Page 35 of Sweet Thing

He could interpret that how he wished.

I checked my reflection in the mirror, noting the dark circles under my eyes. I hadn’t slept well last night at Lars’s place, lying awake, worried that the doors were locked. More than once, I got up to check all the windows at one point and reset the alarm. The house was safe. I was safe.

But I didn’tfeelsafe.

Perhaps returning home and immediately jumping into this nanny gig was too much change in too short a time. Was this truly a good way for me to get over what happened in Greeceandmy crush?

My phone buzzed with a text from Lars.

Yeah, poor kid, lumbered with me for an isa.

Me

What’s isa?

Lars

Finnish for dad.

My phone rang.Lars.I answered it quickly, not because I wanted to hear his voice but because time was of the essence.

“Don’t you have a game to prep for?”

“Yeah, but I have a few minutes. How’s the gossip mill grinding back in Chicago?”

I laughed softly. “Don’t worry, you’re still the talk of the town.”

“That’s something, at least. Would hate to give up that crown.”

There was a pause while I tried to think of what to say.

“It’s just?—”

“How are you?—”

We both laughed, mine nervous, his … maybe nervous, too? After all, he had just found out officially he was on the hook for eighteen years of child-rearing.

“What were you going to say?” he asked gently.

“I was going to ask how you were doing with the news. Even though you knew it was a possibility, maybe even likely, it still must be weird.”

“Sure, it was more likely than not given the circumstances. But I wasn’t quite prepared for how it would make me feel.”

“Which is?”

“Evenmoreterrified of fucking up. Given how I grew up, I know whatnotto do, but I worry about the execution. How to switch up the patterns. How do I ensure I don’t screw up a kid’s life?” He made a sound deep in his throat. “Sorry, not what you signed on for.”

My heart hitched for him. “Big changes can bring up all sorts of emotions. Make you think about what’s gone before, what needs to happen. Get you all up in your feels.”

“Yeah, that’s what’s happening. I’m all up in my feels.” But he didn’t sound annoyed, more amused at my take on it. “Is Mabel with you?”

“She’s downstairs with Mom. I came up to the bathroom to get a quiet moment.”

“Ah.” He sounded disappointed. “Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Everyone here is completely doting on her. The new Rebels princess.”

“Adeline, I—” He cut off as someone spoke in the background. When he came back, his voice was lower, so muted I could barely hear him. The intimacy of it made my skin tingle. “They’re calling us to line up.”

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