Page 25 of Nanny for the Damaged Ex-SEAL

I laugh. "No. But it's someone you like. It's a new nanny. Someone who'll take care of you like Dani did."

His eyes pop wide open like a cartoon character. He’s undoubtedly curious.

"It's Aria."

His eyes grow even larger. "Aria?"

"Yes, she'll be taking care of you from now on."

He starts to bounce in his chair. Just the reaction I expected. The traffic starts to move again, but then a car blocks me.

"Oh, come on. Get out of the way," I yell at the driver and toot my horn at him.

"Come on. Please, move out of the way. I want to go and see Aria," Ethan chirps in.

When we get home, Ethan bounces in his booster seat impatiently, waiting for me to come undo his belt. The second he’s freed, he jumps out of the chair and bolts inside. I shake my head and grab his bag, then shut the door. When I walk in, he's screaming her name downstairs. Aria appears upstairs and runs down to meet him. She squats and he shoots into her arms.

"Aria! Are you staying here now?"

She nods. "Yes, I am."

"I will see you every day when I wake up?"

"Yes, you will, and when you go to bed."

He broadens his eyes. "Daddy, Aria said she's staying here!"

"She is, bud."

He starts to jump up and down. "Yes. Yes. Yes." Then he hugs her again.

"Are you hungry?" she asks him.

"Not really. I ate lunch and I ate four snacks," he says and laughs.

"Four. Wow. That's impressive."

"Yes, four. Ashlyn said I couldn't eat that much, but I did."

"Who's Ashlyn?"

"His girlfriend," I say as I put his bag on the dining table.

"No, Daddy. She’s myfriend."

I squint my eyes at him.

He puts his lips to Aria’s ear. "Daddy is lying." He says in his best whispery voice, then he giggles.

She nods and takes his hand and they go upstairs.

I’m relieved. I feel like I can trust her with him. I know that she'll do a good job at taking care of him. And they genuinely like each other. But I still cannot forget that she's my employee and I'll have to be firm with her. She's the type to get rude when you're too soft. My experience with her from years ago made that clear. So yes, I'll have to be firm. I'll have to let her know I'm in charge here.

Chapter 9

Aria

MyfirstmorningatConnor's house conjures up a mix of feelings. I'm anxious, but also relieved. I'm glad to have a job now, but last night before falling asleep I lay with my eyes open, thinking about what this could mean for me. Will Connor and I be able to put our differences aside? Will he be polite to me? If he isn't polite, will I be able to leave now that Ethan's excited about my stay? Gosh, the elated look on his face yesterday was too precious. I'd hate to ruin that. It won’t be easy to leave if things don't work out. I'm not worried about Ethan and me, we’re two peas in a pod. What concerns me is Connor. But he seemed okay yesterday. Maybe with time he'll warm up and those old, negative feelings toward me will dissipate. I don't have any negative feelings toward him. I'll gladly let all of that go for Ethan's sake.

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