The mate of his nanny

Chapter 125: Getaway

Moana

My eyes landed on the TV in the living room, which was already showing clips of Edrick punching the paparazzi.

I felt my blood run cold as I watched it. Not only did the paparazzi spread the clips of what happened so quickly, but I felt as though it was entirely my fault. If I hadn't made such a stupid decision to go out only a day after Edrick announced our "relationship", then none of this would have happened. Not only that, but I put Ella in danger by deciding to take her out with me, and now she was terrified.

But when I looked over at Edrick, he didn't look concerned in the slightest. Without a word, he calmly walked over to the television and shut it off.

"Keep the news off for today," he said, turning to Selina and the maids.

The three of them often liked to play the news on the TV in the background while they worked, but now it wasn't the best idea after what happened. Not only would it be upsetting for Ella to see clips of her father punching someone over and over again, but it would be upsetting for the rest of us as well.

I opened my mouth to apologize to Edrick, but before I could say anything, he pulled out his phone and retreated to his study. The door slammed shut behind him and I could hear him speaking quickly. I couldn't help but wonder who he was calling, but the door was thick and his voice was muffled. However, I could only imagine that he was calling the tabloid company like before, to pay them off for the clips. I couldn't think of anything else that he would be doing, although I wasn't sure how successful it would be considering the fact that the clips of him punching the paparazzi were already plastered all over the news.

Selina, the maids and I all shot each other concerned looks.

"This is all my fault," I whispered, feeling my eyes well up with tears. "I shouldn't have gone out there. Not with Ella, at least. I feel like an idiot."

Selina shook her head and rubbed my back as she guided me over to a chair to sit down. Meanwhile, Ella was sitting on the couch and sniffling. Amy had given her a picture book to keep her busy, which seemed to be working.

"It's not your fault and you're not an idiot," Selina said gently. "You're not used to this. But let it be a lesson for the future; there's a reason why Edrick brings bodyguards when he goes out without his mask on."

I nodded and sat down. Selina brought me tea while I breathed deeply, trying not to stress anymore about it for the baby's sake.
Eventually, Edrick came out of his study a little while later.

"That's settled," he said, sounding rather satisfied with himself. I was surprised to see that he didn't even seem to be fuming; it almost seemed like this was nothing more than a mild inconvenience, despite the fact that he punched someone to save me.

In fact, this was now the second time in the past week that Edrick had saved me; first the Rogues, and now the paparazzi. I couldn't help but feel a bit awed by his strength and ability to handle situations like this, but I still felt bad for what I did that morning.

I quickly stood and looked at him, my brow furrowed with anxiety. "Edrick, I'm so sorry —"

"I know you're going to apologize, and there's no need," he said nonchalantly as he poured a cup of tea for himself. "My PR agency handled it. With a few articles on how the paparazzi were harming a pregnant woman and a child, along with exposing a few other nasty things that those damn tabloids have done in the past, everyone will take our side. And maybe, they'll leave us alone from now on." He paused then, sipping his tea, and glanced over at Ella. The stress of it all must have exhausted her, because she was now fast asleep on the couch. Edrick then turned back to me and lowered his voice.

"Maybe with everything going on, it wouldn't hurt to get out of town," he said.

I raised my eyebrows, surprised by this proposition. "Oh?" I asked. "Where?"

Edrick shrugged. "I like to keep the mountain estate for times like this. It's a nice, quiet place to go when the city gets to be too much. If you want to go, I'll take you and Ella."

I was shocked not only by Edrick's calm demeanor about the situation, but also by the fact that he had just invited me on a small vacation away from the city. Even after I put his daughter and our baby in danger by going out during a media frenzy, he still seemed to have my best interests in mind. Or maybe he just had Ella's and the baby's best interests in mind.

As I went about my day, I couldn't help myself from thinking about Edrick's offer. Getting out of the city for a few days did sound nice, and I needed to de-stress. If I didn't manage my stress, I knew it wouldn't be good for the baby, but I wouldn't be able to do that if I was cooped up inside this penthouse for days until the media calmed down.

Besides, I remembered visiting the mountain estate during my interview; it was stunning there. The mansion was surrounded by nature, the air smelled like pine trees, and the mansion itself was stunning. Maybe I could even bring my painting supplies and my easel so I could paint a bit while I was there. A nice little painting would be perfect for the baby's nursery.

Finally, later that night, I decided to agree to Edrick's proposition. I walked over to his bedroom in my robe and nightgown and knocked on the door.
"Come in," he called.

When I cracked open the door, the Alpha billionaire was sitting up in bed and reading a book. He glanced up at me over the book, his eyes lingering on the lace of my nightgown for the briefest moment before his face turned slightly red and his eyes met mine again.

"I decided that I would like to go to the mountain estate after all," I said, nervously fiddling with my fingers. "If you'd still like to go, of course."

Edrick set down his book and, much to my surprise, smiled slightly.

"We'll go first thing in the morning," he said.

"So soon?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "What about work?"

Edrick merely shrugged. "My baby's health is my top priority," he said. "Besides, I'm the CEO. I have unlimited paid vacation days." For a moment, after he spoke, he flashed a bit of a mischievous smile. It was only a second, but it made me blush to see him grin. The thought of Edrick being willing to blow off work on a dime for our baby also made me feel happy, and that maybe things weren't so bad after all.

"Thank you," I said. Edrick nodded and picked his book back up. I turned to walk out the door again, but stopped when he called after me.

"Will you sleep in here tonight?"