Page 29 of Cross My Heart
Dex
Chapter 12
The rest of the week flew by. Before I knew it, I was landing in London. My heart was still heavy over Tate. Parent guilt was eating me alive but Lanie had promised to be on top of things. I trust her completely, and that’s a weird feeling for me. I don’t know if I ever trusted Bitchzilla this much, and to be honest, it scares me.
In just a week, Lanie had taken up residence in my mind and I can’t see that ending anytime soon. For now, I have to focus on this deal. I will be working 12-18 hours a day just to make this deadline. Failure isn’t an option. Knowing Lanie has the kids covered makes this so much easier.
As much as I trust her, I still have a past that won’t let go of me.It seems like something Lanie and I may have in common. The guys are doing as promised by checking in on her every day. They had better keep their god damn hands to themselves. They’ve all been warned.
I also had the security system upgraded before I left, installing cameras inside and outside the house. I know I should have told Lanie, and I will when I get home. I just couldn’t come to London without being able to check in on them.
Loki warned that it is an invasion of privacy, and Lanie will be pissed when she finds out. He is probably right, but I did it anyway. Hopefully, she will understand.
Unfortunately, watching Lanie with my kids is quickly becoming an obsession. I reason doing it by telling myself I needed to keep an eye on my kids; it’s not like I put one in her bedroom. I groan silently because holy hell would I have liked to.
I'm in my hotel room waiting on room service so I take a seat on the couch to facetime the kids. The time difference has been difficult for us, but they are my priority. I’ll always make it work. I promised Tate I would facetime him at least once a day, I have to come through on that no matter what.
Lanie picks up after the second ring, and my breath catches.God, why does she have to be so fucking hot?
“Hey there, Boss! How’s London?” She is smiling, her hair is a mess, but she has never looked better. Instantly, I’m hard as a fucking rock.
“Cold,” I answer, “and wet. Very, very wet,” I shouldn’t do this with her, this weird back and forth we sometimes have. I often wonder if she knows how sexually charged our conversations are. She seems so innocent, yet her eyes dance with mirth as she answers.
“Well, Mr. Cross, sometimes I find I enjoy being wet.” She winks, and I can only nod. “Tate is dying to talk to you, but first, I wanted to ask you something.”
Nothing like throwing my kids out there to deflate a boner. “Yes, Miss Heart?” I force out.
“Remember how I was telling you about Tate’s friend, Connor? I met his nanny, Jamie. They are coming over for a playdate this week. Tate is so excited, by the way. Jamie seems sweet as well, and I was sort of wondering…” she breaks off, visibly nervous about continuing, and she has me intrigued.
“What are you so nervous to ask me, Miss Heart? Now you have me so very curious,” I grin at her.
Relaxing slightly, she says, “Fine, do you care if I have friends over when the kids are in bed? Jamie’s sister is also a nanny in town, so I thought I would have them over one night to try and make some friends down here.”
I want to tell her that I’ll be her friend, but I don’t. Nor do I even have to think about her request. “Lanie, that is your home too. As long as you’re not throwing a rager while my kids are sleeping, I am more than happy for you to have a friend or two over. I want you to feel at home, but thank you for asking. I hope you guys have fun.”
“Thanks, Dex,” she says. There is something about her voice in moments like this that thaw something inside of me.
“You’re more than welcome…and, Lanie?” I feel my voice softening to match hers.
“Yes, Dex?” Her sass returning.
“Thank you…for everything. I truly don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found you,” I let my emotions play out through my words.
“You’re welcome.” Her smile is so honest, so pure, and gone far too soon. “Here’s Tate.”
The call with Tate goes by too quickly. He still isn’t talking much, but the look of pure joy on his face when I asked him about his upcoming playdate loosened a little more of my blackened heart.
I spend the next few days working, facetiming with Lanie and Tate, and obsessively watching the security cameras at the house. Every morning, Lanie dances around the kitchen, making the kids breakfast, and every morning, Tate leaves the house laughing. She is good for him, I realize. I go to bed at night watching recorded clips of Lanie interacting with the kids, and thank god they are in the videos, or I’d be jerking off to home movies like a creeper.
Thursday, in between meetings, I get about thirty pictures from Lanie of Tate and his buddy.She is so thoughtful. The next morning, I order room service and settle down to facetime home.
“Hello, boss-man. How’s London?” Lanie asks with a smile that overtakes her face.
“The same as yesterday, and the day before.” This has become our conversation every time I call. “Tell me about Tate’s playdate?”
“Oh my god! It was so great. They played together for three hours. He did so well. I was so proud of him. Connor is a talker, so I don’t think he felt pressure to say much, but I did hear him answer questions a few times.” She is so animated as she speaks that I have trouble tracking her through the phone with all her wild hand movements.
“That is great, Lanie.” I can’t explain the deep sense of gratitude I have for her. All the other nannies we’ve had combined didn’t have the compassion or love for Tate the way Lanie does.
