Page 133 of Worst Nanny Ever
“He’s a total shithead. Who cares if he doesn’t have a lot of money? I don’t have a lot of money, andI’mnot a total shithead.”
“You’re not a shithead at all,” he says, smiling softly at me, but with eyes so sad I almost tear up myself.
I force a return smile. “You’re so romantic.”
“Show me your apartment, Hannah,” he says, unbuckling his seat belt and taking my hand. “You already showed me the place where you loved to work. I want to see your home.”
Tension coils in my chest, because even though I know he cares about me and wants to be with me, I’m worried he’ll reject this side of me. The full manifestation of my chaos.
He must see it in my eyes—the fear that I might be both too much and not enough—because he says, “I want it all.”
Then he leans in and kisses me so sweetly it lessens my worry.
When he pulls back, eyes on me, I nod. “I want to show you. But it’s a mess.”
“I love your messes. Every time I find slime on a pillow, or a balled-up piece of paper, or one of your abandoned art projects, it’s like you’ve laid your claim on me. Declared that I’m yours.”
I gasp, because that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Lifting my hand to cup his face, I trace my fingers over the heart on his forehead. “Youaremine, dammit. I’m glad you finallyadmitted it.”
He leans in and kisses my neck, the press of his lips leaving a mark on my soul. “And will you be mine, Hannah?”
“I already am,” I say, feeling tears in my eyes, as I pull away to meet his gaze again. “But you should really come in and see my apartment. You might change your mind.”
“Why?” he asks. “Is there a dead body in there? I’ll help you bury it.”
I laugh. “What if I’m a hoarder?”
He makes a disgusted face but shrugs. “No one’s perfect.”
I laugh harder, shoving his arm. “You’re lying. You would totally dump my ass if I were a hoarder.”
“No, I’m sure there’s a crystal for that. Dottie would help me rehabilitate your hoarding ways. And Eugene would pitch in. That man looks like he’d enjoy a good purging.” He pauses and tucks my hair behind my ear. “Nothing up there could change my mind about you. I know this is early, and you’re probably going to laugh at me, but I love you, Hannah.”
Shock barrels through me, but I know he means it. He’s a man who says what he means. I take a second to study my own heart—and know what should have been obvious.
“Ugh. I can’t make fun of you for that. I love you too,” I say. Then I’m laughing and crying as I kiss him, and he kisses me back like my mouth is his only available source of oxygen.
When we pull apart, I’m still crying a little, and I say, “I’ll never forgive you for making me cry twice in one week. It’s like I’m a leaky faucet.”
“You’re not a leaky faucet.” He leans in and kisses my cheek, my mouth. “You’re my beautiful, sexy girlfriend. Don’t think I missed the way you were ready to step into battle on my behalf.”
I feel myself flushing. “I totally could’ve gotten him in the balls. Rob shouldhave let me try.”
“Rob did what any good friend would. He protected my girl.”
He leans in and kisses me again, his lips soft and reverent. For a moment, I let myself get lost in the soft press of his lips and his hand against the side of my face. But he wants to come upstairs and see the parts of me that I usually hide, and I’m surprised by how much I want to show him.
“Come inside before we get arrested for indecent exposure,” I say.
“Sounds fun.”
I poke his arm. “You don’t get to be the crazy one.I’mthe crazy one.”
He just smiles and gets out of the car, then comes around to meet me, as if he’s going to escort me into some fancy dinner and not my rundown, messy apartment.
His shirt is untucked, and there are a few flecks of blood on the collar. It must be Bixby’s, from his busted nose, or maybe Travis’s, from his abraded knuckles. There’s probably a special place in hell waiting for me, because I think it’s sexy.
I’m worried about his injuries, though, about the future of the band, and about Lilah too. But I can tell Travis doesn’t want to talk about any of that. He’d prefer to escape into this connection between us for a while, and I’m letting him, because I want that too.
