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Now, I don’t fucking know. I haven’t been with a woman in over three years, despite what tabloids and my teammates might believe. I used to be the player, until I fell in love, and then everything changed. Hayley had once been my everything, and her choice to leave me the way she did had turned my heart to stone. I wasn’t expecting betrayal of that magnitude. Not from her.
I sigh, sitting at the back of the bus. I called Mom to tell her that I’m on my way to the airport, heading to Colorado. She seemed in good spirits, and says she’s been given the green light from her doctor that she’s okay. That’s good. I won’t worry as much, knowing she’s doing better, but that won’t stop me from sending her messages to make sure she’s okay once we land.
My mind’s like a fucking mindfield right now. I don’t even know Faith, yet I’m trusting her with my kids. I never do that, not without applicants being properly vetted. I’m usually so fucking particular about who comes into their lives, which is why it took me months to hire the last nanny.
A nanny that dumped them at the arena without a second thought.
“Jeff, what’s up?” My agent is calling me, which makes me edgy. He never calls, just usually sends me a text. Calls are reserved for problems, and the way my head’s spinning out of control, I really can’t take any more bad news right now.
“Nothing. Just letting you know the nanny and your kids are in good hands. I told you I’d take care of everything.”
I smile, thinking the only thing he’s done is arrange a car to take Faith to her house to pack, then make sure they all got to the airport on time. Sure, he’d done me a favor, and I didn’t want to sound unappreciative, so I congratulate him and say, “Yes, great. Thanks. Now, I have one less thing to worry about. I appreciate it, Jeff.”
He laughs smugly. “I told you, you can count on me for anything. I’ll look out for the kids in Colorado, too. I don’t get why you’re taking them, though. Shouldn’t Darcy be in school?”
He’s right, and I should have just had him arrange to have them both taken back home to Arizona. But, I had visions of Jeff going to my parents’ house and dumping the kids there without a moment’s notice. If Mom wasn’t sick, maybe that would have flown, and my kids could be back home, attending school and being kids. But, Jeff has no experience with kids, and I
can’t trust him to look after them properly and get them to school on time. Hell, he thought Darcy was in the upper grades of school. She might have the mouth of a teenager, but she’s still only a little girl.
Maybe if Faith works out as their nanny, Darcy can get back to school. Maybe...
I’m getting ahead of myself, and getting my hopes up.
“Or, should they both be in school?” he asks, unsure.
Yeah, I made the right choice. If he can’t figure out that only Darcy should be in school, then I definitely made the right choice.
Then again, I hired Isobel, and she’d turned out to be a complete disaster, so maybe my judgment was lacking, too.
“Ferguson’s not even four yet,” I grit out.
He sounds confused. “So, what age do they start school, then?”
I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer over the phone. Besides, didn’t he go to school? How can he not know?
“Is Faith with you?” I quickly change the subject, knowing this conversation needs to come to an end. I shouldn’t be giving him a lesson on when kids start school.
And I shouldn’t have kissed Faith. Damn it, my mind keeps coming back to that. She’s looking after my kids, and I don’t even know her. What is it about her that makes me put my trust in her without knowing a damn thing about her?
“She’s right here. Talk to her. I’m just waiting for you guys to arrive.”
I smile, thinking that I’m sure he’s waiting for us, and not patiently. When I was going through my rough patch, and no other agent would touch me, Jeff was there by my side. But, there are some things that he’s a bit out of touch about, and being in close proximity of children for any length of time just happens to be one of them.
“Tristan, we’re all here. I have my passport, and the kids do, too. You don’t have to worry about a thing.” I can almost feel her beaming at me through the phone line. It’s as if her voice soothes me. I can’t say a fucking thing as I lean against the side of the bus, and it’s loud because nearly everyone’s getting off the bus to go into the airport.
“Tristan?”
“Sorry, Faith. Yes, we’re getting off the bus now. I know I don’t need to worry about a thing. The kids are in good hands now.”
“Well, better than Isobel’s, anyway,” she chuckles wryly.
I reply, “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about finding them stranded at the airport somewhere.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isobel left them at a concession stand. Imagine if she’d been at the airport, not the arena.”
She sounded guarded. “I wouldn’t do something like that. It’s just a horrible thought. Besides, Darcy, Ferguson, and I are going to get along just fine.”
