Page 9 of Crossed Up

“Hi!” I say brightly. “I’m Lyla. Your name is Crew, right? It’s nice to meet you!”

He looks more than a little wary, which sends a ping of sadness through me, but I keep my smile firmly in place while he shifts his attention to the man behind me. I’m guessing he’s looking to his dad for direction, so I wait patiently. Bringing his piercing blue gaze back to me, he grins shyly and holds a sticky hand out to shake.

“How do you know my name?”

I shake his small hand and marvel at how tall he seems to be at not even six years old, though Aidan is probably an entire foot taller than me, so maybe I shouldn’t be all that surprised that his son clearly seems to favor his genetics.

“Well, your dad just told me, but I’m also friends with your Auntie Wren! She told me all about you.”

Crew gasps, bouncing in his seat. “Auntie Wren is my bestest friend! I just see’d her yesterday!”

Fighting back a laugh, I grin at his excitement. “You saw her yesterday. And guess what? I did, too! Wren is my best friend and I see her all the time!”

I listen to him chatter excitedly about all the things he does with Wren with rapt attention while also cataloguing the striking resemblance he bears to his father. They both share golden locks with platinum highlights that are likely from frequently being in the sun, and the same light blue eyes.

The exact opposite of Sebastian’s.

“So,” I ask, getting Crew’s attention as Aidan quietly slides into the booth on the other side of his son. It puts him directly across from me, and I studiously avoid his intense gaze. “Do you like your breakfast?”

A fast nod is the only answer I get for a minute as he shoves a massive bite of pancakes in his mouth. My caregiver instincts go on high alert, and I slide his water cup within reach and watch him like a hawk until he chews and swallows.

I notice Aidan tracking my movements with his eyes, but he also slides a few inches closer with a hand out toward his son, ready to intervene if needed.

I let out a sigh of relief when he successfully swallows the bite and chases it with several gulps of water. “Chocolate chip hotcakes are my favorite!”

Aidan snickers quietly as he starts to wipe his son’s hands and face, causing me to raise a brow in question. “Wren’s dad calls ‘em hotcakes, and Crew has spent a lot of time over there the last few months, so he’s adopted the word and corrects anybody that says pancakes within his earshot.”

Crew rolls his eyes at his dad, sighing in exasperation. “They’re called hotcakes, Daddy. I’m just tellin’ ‘em so they know the right word.”

I laugh, but lean in conspiratorially. “You’re right, Crew. They’re definitely called hotcakes.”

He grins in triumph, sticking his tongue out at his father, and the amount of attitude packed into such a little human is hilarious. “I like you, Miss Lyla. Will you stay after breakfast and play?”

The quiet words have me straightening my shoulders with pride. I went to school for years to learn how best to interact with children of all ages, and the fact that Crew is accepting me so easily makes my heart swell. Aidan clears his throat gently before I can get too excited and say yes. “Raptor, Miss Lyla and I need to talk for a bit first, okay? Do you wanna watch the fairy movie again while we do?”

He’s up and out of the kitchen in a flash, sprinting to the sunken living room that’s semi-visible from our position in the breakfast nook. I turn back to Aidan with wide eyes, and he belly-laughs, sending shivers down my spine.

His voice and laugh are deep and smooth, and the theater kid in me wonders briefly if he can sing. “You promise my kid Disney movies, and he’ll do just about anything you ask.”

Understanding dawns on me, and I grin. “Good thing I love Disney movies, then, huh?” He just chuckles quietly and finally serves himself from the platters of food on the table.

Now that I’m not so nervous, I notice more pancakes, bacon, eggs, and fruit than two people could reasonably eat, not to mention the large pitcher of orange juice. “You really weren’t kidding when you said you make too much!”

Aidan snorts. “I wish I was kidding. I’ve been cooking for two since Crew was a year old. You would think I could figure out how to make smaller portions. Please help yourself if you’re hungry. I figured we could talk about the job now, and then you’re more than welcome to hang out and get to know us if you want.”

Confusing butterflies take flight in my belly at the mere mention of casual hangouts with my handsome boss if I get the job, but I know it likely won’t be something I have to get used to since it sounds like he’s gone a lot during the season. Perusing the spread before me, I grab two pancakes, some fruit, and a few pieces of bacon, nearly moaning at the competing aromas of chocolate and bacon.

The man across from me keeps his gaze laser-focused on my face until I take my first bite, and only then does he dig into his own meal. We eat in comfortable silence for several minutes with only the sounds of Crew’s movie and commentary as background noise.

“So, I guess Wren already told you this would be a live-in position?” he asks, his voice guarded.

“She did, and she also said it would be a travel position as well?”

Aidan nods, his firm expression easing the slightest bit at my acknowledgment of the travel. Wren said that’s been the hardest part of finding a nanny for them.

“Obviously I travel for work quite a bit, and I don’t like being away from my son for days, sometimes weeks on end. It makes me feel a lot better when I can have him on the road with me for the longer stretches without the added stress of rotating babysitters.”

Nodding, I smile gently at him. “I completely understand. I can’t imagine how stressful your job is already as a professional athlete, but adding on to that being a single parent with unreliable childcare? The kind of pressure you’re under must feel crushing.”

---