Immediately, the sisters began arguing over which team Sunny should join. She let them negotiate adorably, all too aware of Liam’s assessing presence in the background.
“As fun as this looks…” Liam’s deep voice cut through the squabbling. “I need you girls to be on your best behavior while I finish up with Miss Sunny.”
There were pouts and protests until Sunny smoothly redirected their attention with a made-up word game. Liam watched intently, that furrow etched between his brows. Sunny stole occasional glances at him, sensing his longing to connect more deeply with his girls, but grief seemed to trip him up. He appeared distant and unsure, almost like he didn’t belong here.
After a while, they left the playroom, and Liam paused in the hallway, seeming to come to a decision.
“I must admit, you handled that better than most,” he said.
“They’re sweethearts,” Sunny replied honestly.
Feeling slightly emotional after meeting the two motherless girls, she voiced her feelings.
“Just two little girls who lost their mom way too soon. I can only imagine how much they’re hurting… and how much you are, too,” she ventured.
Liam’s jaw tensed, and he folded his arms across his wide chest.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, Miss Thompson,” he stated flatly. “My priority is making sure my kids have the care they need, not finding a replacement for their mother or anything else. This is strictly a formal arrangement.”
Sunny felt slapped by his words, heat rising to her cheeks. What had she done? From Liam’s frosty reaction, it was clear she had overstepped. He had taken her words the wrong way, and she had probably blown her chances at the position.
“Mr Anderson…” She leveled her gaze firmly, though she was quaking inside. “I don’t have any agenda besides providing those little girls with a safe and positive environment.”
She had to think quickly to salvage her chances. Still feeling raw, it colored her words.
“I have no intention of replacing their mother,” she continued. “You can hire me or not; that’s entirely your prerogative. But when it comes to children, I don’t do things halfway. There are no formal arrangements in caring for kids. In my experience, that’s not how human relationships work.”
Now it was Liam’s turn to look taken aback. He studied her for a long moment with those smoldering eyes, and some of the wariness in their depths seemed to recede before he exhaled.
“Alright then,” he said. “Let’s give this a trial and see how it goes. We’ll evaluate in a month’s time whether it’s a good fit.”
Sunny beamed, unable to contain her excitement after meetingMaddie and Hailey.
“Thank you, sir. I promise you won’t regret this,” she replied.
She had no idea why she had just called him ‘sir,’ but at this point, she didn’t care.
“Then don’t make me regret it,” he said simply, adding a half-smile to show he wasn’t entirely serious.
“Your room will be upstairs. The family quarters are down here.”
Sunny nodded.
It was a lot to take in. One part of her was wary of Liam’s terseness and icy exterior, but another part wondered if she could bring some light back into this broken family.
Sunny
“Okay, ladies! Who’s ready for muffins?” Sunny called in a singsong voice as she glided across the spacious kitchen, pulling a tray of fresh blueberry muffins from the enormous oven.
She was met with two blank stares from Maddie and Hailey, who were still in their pajamas with hair tousled from sleep. It was the school holidays, so they had slept in.
Undeterred, Sunny set the tray down with a flourish.
“Who wants to be my first official taste-tester?”
Hailey immediately thrust her hand into the tray, grabbing a fistful of muffin.
Sunny laughed and gently guided her back.
