Later, as they lay tangled in each other’s arms on the bed, Sunny traced the lines of Liam’s face.
“That was…” she began. But could find no words. Mere language couldn’t do justice to what she had experienced over and over and over again in the last hour.
“I don’t even know what what was,” she said, finally, admitting defeat,
Liam just smiled at her.
“That was…” he said gently, “…my absolute pleasure,” before leaning forward and kissing her passionately.
They lay in each other’s arms for a long while.
But as Sunny slowly came down from the electrifying and disorienting sexual high, her thoughts also began to come back down to earth. The stark reality of their situation came back into focus.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” she murmured.
Liam caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm.
“Nothing worth having is,” he replied. “But we’ll make it work. For the girls, and for us.”
Sunny nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. But she also thought about the risk they were taking, the delicate balance they’d have to maintain. However, as she looked into Liam’s eyes, she saw the hope and determination flaring there. She felt the same emotions in her own heart. She could not deny it.
Liam dressed in silence. The air thick with unspoken promises and fears.
Before he left her room, he pulled her into one last embrace.
“We’re in this together,” he whispered against her hair.
“Together,” Sunny echoed, drawing strength from his words.
Sunny
The next day passed in a blur of routine tasks and stolen glances. Sunny put on an extra cheerful face for Maddie and Hailey, helping with homework set for the holidays and playing in the huge backyard. If her smiles were a bit brighter, her laughs a bit freer, the girls didn’t seem to notice. They were just happy to have their Sunny back, an anchor in their storm-tossed lives.
As she tucked the girls into bed that night, Maddie tugged on Sunny’s sleeve.
“Are you happy here with us, Sunny?” she asked, her young face serious. “We can be better. Do better. I won’t cry so much. And Hailey will clear up her mess. We promise.”
Tears stung Sunny’s eyes. These girls were no fools. They could tell something had been festering between the grown-ups. Liam’s absence at the dinner table last night spoke volumes. But they thought it was about them. That it was their fault. Sunny’s heart clenched.
She thought of the secret she now carried, the line she and Liam had crossed. But as she looked at Maddie and Hailey, their eyes heavy with tiredness but still shining with innocence and trust, she knew her next words were true.
“Yes, sweetheart. I’m very happy here with you and your sister, and your dad. You don’t have to do anything special for me.” Thoughshe quickly added: “Tidying up your mess is always appreciated, though!”
Maddie smiled widely, snuggling into her pillow.
“Good. Because we love you, Sunny,” she beamed. “You’re the best nanny ever. Don’t ever leave.”
Sunny blinked back the tears as she kissed each girl goodnight.
In the hallway, she leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths. The weight of her actions, of the secret she now shared with Liam, pressed down on her. But so did the warmth of Maddie’s words. Family. Was that what they were, in all its messy, complicated glory?
Before climbing the stairs, she stopped in the living room. She approached the mantelpiece and just stood there for a long moment. Solemn. Respectful.
“I’m not replacing you,” Sunny whispered to one of Kate’s photos. “Forgive me. I just… I don’t know what I’m doing.”
She suddenly felt foolish talking to a picture, but the guilt was palpable. Was she betraying Kate? Betraying the trust Maddie and Hailey had in her?
She sighed then turned and marched towards the stairs, her feet heavy.
