Page 19 of Mind Pucked

My nerves are on edge as I open the door to see Amelia holding her purse and a large tote bag.

Sure, she looks too young to be a teacher, but what she’s carrying screams elementary school teacher. Her hair is even up in a bun.

She’s cute as hell. How do I expect to be able to sit here all day, watching her bond with my daughter while she looks like that?

Get it together, Jackson. It’s just another nanny. And she’s too young.

I don’t have a problem with age-gap relationships. And among the guys on the team, it actually happens pretty damn often. But after what I’ve been through, I feel like no one her age could compete with that. No one could compare or relate.

Besides, I can’t do that to Lyla. Lyla is my one and only, even though she’s not here anymore. It’ll be just me and Hayden forever.

But dammit if my cock doesn’t know that as it twitches in my pants.

“I came at the right time, right?” Amelia says, popping her head inside to look around me.

I realize I’ve just been standing in the doorway like some kind of village idiot.

“Yeah, I’m just a little on edge today.”

She gives me a tight smile, and I feel like such an ass. I’m always so grumpy and mean around her. Maybe it’s for the best.

She brings in the tote bag and sets it down next to the couch. Then she turns to look at me and claps her hands together. Yes, I can definitely see her as a teacher.

“So, where’s Hayden?”

“Oh, she’s taking a nap right now. But she’ll be up any…”

The patter of little feet comes bounding down the stairs. It’s Hayden.

“New nanny day?” she asks me, a big smile on her face.

I nod at her, and she comes running into my arms.

Amelia observes our reactions to each other as I pick Hayden up, floating her in the air like an airplane for a moment before settling her on my hip.

I realize for just a moment that Amelia’s looking me up and down. I feel this weird heat between us, and I clear my throat. I can’t have any of that. It would not bode well for either of us.

“Why don’t you go make sure your toys are all cleaned up? I know you were playing a lot before your nap. And let me and Amelia talk for a moment,” I tell Hayden, tickling her belly.

She giggles, and I set her down. She goes right to her playroom, no fighting, no problem.

Sometimes I worry that Hayden is too easy of a kid. That she hasn’t had a chance to be rebellious or think for herself in any way.

I should be grateful, and I am, but there’s that damn worry again. Something about being both mom and dad to her has really gotten to me. If I keep it up, I’m gonna get a damn ulcer and not be able to play hockey.

“So, what’s the plan for today? What is all this?” I point to Amelia’s big bag full of stuff, the one that reminds me of Mary Poppins.

She laughs nervously, and I catch that she’s got a couple beads of sweat on her forehead. Maybe she’s just as anxious as I am.

“Well, if you’re okay with it, I actually brought some stuff to go over colors…and the alphabet. I know they learn pretty much all of that stuff in kindergarten, but sometimes they go through it really fast. It’s really important to work with them at home on some of that stuff before they go to school.”

I blink a few times, not sure how to respond. She’s gone from nanny to full-on tutor. And now that I think of it, I haven’t really been working with Hayden on much other than on speaking. I don’t know if she even knows her colors or her numbers or anything like that.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea on the first day? Don’t you want to bond with her first?”

Amelia’s smile drops, but she nods. She starts swaying back and forth on her feet as she explains, “Yeah, of course. But that’s probably going to be part of our routine. So if we are going to bond, we need to bond over something that we would normally do. So she can get used to it. Besides, I have some other ideas too. We’ll play first, probably with puppets because that’s what I brought. I hope you don’t mind.”

She pulls some animal puppets out of her big bag of tricks. I shake my head, affirming that I don’t mind, because maybe I should say as little as possible right now.

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