Page 98 of A Major Puck Up

“Oh, right. That would be helpful, huh?” She giggles as she grabs two bottles of water and returns with both of them. “I’m Lennox Kennedy,” she says as she holds one bottle out to me.

The water bottle tumbles to the floor between us as I snap my attention to her face. “As in Kennedy Records?” My dad’s label may be the most prestigious at the moment, but her family is rock royalty. American royalty, really. They own a little piece of every industry known to man.

She smiles, but her blue eyes dull a fraction. “The one and only.”

“Wow. Do you work for the Revs?”

She shakes her head, her lips pressed together.

“The Bolts?”

Her pink hair sways as she shakes it again.

I frown, confused. “Then why do you live here?”

Her lips twist, and she hums. “About that…”

My heart stops, and my fingers go numb. Shit, she doesn’t live here. She’s probably a psycho off her meds who snuck in.

Slowly, hoping not to startle her, I take a step back, being sure to stay between her and the baby.

“Oh my god, will you relax?” She waves a manicured hand. “I’m just kinda sorta squatting in my best friend’s apartment.”

“But you’re a Kennedy.” I can’t hide the judgment in my tone.

“And you’re a Hall, yet you’re nannying for the man next door,” she counters.

I sigh, shoulders slumping. She has a point there.

With a nod at the couch, she asks, “Can we sit?”

I look over my shoulder, checking on Vivi. “I promised her I’d take her for a walk and some fresh air.”

“Oh!” Lennox clasps her hands in front of her chest. “I love that idea. Let me grab a scarf, and I’ll join you.”Then she’s gone, scurrying into the bedroom without waiting for a response.

Leaning over the stroller, I run a finger gently over Vivi’s cheek, checking to make sure she isn’t overheating. “Looks like we’ve got a new friend, Viv. What do you think?”

The sweetie rubs her eyes in response.

“You’ll be asleep in minutes, won’t you? Guess it’s good I’ve got someone to talk to, then.” I stroke her cheek again.

She grasps my hand, her tiny fingers wrapping around my thumb.

“Oh, Vivi girl,” I whisper, my heart cracking open. “I’m sorry your mommy left you.”

I’ve known this little girl for forty-eight hours, and already, I dread the day when Gavin finds a real nanny. If I can’t convince him to forgive me, if I can’t get him to see that I’m ready for this—to be his partner, to help him raise his little girl—then I’ll have to walk away too.

And I have absolutely no idea how I’d ever do that.

I fell a little in love with Gavin the night we met, and I’ve been in love with him for almost a year. Viviane must have inherited her daddy’s bewitching powers, because I’m already head over heels for her.

Lennox appears again, wrapping a black scarf around her neck. She pulls a leather jacket from a hook near the door and slides it on over a light pink shirt that dips low, emphasizing her ample chest. I’m pretty sure each of her breasts is bigger than my head. “How long have you been banging Hockey Daddy?”

My breath gets caught in my lungs, and I have to pound a fist to my chest before I can breathe again. “Excuse me?”

“You and Hockey Daddy. How long has it been going on?”

“Is that what people are calling him?” Despite the shock she’s just put me through, I giggle at the thought of Gavin’s reaction to that. Old Gavin would find it hysterical. I’m not sure about this new guy, though.

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