Page 47 of Nanny for the SEALs

She smiled at me, and I thought back to the conversation I had with Pete. The strange one where he’d claimed it was as if she had no one apart from Ben.

“That’s good.”

She beamed. “Yeah. She says that she wants to come here for Thanksgiving, so I’m excited about her visiting and a few things, actually. All the things I said I would do once living in the city, but never got to do.”

“That’s normal. Everyone does that. Then life gets in the way, and the things you thrive to do become a distinct dream.”

“Rick, you’re so deep. I just don’t know sometimes…”

I wouldn’t think of myself as being deep, more direct. We left the elevator and moved out of the building and onto the street. I wondered what people would think about us out and about. I noticed Katie was wearing a white dress. I’d never seen her wear it before, because it didn’t leave anything to the imagination. It was innocent in a way, but her perky breasts were showing, and she was showing some skin because it was half-way to her knees. I wondered when she went shopping, most likely yesterday, and this was why she was out most of the day.

“It’s too short, isn’t it?”

I didn’t realize I was staring at her.

“No, it’s beautiful. Really compliments your skin. You have the perfect figure. It not only compliments your skin, but your figure, too.”

Now I sounded like a big sap. Rachel started to struggle, as if to say I was paying too much attention to Katie and not her.

“Someone’s jealous.” Katie laughed as she released her hair. Another change. Usually, she kept it high up in a bun, but now it was free and loose. I didn’t realize how long it was, and I bet she had no idea the effect she had on passersby. They would smile at her, the freshness and innocence and excitement of being with the twins. I took a peep in the stroller, and sure enough, Steven was looking around, half-interested and probably dying to go back to sleep.

Rachel, on the other hand, was looking everywhere. I realized why she wanted to be in my arms. She wanted a different viewpoint. She held on to me to see what everyone else saw, not to be at leg view so she couldn’t get a sight of all the action.

“Clever girl!” I said as I stroked her nose. She quickly jumped up her arm as if I was bothering her, then once again her eyes shifted from side-to-side as she smiled, catching every glimpse of my view.

As we stopped at the lights, I couldn’t help but tell Katie about my discovery.

“I’m not surprised. If they weren’t twins, I would say Rachel was at least one year older. She’s trying to walk, you know.”

“No!” I gasped, thinking this was all too soon. When I first discovered I was a dad nine months ago, I’d spent all the time, apart from trying to catch up on my sleep, by reading books and watching videos about their stages. And no where in there did it say at nine months they should be attempting to walk. She really was special, a little too special—a reflection of her mom as memories of what she looked like flashed through my mind.

“I thought we could sit down over there.” Katie pointed. She didn’t wait for a response as she pushed the stroller in that direction. It was a beautiful day, but nothing new here where the sunshine shines pretty much all of the time.

I took my cell out of my pocket while following Katie.

Nothing.

Zip.

I really had nothing to do. No one needed me, not even one of my brothers. Such a strange feeling, not having any one call me and wanting me to sort out some problems. The work we’d been doing and striving for this point should have made me happy. If anything, it made me feel a little sad. Until we came to a dramatic stop and Rachel started holding on to my chain.

“She doesn’t want you to let go, nor put her down.”

I shrugged. “It’s okay, baby girl. I’ll stand for a while longer, let you take on the view, then I need to sit down. I’m not that strong.”

I winked at Katie, thinking I could stand here all day. Admiring not only the view of her body, but the twins, too. Rachel was busy looking around, and Steven sluggishly, with the help of Katie, left the stroller and decided to play with some cubes. The sounds of them hitting each other meant no more did Rachel want to be in my arms, but on the ground with her brother.

She began to wince and before I could say another word, I laid her gently next to her brother.

“I’m in big trouble when she can tell me what’s on her mind,” I whispered to Katie as I approached close to her ear.

“Sometimes,” she giggled, “when I’m with them and I enter the room, I’m tempted to ask Rachel if it’s okay to enter.”

I glanced at Rachel to see if she was watching us, but she was having a good time with her brother.

“I didn’t realize she was that bad.”

She laughed. “You have no idea.”

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