Before he can say anything else, I hear the soft patter of feet on floorboards. I glance up. A small figure rounds the corner and steps into the room.Teddy. He’s smaller than I remember. Brown hair. Big eyes. He clutches a Lego piece in one hand,not sparing me a glance as he walks straight past, drops to the rug, and begins arranging cars with delicate precision. Sebastian watches him closely, posture shifting. He’s straighter, tighter. Protective.
“Teddy, mate,” he says, voice softer now, “come here for a second. There’s… uh, someone I want you to meet.” Teddy pads over, looking at anything but me. “You remember my good friend Bradley? The guy I work with?”
The boy nods once.
“Well, this is his sister. Olivia.”
For a moment, there’s nothing. No reaction, nor acknowledgement. Then he looks up, just for a second, and our eyes meet. I smile gently and give a small wave. He doesn’t hold eye contact for long. Just turns, walks back to the rug, and resumes his line of Lego cars. Despite his looming presence, I walk past Sebastian and ease down onto the edge of the couch near Teddy. I rest my forearms on my knees. “Those are some solid wheels you’ve got there, champ.”
No reaction. Just another car added to the line, precisely spaced. Still, I watch him. Quietly. And there’s something beautiful about it, the way he focuses, the calm that radiates off him in waves. I glance back up at Sebastian, who hasn’t moved. There’s something in his eyes I haven’t seen before. Pride, maybe? Or fear. Or both. He steps further into the room, crouching near Teddy, picking up a small blue piece and offering it.
“This one’s next, right?” he murmurs.
Teddy doesn’t look at him either. Just takes the piece off his father and places it in the line. Sebastian stays crouched, watching. Something warm nudges at me from the inside. I don’t know Sebastian’s story. Don’t know why he’s doing this alone. But I know one thing for sure—he’s built his entire life around this little boy.
I lean forward again, trying once more. “Bet that red one’s the fastest, huh?”
Teddy adjusts the red car one millimetre closer to the rug’s edge, and without glancing toward me, he nods quickly, then continues to line the rest. Well, a nod is something, right? I settle back on the couch, letting silence fall like a blanket over the room. I try not to make it obvious how much I’m observing. My next words come out quiet, like I’m not quite ready to leave but know I have to.
“I… uh, I should get going now.”
Sebastian nods once, clearing his throat. “Yeah. Right.”
I glance back at Teddy, who is still kneeling in the middle of his Lego universe. “Bye, Teddy,” I say gently, giving him a little wave. His wide eyes dart up to mine, just for a heartbeat before they drop back to the line of cars in front of him.Baby steps.
I can sense Sebastian’s eyes on me, and when I turn, there’s this flicker in his expression, something soft, something that almost looks like… empathy. Like he gets it. How moments like that, brief and quiet and hard-won, mean more than they seem. I lift my hand in a small motion, a silent‘it’s okay’. Still, I leave the moment with a half-smile, because there’s something kind of beautiful about a kid so content in his own world. Even if I don’t get invited in just yet.
Sebastian follows me as I make my way to the door. When I stop at the threshold, I turn, and suddenly, he’s close. Too close. And now that I’m really looking—
God. Has he always been this attractive?
Strong jaw, those greenish-blue eyes, broad shoulders that fill the space like it’s built just for him. Christ.
I clear my throat. “Well, this is not how I saw my afternoon going.”
His mouth tips into something caught between amusement and resignation. “You and me both.”
I smirk. “Glad to know I’m not the only one spiralling.”
He exhales a quiet laugh. “I’m still not sure if I just made the worst decision of my life or…”
“Uh, the best, duh.” I grin, finishing for him as I step outside. “I’m also exactly what you need. I mean, I am doing you a favour.”
The words tumble out before I can stop them. Too bold, too fast.Babysitter. That’s what I meant.Obviously. Except… it doesn’t sound like that. It sounds like something else entirely. His eyes hold mine for a second too long. Then he nods, barely.
“Guess we’ll find out.”
5
Sebastian
Cold - Chris Stapleton
If you’d asked me a week ago whether Olivia Mitchell would become my son’s babysitter, I’d have laughed. Hell, I would’ve bet money against it. Yet here she is, sitting at my kitchen table, cutting Teddy’s toast into strange little shapes like it’s a sport. Like she’s always belonged there.
Which is ridiculous, because until yesterday, she didn’t. And until four days ago, there wasn’t even a job ad to respond to. Turns out, that part was all Sandra’s doing. A sneaky little move she claimed wasnecessary. “Because if I didn’t do it, no one would,” she’d said, arms crossed, eyes daring me to argue. Maybe she was right. Because I wouldn’t have thought to post a flyer on the Wattle Creek bulletin board. Hell, every other sitter I’d hired came by word of mouth. Locals. People I trusted. The only live-in nanny we’d had was Tara, and she was from a few hours out—someone I met through an old colleague who doesn’teven work at the station anymore. So, as always, Sandra took matters into her own hands.
Slappedherphone number on that flyer, which would explain the texting situation, left it vague, just enough detail to draw someone in without scaring them off. And somehow, it worked. Because Olivia Mitchell showed up at my door with worn-out boots and a look on her face like she wasn’t taking no for an answer.
