Chapter 7

Weeks passed in a blur for Betsy. Halloween had come and gone and Christmas was only a few days away. Dragging a hand across her heated brow, the blonde allowed herself a moment to relax. The children were busy at a little table in the corner of the lounge, their heads down as they painted and stuck glitter to cardboard stars. It kept them quiet and distracted for a few moments. It certainly didn't keep them clean though. Both would need a bath before dinner - Tommy had glitter and stickers over his face and in his hair while his sister had a streak of pink and silver paint upon her cheek. The two of them had an uncanny knack for getting so messy that there was no other option but to bath them and start all over again.

Smiling to herself, Betsy turned away just as Nick entered the room. As ever he was impeccably dressed and his face was set in his professional mask as he paused on the threshold of the lounge. He met her gaze for a moment and nodded his head in cold polite greeting before turning his attention towards the children. Ever since the talk with her employer in the depths of the cupboard, the eldest member of the Davenport home had been around a lot more. She couldn't go a day or even a few hours without tripping over him. And he was always watching. Not that she had ever caught him, every time she would turn her head, his gaze would be firmly trained on the newspaper he was reading or would be transfixed by whatever was showing on his laptop screen. But she knew he had been watching her; there was no one else whose gaze could brand itself into the side of her face.

Taking a sip of sip of water, Betsy turned back to her masterpiece and tried to ignore the magnetic presence of her boss. It took all of her self-control not to raise her hands and press her fingers to her lips. She had kissed him on the cheek – a completely platonic peck on the cheek – and yet she couldn't forget how his skin had felt or how his aftershave has encompassed her completely in those two seconds leaving a sensory brand within her mind. Even when he wasn't around, the scent lingered and she was taken back to that moment.

The Christmas tree stood several feet tall and the very top was only a few scant inches from the high ceiling. Lights had been strung over the branches just waiting to glow, baubles glinted in the lights and tinsel finished the tree off.

"Nick. Delilah. Can you come here a moment?" She asked, bending over to pull the last piece from the box at her feet.

Cradling the delicate crystal angel within the palms of her hands, Betsy stood. Delilah's eyes lit up as she spotted the treasure within Betsy's grasp.

"Wow, it's so pretty." She murmured, her paint covered hands reaching out to touch the delicate blue crystal wings.

"Whoa! Careful there, Lila." Betsy said while raising her hands out of the little girls reach. "We need to get your hands cleaned up first. Here, I'm going to say this only once in my life, but quickly wipe them on my jeans so you can hold the angel."

Delilah grinned mischievously. Although she had never seen Nick wear that same expression, Betsy couldn't deny the uncanny resemblance between father and daughter. The little girl darted forwards and before the blonde knew what was happening, Delilah was wiping her hands down the back of Betsy's jeans. A giggle of glee escaped her lips as she transferred the pink paint on to the worn fabric.

After inspecting her hands, Betsy handed the Christmas angel across into Delilah's waiting hands.

"You have a very important job, Delilah. You get to put the angel on top of the tree." Betsy whispered to the excitable little girl who was now bouncing on the ball of her feet.

"But it's too high." Delilah replied, a sadness quickly stealing across her expression.

Betsy grinned widely. "That's what your daddy is for!"

Nicholas arched a single brow at her before turning to his daughter and giving her a playful bow. "I am at your service, Miss Davenport."

"Pick me up daddy," Delilah demanded through giggles, squealing loudly when she was promptly lifted from the floor and into the embrace of her father.

Tommy toddled over and pouted as his big sister was raised up so she could settle the angel on top of the tree.

Crouching down, Betsy wrapped an arm around the small boy's waist and tucked him into her side. "I've got an extra special job for you Tommy." She murmured in his ear while the pair of them watched the father daughter bonding moment unfolding before them. "We need to turn on the lights. Do you think you can help me with that?"

Turning her head to look at the small boy, Betsy felt warmth in her chest. Being around her sister's children after the 'loss' had always been difficult. Yet Tommy and Delilah had changed that. It didn't hurt to be around them, didn't remind her of what she had lost.

"Yes. Yes Yes." The little boy chanted his features alight with innocent unfiltered delight.

It was what Betsy loved most about children. They were new to the world and did not know how to guard and filter their emotional responses. They just allowed everything to show, uncaring about the reactions of others.

Taking his small hand in hers, Betsy picked up the small green remote control and with little Tommy's help, the pair of them flipped the switch. Coloured lights danced to life on the tree earning an excited squeal from both Davenport children. They glittered and tinkled merrily. Tommy toddled forwards to stand at the base of the tree, his eyes wide as he tilted his head back.

Nick set his daughter down on the floor. Immediately she hurried to her younger brother's side, wrapping her hand around his smaller one as they both surveyed the tree.

"It's so pretty." Delilah murmured her voice low and reverent.

