Page 19 of The Secret

“Asleep right now.” I looked at my watch. “She’ll be awake soon though.”

“And are you doing okay? Got a name yet?”

I shrugged, wondering how many more times I was going to be asked that question. I should have put an ad out in the New York Times sayingNo Fucking Name Yet.

“I’m okay, or I will be once I sleep. And no name yet.”

“But he’ll have one tomorrow,” Penn offered up.

“Really?” Jasper raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, once I get some sleep tonight. The nanny is starting today so I’ll actually be able to think.”

He rolled his lips, nodding his head. “Fair enough. You’ll get used to the tiredness.”

“I doubt it.”

“Don’t worry, once you’ve got the nanny here and she’s settled you’ll find a routine. What’s her name?”

I hesitated, searching my brain, I should probably know. I did know, I’d been told, I just couldn’t remember. Oh.

“Kit, I think.” I nodded to myself. “Yes, it’s Kit.”

“We’ll get her together with Sylvia and they can take the kids out, make sure they’re spending time together as cousins,” he said, mentioning the nanny who’d been with them since Florence had been born. She was like a slightly older Mary Poppins and always seemed to have something in her bag designed to keep Floss clean and out of most trouble, which was a feat in itself.

“Yeah, that would be good. Thanks, buddy.”

“Sylvia and Greta get together a couple of times a week, so Kit can join in,” he continued. Greta, Freddie and Cooper’s nanny, looked after their son, Samson. He’d just turned two, and even though he was a couple of months younger than Florence, he was easily twice her size. However, Florence had no issue asserting her authority over her cousin, and Sammy, at any family get together, was usually seen following her about, doing her bidding without question.

“Speaking of, what time are they getting here?” At that moment there was a loud clatter from down the hall. “Never mind, that sounds like them.”

Thirty seconds later, Sammy waddled into the kitchen, ignoring all of us standing around and went straight over to Barclay’s bed, sitting down almost on top of him. Barclay shuffled back slightly then positioned his head so it rested against Sam. None of us could remember when this relationship started up. It was a move that happened every time they were together, and Sam was easily Barclay’s second favorite human after me, probably because he always had some sort of food on him, and Barc was usually seen closely on his heels hoovering up the trail of breadcrumbs. The only reason Sam ever wanted to come over here was to see Barclay.

“Hey, Sammy, do we all get hugs too?”

Sam looked up at us, as though noticing for the first time there were other people in the kitchen. He silently got to his feet and waddled over to me, his hands in the air for me to lift him, just as Florence had done. I picked him up, blowing a raspberry on his cheek which caused him to erupt in a fit of giggles.

“Throw, throw.”

“You want to go to Uncle Jasper? Or Uncle Rafe? Or Uncle Penn?” I turned him toward the guys so he could choose.

This was a game we like to play, where he’d be thrown between people for hugs instead of walking. He was the sweetest kid in the world, and I’d always hoped that if I ever had kids, they would be half as amazing.

And now that time had come, so I needed to concentrate on not fucking it up.

“Raf!” he requested.

Rafe stood up from the stool and held his hands out. “Whoa, aren’t I lucky to be chosen first?”

I looked down at Sam. “Ready?”

He nodded, then I threw him through the air to Rafe, who caught him, turning up the volume of his giggling.

“Who’s next?”

“Penn!” He was launched across the room again, his hysterics getting louder each time.

It was a good job we all worked out regularly because it was like throwing the heaviest medicine ball. A minute later, Cooper moseyed into the kitchen, just as Jasper had finished blowing raspberries on Sam’s neck.

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