Page 21 of Anything But Lonely

Talia’s lips close, and she cocks her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I hired a nanny.” The lie rolls off my tongue but leaves a bad aftertaste. I don’t feel good about not telling Talia the truth—that I’ve been freaking the fuck out about having Crew on tour—but I don’t want her worrying. Especially not when she needs to be on a plane in the next few hours.

“A nanny?” she parrots. I can tell she’s curious, but the relief in the way her shoulders drop and her features soften instantly makes me feel a little better about jumping the gun with the nanny situation.

Seeing the way Talia’s body eases has me adding, “I hired her this morning. She’s a friend of one of the kids in our opening band. Her name is Emerson.”

“That’s great!” Talia says, reaching to squeeze my arm. “What a great idea, Matty. I’m so glad you’ll have help. Is she here? I’d love to meet her.”

I feel my ears heat, the lie starting to take a more physical effect on me. I rub the back of my neck with my palm. “Not yet,” I answer. “She’s from home, so she’s on her way here to meet us.”

“Has she met Crew?”

Before I can respond, her phone rings from her purse sitting on the coffee table, drawing her attention from me. It gives me a moment of reprieve to collect my thoughts and get my story straight, but I feel a prickling sensation in my fingertips, like energy that is begging to be used.

I hate the idea of lying to Talia about getting Crew a nanny, especially since I haven’t even met the one who basically talked me into giving her a chance.

Emerson.

She could be a crazed fan trying to get close to me.

Or just crazy in general.

Sure, Liam vouched for her, saying that she’s a good friend of his and would be a great fit not only for Crew but on tour. Apparently she’s been a nanny before, and she’s got a caretaker streak too. I didn’t get to ask Liam much about that before he was called away for soundcheck, but he also said she’s excited to work for me, and that thought alone made me more nervous to meet her than I already am.

No.

I’m not nervous to meet her.

I’m nervous that this will all crash and burn in my face and leave me more fucked than I was before.

“That was Daniel,” Talia says, pulling me from my thoughts. “I should probably head back to the airport.” She rolls her lips together, blinking a few times as she glances at Crew.

I nod. “For sure.”

I pull her in for a hug, wishing her luck and reminding her one more time that she has nothing to worry about.

She pulls back, her eyes damp again, and I feel my own eyes threaten to water as I watch her sit down next to Crew, pausing his movie and opening her arms for him to climb into. She tries to keep a smile on her face, even though I know leaving him is killing her.

“Mommy, are you going to the place with the chocolate bread?” Crew asks, and Talia laughs, brushing his long hair out of his eyes.

“Yes, honey, I am.”

“Will you bring me some when you come back?” he asks, looking up at her with those big blue eyes.

“Absolutely.” She pulls him in for one more hug, holding him tightly and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “I love you, Crew.”

“Love you, Mommy,” he says against her chest before sitting back and asking her to turn his movie back on.

“Chocolate bread?” I ask as I walk Talia to the door.

She smiles, sniffling as she loops her purse over her shoulder. “We went to a coffee shop yesterday, the one next to Lenny’s. And they had chocolate croissants,” she explains. “Crew wanted to try one, and he loved it. Kept saying he wanted to eat one every day.” She laughs at the memory, and my lips tug to the side. I can picture it perfectly—Crew, with chocolate all over his face, announcing that it’s the best thing he ever tasted, loud enough for the whole coffee shop to hear.

Talia continues, “So I told him I was going to the place that makes the best ones.” She reaches out to open the hotel door. “And I guess he remembered.”

“That kid of ours,” I say with a sigh, both of us turning to look at Crew. He’s gone from seated to laying down, his arms curled at his chest. He blinks slowly as he tries to stay awake, no doubt exhausted from a long day of traveling.

“Thank you, Matty,” Talia says, and my eyes meet hers. “For doing this.”