Page 64 of Mind Pucked

“Are you ashamed of me, Jackson? Is that why they don’t know about us?” I ask, hurt in my voice.

His eyes widen in surprise, and he looks horrified.

“What? Oh God, no! Oh, baby, please don’t think that” he pleads as he takes my face in his hands. “It’s not anything like that. It’s just…this is a really big step for me, and I’m not sure how they’ll react to it. They know you’re Hayden’s nanny, so for now that’s all they’re going to know, until I figure out what to say to them.”

I nod my head in understanding. I can’t help but feel like he’s a bit ashamed, but I don’t want to press the issue with him.

“When they come, I’ll just be the nanny,” I say quietly.

Just then, Hayden wakes up and we go to explore the rest of the house with her. We find a nice place to get dinner in town, and Jackson can’t stop talking about how the season is almost over.

“I still can’t believe we’ve made it to the playoffs,” he says joyfully. “I’m glad for the break this week, though. It’s going to be rough—four rounds of seven games. We’re gonna be worn out by the end, but I think we’re good for the win, especially with Oliver and Felix constantly coming up with new good luck rituals.”

“What kind of rituals?” I ask with a smile on my face.

“Well, so far, they’ve been trading underpants,” he says, chuckling.

I choke on my sip of water as I laugh. “What?”

“They’ve been trading underpants before games. It’s really been lucky, so they’re trying to come up with other new rituals.”

“I hope they don’t end up with jock itch,” I say in a teasing tone.

Jackson laughs a hearty laugh, and the sound makes my heart swell. I haven’t ever heard him laugh so freely. The look on his face is one of surprise and then sadness.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him, laying my hand over his on the table as Hayden colors the coloring page given to her by our waitress.

“I haven’t…I shouldn’t…” he stammers.

“Oh, Jackson, it’s okay to laugh. She’d want you to,” I reply softly as I rub the back of his hand.

By the time we finish dinner and get back to the Airbnb, Hayden is asleep, and Jackson carries her in. My thoughts are consumed with the knowledge that his parents are coming for their visit tomorrow—I’m nervous to see them, even if I’m just the nanny. I know that by the end of the visit they’ll know the truth, and I worry about how they’ll handle that truth.

I toss and turn all night long, finally getting up around five in the morning. I drink my coffee and make breakfast for everyone because I know Jackson and Hayden will wake up soon. Just as I finish cooking, they both emerge from upstairs, still looking sleepy.

“Good morning, sleepyheads,” I say as I put their plates in front of them.

“Good morning, Amelia,” Jackson mumbles as he stumbles sleepily to the coffee pot and pours a cup of coffee.

“Today’s the day. Your parents will be here this afternoon,” I say, trying to sound cheerful.

“Grandma and Grandpa are coming?” Hayden asks before taking a bite of her food.

“Yeah, they’re coming to visit before we go to the zoo,” Jackson says as he sits at the table with his coffee cup and starts eating.

I take time cleaning the kitchen after we eat and before I know it, the doorbell rings. My stomach twists in knots and I feel like I’m going to vomit as Jackson goes to open the door. I stand in the doorway of the kitchen as Jackson welcomes them in and hugs them. They move to hug Hayden next and then his mother’s eyes connect with mine.

I’m about to say,Nice to see you again, but she speaks first.

“Ah, and you brought along the help,” she says as she looks me over. “I’d like a glass of water with four ice cubes. Thank you.”

My heart clenches and my stomach drops. I hear Jackson say something, but I can’t make out what he says as my ears ring loudly. I bolt up the stairs to the other room down the hall in case they come upstairs. I throw myself across the bed and sob into the pillow, hoping the fluffy material muffles the sound. I don’t want them to know they’ve hurt me. I hear raised voices floating up from downstairs, but can’t make out what they’re saying. A few minutes later, I hear the door open and know instantly that Jackson has entered the room.

“Oh, baby, come here,” he says, soft and low as he pulls me into his arms, caressing the back of my head as I cry into his chest. “I’m sorry about my mother.”

“It’s fine,” I say as I wipe my tears with the back of my hand. “She doesn’t know any different, so she’s treating me like the help I am.”

“No, she shouldn’t have acted that way even if you were only a nanny. Listen, why don’t you go into town and do some shopping? It’ll give me time to figure out what to say and tell them about our relationship,” he says softly as he rubs my back soothingly.

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