Page 18 of Only You

Olivia nodded again, and Andrew breathed a sigh of relief.

“Skylar stood up for me,” she said. “But Timmy ignored her. She’s okay and allowed in the group because she has a mummy and a daddy. She has two daddies and two mummies, even if one is in heaven.”

“You have a mummy,” Andrew’s mum dropped in.

Olivia turned on her, her face a hard mask. Andrew had never seen Olivia this angry.

“No, I don’t. She left me and my daddy. She didn’t want me.”

With that, Olivia descended into floods of tears. Andrew rocked her while she sobbed. He knew there was nothing he could say to make this better. Olivia’s mum had deserted them both. She’d never wanted children, and when a stomach bug had caused her birth control to fail, she’d made it perfectly clear it was her or the baby. When Eva had wanted to put the baby up for adoption, Andrew was horrified. He wondered who the hell he’d married. He still couldn’t understand it. After Olivia had been born, Eva had held her in her arms. Andrew thought he’d seen her soften, but then as her parents had arrived, she had hardened, handing over their newborn and telling him to get out of her sight. Her father had stepped in front of him, blocking his view. Andrew had taken their daughter and left. He chose his daughter and would make the same choice every time.

Olivia cried herself to sleep on Andrew’s chest. Both of his parents looked as distressed as he was.

“That’s it, we’re not going,” his mum stated.

“Yes, you are!” Andrew replied. “I have several interviews lined up for a potential nanny. The positions are live-in. If everything works out….” Andrew sighed, his eyes locking on his daughter. “Maybe I can do what you have nagged me to do for years. Get out there and find a partner. Find Olivia a mummy.”

Andrew’s dad moved forward and placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder, stopping her from saying any more. They all sat in silence, no one taking their eyes off the sleeping child. Andrew stood up, Olivia in his arms. He needed to get her home and into bed.

“I will speak to Mrs Grant and let her know what is going on. She’ll be able to monitor Olivia and ensure that Timmy understands the consequences of his actions.”

Andrew carried his exhausted daughter to the car. Placing her in her seat and strapping her in. His mother came up behind him, a boxed dinner in hand.

“Your supper,” she said, pulling him down and into a hug. “I love you, honey, both you and that little girl. Let me know if there is anything I can do for either of you.”

“You can go to Australia and have an amazing time,” Andrew said, hugging her back before turning and hugging his dad.

“Thank you, Dad. I’m not sure how you did it, but you got through to her. At least now I know what I’m up against.”

“I’m just glad we’ve uncovered what has happened. She’s a precious little girl, and I don’t like to see her hurting,” Andrew’s dad said.

Andrew could only nod, his throat thick with emotion. His dad gripped his shoulder, squeezing it as Andrew slid into the driver’s seat. As he pulled out of their drive, he looked in the mirror at his daughter’s sleeping form. He had thought he was doing the right thing, protecting Olivia from other women and potential relationships. Had he been wrong? He had to admit he had met no one he wanted in his life. Maybe if he had, he’d have acted differently. Was that a by-product of his and Eva’s relationship?

Andrew sighed as he focused on the road ahead. It was obvious things were going to need to change. His mission of finding new childcare would hopefully take care of one issue.

Chapter Eleven

Andrew

Andrew had finished work early to ensure he was home in plenty of time to prep for the interviews. Four of the women the agency had contacted had responded positively to the position, and they had also provided details of two more suitable for the job. Andrew had explained the situation to Olivia at breakfast, and she had been excited. Her strong bond with Nanny Bea being a positive incentive.

Andrew had picked Olivia up straight after school. After a lunchtime telephone conversation with Laura, he knew that the issue between Timmy and Olivia was being dealt with. Laura had apologised that she had missed the interaction. Andrew had reminded her she was a teacher, not Superwoman. Olivia, however, was much happier when he collected her, which Andrew saw as a positive start.

Olivia’s face lit up when the first knock on the door happened five minutes before schedule. Andrew took both things as a positive sign.

Three hours later, Andrew was about ready to pull his hair out. The first lady had been the same age as Nanny Bea. Andrew had seen that as a positive on her CV, as Olivia had loved Nanny Bea. The only problem was she had turned up, not like Mary Poppins, but more like a character from a Roald Dahl novel... and not one of the nice ones! Olivia had taken one look at her, given him a wide-eyed stare and ran off to hide in her room.

The second nanny had arrived late, with a weak apology. She had busied herself looking around and started making demands. Another resounding no.

The third had been too giddy for Andrew’s taste. He found his heckles rising after being in her presence for five minutes. The thought of sharing his home with her made him feel sick. Even though Olivia seemed to like her. Andrew was not sure. Even with her living in the basement, he couldn’t stand it.

The interviews got worse, not better. When they saw the last one out, Olivia covered her eyes and collapsed back onto the sofa with a dramatic sigh. “Well, that didn’t go very well,” she said, sounding very like her grandmother.

Andrew tried hard not to laugh, instead, he rubbed his hand over his mouth. “There are lots more on the list. We have three weeks to find someone. We have time to find the perfect person.”

He only hoped he wasn’t setting himself up for a fall.

Olivia leant forward and patted his knee. “It will all work out, Daddy. Have faith. Someone will turn up.”

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