It wasn’t like we were going to tell anyone. Nobody was going to get hurt, except maybe us. But if we chose this, we couldn’t blame anyone but ourselves. Besides, we weren’t planning on things going wrong. It was just an itch we needed to get out of our systems.
And the road to hell was paved with good intentions.
Harper interlaced his fingers with mine and smiled. “What do you want to do when we get home?”
“I could do with dinner, but apart from that… I was thinking, maybe… since we’ve got the house to ourselves. Would you like to—”
“Pick up where we left off?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes,” he said, the corner of his mouth curling teasingly as his gaze raked over me, sending a shiver across my skin. “I’d like that.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Harper
My body thrummedwith anticipation as we drove back to the house, chatting about the match and swapping stories about what had happened on and off the pitch.
I told Matty about being introduced to everyone, Hannah buying me food, and Jack’s desire to consume sausage sandwiches at a rate of knots. I decided not to mention any more details of what Hannah had said about her struggles with parenting because, even though I was sure Matty knew how she felt, it didn’t feel like the right time to discuss it. But I did mention that we’d had a nice chat and how much I liked her.
“I’m glad,” Matty said. “She’s a fun person, if a little bit terrifying at times. I met her at a party in London years ago and we just sort of stuck to each other. We’ve never really had a formal relationship, but she’s one of my best friends and that helps with the whole co-parenting thing. I’m really glad you like her. And for the record, I know she likes you too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. She, er, she called me a prick when I was rude to you when Jack was sick. Told me to get my head out my arse.”
I bit my lip and looked out the window, trying really hard not to reveal I’d overheard part of that conversation. “I should say thank you.”
Matty chuckled. “You can tell her next time she calls. Just make sure I’m not in the room.”
“Don’t want her to know she was right?”
“Something like that,” he said, glancing at me with a wry smile. “It’s funny, sometimes I don’t see much of her in Jack and then he’ll do something and it’s like being face-to-face with a mini-Hannah. Like… you know when you say something he doesn’t agree with? And he gives you that withering look that says, ‘You’re ridiculous and I’m judging you’? Yeah, a hundred percent Hannah.”
I laughed because I knew exactly the expression he meant. It was one that always made me smile because Jack always looked adorable while wearing it, even if he was trying to be scathing.
“He’s getting her generosity too, and her determination. I think if he ends up with some of her skills, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with, whatever he does.”
“I think he will too,” I said. “He’s wonderful and I love him.”
“Thanks, I’m glad you do. He loves you too, in case you were wondering. He told me the other night.”
“Really?” I asked, looking over at him with wide eyes and a racing heart.
“Yeah, I tucked him in and he said, ‘Daddy, I love Harper, he is best at dancing and we watchedOld Bear.’”
My lip wobbled slightly, my eyes prickling at the edges. I loved knowing I’d gained the trust and affection of the kids I worked with because it meant I was doing something right. And since there’d been several nannies before me, I’d expected Jack to be very cautious, so knowing I’d managed to gain hisconfidence in only a few weeks was magical. It reminded me how much I loved my job and how important it was to me.
It was the reason I shouldn’t have been considering hooking up with Matty, especially knowing what was at stake.
But dammit, I wanted to be loved. I wanted romance and adoration and someone who looked at me like I was their whole world.
I didn’t know if Matty could be that person, but the way he’d respected my boundaries as we’d kissed last night… and the way he’d kept kissing me while we’d made breakfast, like he couldn’t get enough but didn’t need anything else. It nudged at the romantic, soft spot inside my heart and whispered that maybe he could be that person if I let him.
Which was probably ridiculous because how well did I really know the man?
I was letting myself dive head first into a situation which would likely end in a big fucking mess, but apparently I wasn’t going to do anything to stop myself.
