Page 5 of Unravelling The Beast

"Of course, if you live here, everything is paid for. You'll get three paid holidays every year, as well as weekends off, because Cree stays with my parents on the weekends and has done so since he was a newborn."

Before I respond, my jaw drops with surprise.

"Wow! Really? This appears to be too good to be true."

She laughs at my disbelief as she stands and then continues.

"You'll see why the pay is so high, and I pray to God you have a high tolerance for arrogance."

My eyes broaden, but I try to hide them by lowering my head. She starts walking out of the room, and as I follow closely behind her, I begin to wonder about the kids' dad.

Should I really take this job? I mean, it's a lot of money—more than I've ever worked for and what I’ve always wanted—but what if it's a living hell while I'm here? I suppose I should meet the little boy before making a final decision.

We travel up some stunning, shiny black marble stairs until we reach the top, then continue along a long, luxurious corridor until Sara eventually comes to a halt outside of a door after passing many, and she turns to me before whispering.

“Let’s see if he is awake yet.”

We exchange a smile before she slowly lowers the door handle and enters. I trail close behind her and see that the room is dimly lit with the curtains closed.

When we're all the way in, I peer around the lovely room and take it all in. It's so different from the rest of the house; it's vibrant and reminds me of my home. His bed is built like a house, with an upstairs and downstairs, a ladder, and windows, and he appears to have plenty of toy trains.

Sara whispers softly next to me, as I can't see him yet.

"Cree, sweetie, are you awake?"

As soon as she says that, a small head appears at a window quickly, and we both giggle before she speaks again.

"There you are! I've brought someone to meet you."

I try to get a better look at him from behind the little window, but all I can see is him rubbing his sleepy eyes with his small fists and yawning. I get a much better glimpse of him when he starts moving, and he is easily the most adorable little boy I have ever seen in my life.

He has sun-kissed skin and curly, longish brown hair that curls around his face, huge chocolate-brown eyes, and chubby cheeks. I can't help but be in awe of him, and my heart melts with joy.

I watch as he shuffles to the little ladder on his bottom before turning around and climbing down it like an expert.

Sara crouches down and holds her arms out wide for him as he reaches the bottom, and she whispers.

“Come meet Wren!”

He walks slowly towards Sara, his innocent, curious eyes fixed on mine. To ease his nerves, I kneel down and offer him my most trustworthy smile.

“Hey Cree, It’s really lovely to meet you!”

He returns my smile before shyly burying his face in Sara's shoulder, but she starts tickling his ribs, causing him to laugh infectiously and my insides to turn to mush.

"Wren will be here to look after you when your cousin arrives, okay?"

His focus darts to me in an instant, and he looks at me nervously before speaking to Sara.

"But, Aunt Sara, I want you."

His voice is so sweet and innocent, and as I talk gently, my eyes soften.

"Hey, I promise we're going to have a great time together. I see you like trains."

When that captures his attention, his eyes get slightly bigger with excitement, and he nods.

"Which one is your favorite? Could you show me?"

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