Page 20 of Unharmed

All of my fears about how I was going to get through the next few months while my mom was recovering had dissipated.

Surprisingly, that wasn’t all.

Those worries were all replaced by an overwhelming sense of confidence. Lamise wasn’t only going to be a woman who’d be able to prevent Rhys from having to go to daycare, but she was also going to be the reason Rhys thrived.

In just those first few minutes, I was confident she was going to be more than just someone who would look out for his physical well-being. I was convinced she’d do what she could to stimulate his mind.

God, I was relieved.

And my mom had nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, she still hadn’t said anything, so I called, “Mom?”

“Yeah?”

“I promise I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think she was capable of caring for him the way you or I would,” I assured her.

She jerked her chin down slightly and said, “I know. I trust you.”

Before I could say another word, a gentle knock came at the door. My brows shot up as my mom’s eyes came to mine. “Looks like she’s here.”

Holding her arms out, my mom said, “I’ll take him while you let her in.”

After placing Rhys in my mom’s arms, I moved to the door and opened it. That was when I wished I would have held on to my son, because now neither one of us had the ability to focus on anything other than each other. And I’d have been lying if I said it was easy to look at Lamise and not be affected.

I hated that.

Because she wasn’t Violet.

A smarter man might have recognized that fact and not put himself in the position to have to feel that guilt. Or maybe on the surface, it would seem smart. The truth was, after seeing the way Lamise was with my son, I’d be nothing more than a selfish man if I didn’t hire her as his nanny.

I was a father now, and my son’s needs had to come before anything that would make me feel better.

“Hi, Lamise,” I greeted her, pushing any feelings of discomfort to the back of my mind.

Lamise smiled in return, a smile that was friendly enough but didn’t light up her whole face. “Good morning, Banks. I hope I’m not too early.”

I shook my head and stepped back. “Not at all. You’ve got perfect timing.”

As she stepped inside, she asked, “Is he awake?”

“He is. He’s in the other room with my mom.”

Once I closed the door behind her, Lamise shared, “I have to admit, I did a lot of thinking about your little guy this weekend. He’s just too adorable.”

Just like that.

Lamise was quickly reminding me why she was the best choice to be his nanny.

Of course, I realized she could have been a crazed woman with the ability to bring him harm, but I believed the chance of that being the case was slim.

“Thanks. Come on in, and I’ll introduce you to my mom,” I urged her.

Lamise fell into step beside me as we made our way back to the family room, where my mom was caught up in playing with Rhys. The moment we entered the room, my mom’s eyes came in our direction while Rhys continued to play with the toys in front of him.

“Mom, I’d like you to meet Lamise Kelly. Lamise, this is my mom, Robin Huntington.”

My mom moved to stand, but Lamise rushed forward and insisted, “Oh, don’t get up for me, Mrs. Huntington. I’m happy to get down on the ground with both of you.”

Shock and surprise washed over my mom’s face. She sat back down again and stared at Lamise for a few moments before she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Lamise. And please, call me Robin.”

---