She smiled widely and nodded. She stood and ran over to me, where she took my hand.
“Tea!” she chirped, pulling me to the small table in the corner of the room where she had some dolls sitting. She threw one of the dolls to the floor, so I took that as my sign to sit in the tiny chair. When I did, she shoved a tiny glass teacup into my hands. I watched as she took the matching tea pitcher and pretended to pour tea into my cup. Then I raised the cup to my lips.
I acted like the tea had burned my lip by pulling the cup away and gasping.
“Ouch! That’s hot,” I teased, making her giggle. That sound made my heart grow wings and fly from my chest. I knew I’d never be the same again. That little girl had stolen my heart in a second, and I knew I’d do anything for her. I’d love her and protect her like she were my own child because that’s exactly what she deserved. She finally had a family.
Sophia and I played pretend for the rest of the evening with Monica watching from off in the distance. We had tea, played with dolls, and moved on to coloring before bed. I didn’t have a problem getting her down, and she fell asleep before I had even finished the story I was reading. I watched her sleep for a moment, suddenly thankful that my mom had called and made me promise to try to get this job.
But it wasn’t a job.
It was everything I’d been needing.
EIGHT
ROMAN
Iwatched as she stepped out of my office and into the hallway, closing the door between us. I had that gnawing feeling that I was making a mistake, a huge mistake that I’d come to regret and hate myself for later.
But what the fuck was I supposed to do?
I needed a nanny for Sophia, and whether I liked it or not, I was out of choices. The well had run dry on the nanny front, and it was all my fault. Really, I blamed them. They all had something wrong with them. Nobody was competent anymore. I had to micromanage every aspect of their day, and I didn’t have time for that shit. The longest anyone had ever stayed was no more than a couple of months. The shortest was probably the woman who only lasted a couple of hours. I practically had to hold up a sign telling her when to breathe. I knew at some point, I’d get distracted and forget to hold up that sign, and I couldn’t have anyone dying on my property. I wasn’t getting sued.
I reminded myself of all the reasons it was a good idea to bring Sasha on.
One: I knew her, her family, and how she was raised. I knew she was intelligent and capable of handling responsibility.
Two: She was family, and Sophia needed that.
And three: She loved her. I knew that Sasha would die if it meant giving Sophia one more breath, and that’s the kind of person I wanted watching my kid. I knew it would take some adjusting, but it was all the adjustments I had planned to make for my only child.
I leaned back in my chair, my eyes finding the picture of Chloe on my desk. I’d looked at that photo a million times, but it always seemed to tell me exactly what I needed to hear. That night, I felt she was telling me I was doing the right thing. It felt as if she were saying she had sent Sasha to us in her place. I wasn’t sure how to think about that.
Chloe was always trying to push me into getting to know Sasha. She was only fourteen or so when Chloe and I bought our house. My mind drifted back to the first time she ever came over.
“I just don’t understand why you’re resisting so much when it comes to my sister,” Chloe said, leaning against my desk as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“She’s young. It’s just weird,” I told her, scooting my chair up. I put my feet on either side of hers, so she stood between my parted knees. I rested my elbows on my thighs as I leaned forward, placing my hands on her waist. She was dressed only in a bikini, a sheer cover-up on. My head fell forward, resting against her stomach.
She laced her fingers into my hair. “What does her age have to do with it?”
I looked up at her. “I don’t know… I feel like I’d be babysitting. I know she’s your little sister, but I suck with kids. And a teen kid?” I grimaced. “What the hell would I even talk to her about?”
“She’s a great kid. You’ll like her. I promise. She’s really smart. When you speak to her, I promise you won’t think she’s a dumb kid. She can actually hold a conversation that doesn’t circle social media or selfies. Promise.”
My hands slid up under her bathing suit cover and around to her ass, which I cupped and squeezed.
“I’d rather not,” I said, biting her hip.
With her hand in my hair, she pulled my head back until I was looking up at her, meeting her gaze. “Come outside with me, or you’re going to be very lonely for a very long time.” She arched her brow.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“If you think I’m saying that you won’t get any unless you do as I’m asking you, I’m saying exactly what you think I’m saying,” she teased, grinning from ear to ear.
A groan fell from my lips as I released her and fell back into my chair. I loved my girl, but I didn’t want to mess up by saying something wrong to her family. Chloe was close to her family.
I didn’t want to spend the day lounging by the pool with her parents and little sister. I had work to do. A million things needed to be done if I ever wanted my idea to turn into a real business. For a moment, I wondered how long I’d be able to last. I think she read my thoughts, because she began slowly uncovering her body with a shy smile.
