up at him with a raised eyebrow. He scowled at her. If Max thought he would jump through hoops to get to see him, he was sadly mistaken.
“If it’s that much of a bother to see my big brother, even with an appointment, I’ll just go.”
The receptionist held up a hand to stop him. “No. No problem! I’m sorry. Just give me a second to announce you.” She pressed two buttons on her phone then turned away.
He heard the receptionist say his name, then give his description.
Then there was silence.
Annoyance flooded him. This was what he’d hated about being a Montgomery. The pretense. As if he were the king of England, Max screened his visitors.
The receptionist faced him. “I’m sorry, Mr. Montgomery. You may go up.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Obviously recognizing how insulted he was, the receptionist grimaced. “Take the third elevator in the back of that hall.” She pointed to the left. “By the time you get there, a security guard will be there to punch in the code.”
He ambled to the last elevator, the temptation to leave tickling his brain. He’d told Max he wanted no part of this pomp and circumstance, yet the first thing he did was run him through a lineup.
Before he knew it, he was at the elevator. The security guard said, “Good morning, Mr. Montgomery.” Punching a few numbers into a keypad, he opened the elevator, motioned Chance inside and stepped back as the doors closed.
The ride to the fourth floor took seconds. The elevator doors swooshed open. More potted trees accented a low, ultramodern green sofa and chair. A green print rug covered part of the yellow hardwood floor.
Sitting at the desk in front of a wall of windows, Max looked up and instantly rose.
When