Page 25 of At First Flight
I’m too shocked to respond. Never in a million years did I expect Lila to show up at my house as my new nanny. Hell, I didn’t even care about the credit card I’d given her. She could have used it for the rest of her life, and I’d simply have paid the bills.
“I…I can’t believe it’s you. That you’re here.” My voice sounds deeper, even to my own ears.
With her hands firmly fisted on her hips, she cocks her head to the side, a wrinkle forming between her two eyebrows. Even in this fiery state, I’ve never seen someone so gorgeous. I’m completely entranced by her.
“Dean! That’s all you’re going to say?”
As she shouts at me, I can’t pull my eyes away. The wind whips up, strands of her hair sticking to her lips as she speaks. Breathing deeply, hints of strawberry tickle my nose as I reach out and glide her hair behind her ear.
“Hi, Lila,” I say in complete contrast to how she had just sounded. Her body sways backward, eyes growing with each passing second as I shock her. “I can promise you that this is not a trick, nor did I set this up. It’s just…a fortuitous circumstance.”
“What does that even mean?” she whispers as tires crunch on the driveway.
“It means that I really do need your help. My niece and nephew are here earlier than expected.” My eyes dart over to the black sedan as the member of my family’s security team parks next to Lila’s car. Thankfully, my mother had secured a pickup at the airport for the kids since I had to scramble enough to get everything else ready.
“Oh.” Lila spins on her heels, immediately forgetting I’m in her company, and focuses on the two little ones strapped in their car seats, waiting patiently to be let out.
I jump past her and make my way to the car, thanking Thomas as he pulls their luggage from the trunk. I expected more things for them, but apparently, Genevieve preferred spending her money on herself and not the kids, one of many things we argued about.
I hurry to unbuckle them, my hands moving on autopilot, but when I lift them from the car, neither child bolts away in excitement the way they used to when I’d visit. No excited squeals. No wild, thudding footsteps across the gravel. Instead, they each cling to a leg, their tiny fingers curling tight around the fabric of my pants, stuffed animals clutched to their chests like shields.
Their silence pierces deeper than any scream could.
I glance down at them. Evelyn’s wide eyes locked on the house like it might swallow her whole, and Oliver bites his lip so hard it’s turning white. And I feel it like a punch to the ribs.
They used to run to me, eyes bright, voices high with excitement whenever I came to visit. Back then, I was just the fun uncle with shiny gifts and loud laughter, someone who swooped in a few times a year, whenever my sister wasn’thalfway across the country chasing something new. It was easy to be the good guy when all I had to do was spoil them and then leave.
Now?
Now I’m the man left behind. The one who doesn’t come and go. The one who stayed. And in their eyes, I’m no longer just Uncle Dean. I’m the reminder that their mother isn’t walking through that door in front of them, if they even fully understand.
“Is this our new home?” Oliver asks, tilting his head back.
“It is. I hope you’ll like it here. There is even a dock in the back for fishing.”
“Oh. Cool.”
I expect a similar question from Evelyn, but I’m also not surprised when her clutch on my leg tightens.
“Upstairs, there is a whole playroom just for you guys. How does that sound?”
“Really?” Oliver releases his grasp and inches toward the house, where Lila waits patiently on the porch. “Who is that?”
“That’s Lila. She’s going to be your new nanny. I hope.”
“I don’t need a nanny,” Oliver demands as he stalks up the porch steps. “I start kindergarten soon.”
Lila crouches down to his level and smiles. My fucking heart aches as I watch her. “Maybe I can just be your friend then. You can’t ever have enough of those.”
“But you’re a girl.”
“I am, but I have three younger brothers. One is even a cowboy. So I know all about boy stuff.”
“Cool! I want to be a cowboy.”
Slowly, I inch myself and Evelyn closer to the porch until we’re standing at the base of the steps.
“This is Evelyn,” I say, drawing Lila’s attention.
