That she is. But she’s very excited to have you home. And I’m excited to show you how I kept everything together while you were gone. Other than the scaring her teacher thing. As new nannies go, I think I mostly killed it.
Lee
I’m sure you did. I’m going to have to figure out how to keep up with you.
Because you can’t stay. Despite how good it already feels to have you waiting for me with my daughter.
Stella
I’m sure you can learn. I mean, you may not be as good as me, but I’ll make sure to teach you enough to get by.
“What are you smiling at, Doc?” Adrian asked me from across the aisle. “Is it the pretty babysitter?”
“I was checking in on my daughter,” I told him, avoiding the question.
I was sure the guys would have a field day seeing thepretty babysitterwaiting for me, and I had to work on hiding how happy I already was to see her.
For the first time in hours, I welcomed thetraffic.
“All right, guys,” Silas said after the bus finally pulled up in front of Wayne Field. “Get some rest, and I’ll see you back here on Saturday.”
The team mumbled their goodbyes as they stepped off the bus. I stayed behind, pulling my bag from the overhead compartment and checking to make sure I had everything, slow enough that most of the guys would be gone by the time I got off.
Nate passed me, a small smile curving his lips as he looked back at us over his shoulder.
“Your girls are waiting for you, Doc. Better get moving.”
“They came to get you? I would have given you a ride,” Silas said, lifting the handle on his suitcase.
“Stella said they wanted to welcome me home.”
His brow creased as he hoisted one bag over his shoulder.
“So why do you look like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re dreading getting off this bus?” He winged a brow.
“Because I don’t want to get used to it,” I admitted.
“Would that be so bad?”
I groaned when the corner of his mouth twitched.
“Yes, and I’m too tired to explain why.”
Silas chuckled and shook his head at me.
“What now?”
“You know it’s okay to look forward to something, right? Or someone. Give yourself a break once in a while.”
“Right,” I said, spotting Nate crouching in front of Bennie out the window. Stella stood behind them, laughing at whatever Nate said. Her gaze drifted back and forth between him and the bus looking for me, I guessed.
She was even stunning in a T-shirt and jeans, an easykind of beautiful that had me captivated enough to stop and stare. I could sense the comfort between her and Bennie by how my daughter would turn her head while she talked to Nate, as if she wanted to make sure Stella was still there.
Again, after all these years of knowing Stella, I couldn’t understand what was stirring in me. I both wanted to run to her and hide, and neither was an option.
