“Daddy, I’m hungry!” Lilah's voice carries from inside, effectively cutting through the tension filled air and breaking the spell.
Ivy and I wrench ourselves apart, and I practically throw my body to get away from her. I clear my throat and look at the ground, refusing to meet her eyes.
“Nice to meet you, hungry. I’m Daddy,” I call over my shoulder, running my hand through my hair with an uncomfortable laugh.
It’s quiet for a beat, but then Ivy speaks. “Hey,” she starts softly, but I cut her off.
“Have a good night, Ivy.” I give her a sharp nod, briefly meeting her stare, not giving her a chance to say anything.
My ability to keep my hands to myself is pretty much non-existent at this point and she needs to leave. If she lingers, I’ll do something crazy like grab her again or kiss her. Both are very bad ideas.
To my surprise, sherolls her eyesat me. I’ve seen glimpses of her attitude. It peeks through even when she thinks she’s being polite or professional. I shouldn’t like it as much as I do.
“Bye,” she mutters, then stalks off to her car.
I wait until she’s inside with the engine running, and pulling away before I close the front door.
Way to maintain boundaries, idiot.
That was my one and only slip-up. I absolutely cannot allow myself to cross that line. No touching Ivy in any capacity. No lingering hugs. No thinking about the way her eyes flared when I held her, or the blush on her cheeks and neck. No remembering how her plush lips parted, or her bratty fucking eyeroll.
Fuck.
Now I’m picturing what those lips would look like wrapped around my–
“Daddy!” Lilah yells in a singsong voice, pulling me out of my spiral.
I shake my head and let out a deep breath, refocusing on my daughter who has left her Play-Doh behind and is now climbing on the coffee table in the living room. No more daydreaming about the nanny. Sheis here to take care of Lilah and that is it. End of discussion. I won’t fuck that up.
“Deilah Mae, get down please. You’ll hurt yourself,” I say as I pass by her, heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
“Okay!” she chirps, then cannonballs off the coffee table, and onto the couch.
Well, she did what I asked.
————
I roasted some chicken, potatoes, and broccolini for dinner. Lilah only ate the potatoes, but ate two helpings, so I’ll call it a win. I do my best to make meals we can both eat, but I also won’t send her to bed on an empty stomach.
Seated on the floor, leaning back against the side of her bed, I watch Lilah scan her low mounted book shelf for a book to read. She squats low, contemplating all her options. Eventually, she makes her choice and hops into her bed. She snuggles close under the covers, and rests her head partly on my shoulder like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Daddy,” she yawns.
“Yeah, bug?”
“When is Monday?”
“In three sleeps,” I explain in her logic.
“Okay. Three sleeps until Iby,” she whispers.
It only takes four pages of her book to hear her soft snores. I kiss her head goodnight, then quietly stand, turning off her bedroom light and turning on her nightlight, casting colored stars around the room, before closing the door behind me.
The chaos of dinner and bedtime gave my mind a short reprieve from all things Ivy and our exchange on the porch. Now that I’m alone and the house is quiet, it hits me like a damn freight train. I wonder if she made it home safe. As much as I try not to, I can’t help but wonder what she’s doing right now.
My phone buzzes with a text, and I see Sophie’s name on the screen.
Sophie:Hi :) How are you and my perfect angel niece? How’s it been going with Ivy? Sorry this is the first I’m checking in, work has been crazy.
