Page 38 of From Maybe to Baby

She laughs it off. "Just doing my job. Observing family dynamics and all that."

"Pretty sure toddler tantrum management wasn't in your job description."

"Consider it extra research."

I look at her then—like, really look at her. The way she handled my daughter's meltdown wasn't just skilled, it was... natural. Like she instinctively knew exactly what the kid needed to hear.

This woman is not Frenchie replacement material.

She's something much more dangerous.

"Daddy?" Jace stirs slightly. "Is Miss Minty a real princess?"

Alexa's eyes meet mine, and something passes between us—something that has nothing to do with professional distance or resort reviews.

I’m not sure whether I like it or not.

"Get some rest, volcano princess," she says. “More adventures later.”

As I carry my kids back to our room, I can’t help but think that’s what Alexa Minty is—an adventure. The kind that could either be exactly what we need or the kind that completely upends everything I’ve spent the past two years trying to rebuild.

Probably both.

Definitely both.

Adventures like Alexa aren’t for people like me. They’re for people who don’t have three- and four-year-olds asking if a travel writer is secretly a princess, or people who don’t have the weight of someone else’s world on their shoulders.

I tuck Jace into bed and glance at Lukas, already sprawled out next to her.

Yeah. Alexa Minty is definitely trouble. The kind you walk away from.

And yet, I can still hear her voice—more adventures later.

5

ALEXA

The Keiki Swim Class provides essential water safety skills in a structured yet engaging environment...

I pausein my note-taking to watch a small child try to drink pool water while his mom checks Instagram.

Though parental supervision levels may vary.

This is not how I usually spend my mornings in luxury resorts. Normally, I'd be at the adult pool right now, working on my tan while critiquing overpriced cocktails and snapping carefully choreographed photos. Instead, I'm watching desperate swim instructors trying to keep their students from drowning, all because the universe is getting a giant kick out of mocking my sorry ass.

And Jonas Knight in board shorts, the best thing I've seen since Santorini, is not making up for anything.

Really.

"Miss Minty," Lukas waves from the pool, splashing everyone in a ten-foot radius. "Watch me put my face under."

"Inside voice," Jonas reminds him, standing over the edge of the pool ready to dive in if one of the instructors slacks. And honestly, how dare he make basic parenting look that good? It should be impossible to be sexy while enforcing rules, but he manages it. Must be those NHL-worthy thighs. The ones I'm not staring at.

Not at all.

"Quite the splash zone you've got there," I comment.

"WATER you gonna do about it?" He grins, and I absolutely do not notice how his wet hair curls slightly at the nape of his neck.

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