“For being you. You knew I was struggling with getting thestuff sorted even though your mom’s literally here tomorrow. Instead of getting mad at me for not having it done, you moved it to make it less urgent and you’re offering me motivation to get it done,” Rowyn said.
She would never get used to how easy everything was with Eliza. How readily she accommodated Rowyn and worked to make her comfortable and happy. How understanding she was of Rowyn’s forgetfulness, or her struggles with executive functioning, or need for reassurance. Eliza gave it without hesitation, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.
“Getting mad at you wouldn’t have gotten it done any quicker. Plus, it would be like you getting mad at me for not skipping my routines if we’ve had a long day. You know I need it to feel comfortable, and you never make me feel bad for it.”
Rowyn had come to love the reliability of Eliza’s routines, and the structure was working wonders for her too.
“I still love hearing you sayourroom. I’m honestly surprised we lasted two whole months before I moved back in, though,” Rowyn said.
Eliza gave her a look before they both began to laugh.
“If by lasted you mean you stayed over more than half the week every single week whether the kids were here or not, then sure, we did great,” Eliza deadpanned.
Rowyn shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? Clearly you can’t survive without me,” she said.
“Mm-hmm. The kids wanted you here,” Eliza replied.
“Just the kids?” Rowyn asked as she stroked Eliza’s hand gently.
“I might have bribed them to convince you to move back in. Where do you think the extra pocket money came from?” Eliza said.
Rowyn couldn’t quite tell if she was kidding, but the idea made her smile regardless.
“They’re excited for their nan to be here, but they’re going to miss having you around every day next week,” Eliza said.
“They’ll have me here every night. It could all go to hell, and I could be begging you for my job back, so…” Rowyn trailed off.
Eliza cupped Rowyn’s face in hers and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her forehead.
“You’re going to rock it. And so many kids are going to benefit because of you,” Eliza said.
Her eyes were full of adoration, and Rowyn almost cried at the love directed at her. When Rowyn had approached Eliza with the idea of training nannies, she wasn’t surprised to have been met with immediate support in that moment. Eliza had spent every day since providing a space for Rowyn to bounce ideas off along with unwavering encouragement.
Rowyn had always refused her parents’ guilt money, the inheritance set aside that was available to her at any time, but why not take something awful and put it to good use? If it could help children like her who needed it, then some healing could be found. So, she would officially begin her journey next week with her first client. When her current agency heard about her endeavour and why she was leaving, they leapt at the opportunity to be the first to secure her services.
“Henry has the kids next week, and Mom will be on hand to house-sit, so I was thinking we could celebrate your first day of work by having a night away on Monday…”
Rowyn raised her eyebrows in surprise. Her work days would be sporadic since she was self-employed and working around the agency’s needs, so she was off Tuesday and Thursday next week, but Eliza shouldn’t be.
“Don’t you have work?” Rowyn asked, excitement already building at the idea.
“I do. But I can take Tuesday morning off and work late instead, with the kids away. Plus, we won’t be going far. I canhead to the office afterward.”
“Oh, really, where might we be going, then?” Rowyn asked, already knowing the answer.
“Happen to know anywhere with terrible pink lighting and a comfortable bed?” Eliza asked playfully.
“I can think of one place. Feeling nostalgic, eh?”
Eliza hummed as she pulled Rowyn in closer and kissed her again.
“You can check in when you’re done with your client and I’ll meet you at the bar after work. We can role-play,” Eliza said.
Rowyn’s heart thumped at the idea. Pretending not to know Eliza, flirting with her, then bringing her back to her room again.
“Deal. Except we’re going to role-play a little differently this time,” Rowyn said.
She moved to straddle Eliza’s lap and kissed her again as her body lit up with desire.
