A little boy stumbled out of his mom's car, bottom lip trembling. I bent down to his level, giving him my warmest smile. "Hey there, buddy. I'm Miss Mitchell. What's your name?"
He mumbled something inaudible, his gaze fixed on his light-up sneakers. His mom gave me a grateful look.
"First day jitters," she explained, rubbing her son's back. "He's been anxious all morning."
I nodded understandingly. Gently, I tipped the boy's chin up until he met my eyes. "I know it can be scary, starting something new. But I promise, by snack time, you'll be having so much fun you won't even remember being nervous."
A flicker of a smile crossed his face. Progress. I held out my hand. "What do you say we go check out the classroom together?"
He hesitated briefly before placing his small hand in mine. As I led him toward the building, I caught Max watching me, an approving glint in his eye.
The low rumble of an engine made me glance up from helping another boy out of a car. Nathan's truck pulled into the drop-off lane and damn if my pulse didn’t do something stupid at the sight of it. He stepped out, towering as always, and opened the passenger door. Elle jumped down, her expression unreadable.
My stomach twisted when she barely nodded at me. Great. So she didn't like me.
Nathan's gaze flicked to mine, something tightening in his jaw. His eyes lingered too long, making my breath catch.
"Morning," he said, voice gravelly.
I forced a bright, easy smile. "Morning."
Something in his gaze sharpened at that, but before he could respond, Elle muttered under her breath and walked off. I exhaled, watching her go. What the hell did I do to her?
Nathan's attention followed Elle and then returned to me. His lips parted like he wanted to say something. He didn't. Instead, he nodded and climbed back into his truck.
As he pulled away, I pressed a hand to my stomach. It was ridiculous how unsteady I felt around him. This was not happening. I shook myself mentally and got back to greeting the arriving students.
Throughout the morning, I found my thoughts drifting to Nathan's tense demeanor. Why did he seem so on edge around me? And why couldn't I stop dwelling on it?
I threw myself into the rhythm of the classroom, determined to focus on my kids. There would be time to unravel the mystery of Nathan Gallagher later. For now, I had twenty tiny humans dependingon me to guide them through this first pivotal day. And that was exactly what I intended to do.
As the day wore on, I found myself drawn to a little girl named Sophie with big brown eyes and a gentle voice. While the other kids laughed and played together, Sophie hovered at the edges of the room, observing quietly.
During free play, I knelt down beside her. "You doing okay, sweetheart?"
Sophie nodded but stayed silent, reaching for a toy and beginning to play by herself. Something about the sight made my chest tighten. I couldn't quite explain it, but being near Sophie stirred up thoughts of Faith, the baby I had lost. My stomach knotted. She would've been almost five now, likely bounding into her own kindergarten classroom.
I blinked hard, willing the memories back down into the dark corner of my mind where I kept them locked away. I couldn't dwell on that now. My students needed me to be present and focused.
The rest of the day passed in a vibrant blur of story time, silly songs, and tiny hands sticky with glue. And, oh my goodness, all the glitter. By the finalbell, I was utterly spent but content, knowing we'd made it through day one.
I gathered my things and headed out to the staff parking lot, ready to collapse into my car. But I stopped short at the sight of Nathan leaning against his truck, arms crossed, clearly waiting. For me? No, surely his daughter.
My stomach flipped, but I covered it with a smirk as I approached him. "Shouldn't you be off doing important alpha things?"
His lips twitched. "Figured I'd check in, see how the first day went."
My pulse stuttered. He had no business looking at me like that, all intense and concerned. I shrugged, keeping my tone light. "Oh, you know, the usual. Sticky fingers, nap time mutinies, the works."
Nathan huffed a small laugh. "Sounds brutal."
"Says the big bad wolf who looked like a grumpy dad at drop-off." I narrowed my eyes teasingly.
He arched an eyebrow. "Grumpy?"
"Mhmm, absolutely menacing. Terrifying, really."
His sexy, bearded smirk deepened, but there was heat simmering behind his gaze as it lingered on me. The air between us felt charged. I needed to shut this down, now.