And it was. She and the children had spent the day decorating in preparation for the Christmas holidays. She wasn't sure what the Davenport's would be doing over the holidays but Betsy had wanted the children to enjoy Christmas, to get involved in the festivities. Ms Reed had let slip that Christmas had been an understated affair since the death of Mrs Davenport. The death had left a void in the hearts of the household, one which was only just starting to heal.

Betsy's lips turned up into a full smile and she pressed a hand over her heart as she watched the children. Seeing such innocent appreciation was enough to melt even the coldest of hearts. It was all the things she should have had with her own child, things that would never be. But these new memories they were making were just as precious. No matter what happened, what job she went to next, she would always remember this moment.

Lifting her head, Betsy shook out a tendril of blonde hair where it had fallen loose from the braid and grinned and Nicholas. The expression quickly slipped when she noted the intense look upon his face. Pushing to her feet, her boss stretched out a hand and took hers within his.

"Thank you for this." He spoke quietly, his eyes drifting down to stare at his children. "Thank you for giving us back Christmas. I didn't even realise-."

He halted, his voice almost cracking as he spoke. Betsy felt something within her then. Hearing this man's emotions, witnessing the brief glimpse of them before he successfully buried them under the mask once more, was enough to completely set her off kilter. Her lips parted as she stared up at him, uncertain even as she took the hand he held out to her and allowed him to pull her upright.

"I know it the wrong time to ask –," he murmured, his thumb caressing the back of Betsy's hand.

Her mind went blank and it was only when Nicholas lips turned up into a cocky smirk she remembered to speak.

"Ask me what?" The blonde squeaked, uncertainty warring within her.

"I need your help. I've been meaning to bring it up for a few weeks but I haven't found the right opportunity." Nicholas paused, his gaze moving over her face.

The hands around her grew clammy even as the self-assured man before her watched her intently. He was waiting for something - some sort of sign. Her finger stroked over her wrist and she felt his rapid pulse as it thrummed under his skin. He was nervous. Betsy never thought she would witness this moment.

"I'm currently in the midst of a major deal – I can't go into detail but let's just say it is big enough to guarantee the future of my company for the next ten years." He explained while his finger continued to caress the back of her hand.

She frowned up at him, ignoring the way his touch was sending tingles over her skin, her attention fully on the man before her.

"And I come into this how?" She asked when it looked like the man wasn't going to continue.

"The only way for the deal to complete is to prove I am stable – reliable. The only way to do that is to show a stable family unit."

"And ..?" Betsy prompted, enjoying the way the normally closed off man was fidgeting.

"I'm having a dinner with some key members of the board tomorrow and their spouses. I need you to attend, you and the children."

Betsy, who had been holding her breath, released it with a sigh of relief. Dinner with the boss? She could do that. "That's fine. So you just need me to watch over the kids. Do I need to dress up at all?"

"You misunderstand me," Nicholas cut in before she could continue. "I need to present a family man front."

"But you are a family man. Anyone would be a fool to think otherwise once they have seen you around the kids."

"Stop interrupting, please." Nick begged before running his free hand down his face in exasperation. "I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend. You're already great with the children. You will just need to pretend that you're not completely indifferent to me."

Betsy stilled, her mouth hanging open as she stared up at the tall handsome man before her. He was asking her to be his girlfriend. His pretend girlfriend, the thought was no less terrifying. It may not mean true intimacy with the man but he was rich and famous. Their 'relationship' would never remain secret in this day and age. It may be for show but the consequences would be very real.

"Can I think about it?" Betsy murmured, her eyes staring into his as she watched for his reaction.

And there it was – the panic.

As much as he appeared to want to protest, he nodded his head. His jaw was set as he did so but he still managed to force out his next words.

"Of course, Miss Jones." His reverting back to using her surname created a distance between the pair - she could feel it like a gaping chasm which would only grow bigger.  He needed her.

Despite her own reluctance to have her life possibly exposed to the media, Betsy found herself blurting out the words which would change everything. "I'll do it."

Nick stood frozen, his eyes wide as he stared down at the little woman before him in disbelief. And then he lifted her hand in painstakingly slow motion. With her hair falling about her shoulders, Betsy's chest heaved up and down as she struggled to draw in a breath. Her hand fluttered to her chest as Nicholas pressed a kiss to the bank of her hand, his dark eyes boring into hers. For a moment she thought her legs were going to give way.

There was a smirk upon his lips as he pulled away. "Thank you, Miss Jones." He said with a smoulder.

It may have been a completely innocent stare but the little blonde felt it from her head to her toes, it warned her from the inside out. Gulping loudly, she reluctantly pulled her hand from his.

"Not a problem. I have some things to do right now so I'll just be going."

Backing away from the man, her hand shaking at her side, she hastily retreated from the room. For some unknown reason, Betsy felt like her agreement to this little charade would change everything.