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Elation hits me, and I spring up from the chair. “That’s awesome, Han. Congrats!” I grab her and hug her.
She sighs and nods, lightly patting my back before drawing back from the contact. “The thing is that this contract would likely be for a few months, not a few days or weeks. Months.”
“Oh.” I lean back and bite my inner cheek. “When would you be leaving?”
She clasps her hands in her lap. “Within the next couple of weeks.”
“Is it safe where you’re going?” That’s of paramount importance to me. I’ve seen what’s going on over there in the news and I don’t want my child’s mother in the middle of it. I don’t want my child without a mother.
She nods. “I wouldn’t go otherwise, but yes. I’ll be far from the conflict.”
My brain quickly runs through the timing. If she’s gone for months, her absence will run into training camp and football season, a time when she would normally stay close to home because of how long my days are.
“Shit, Han, training camp is coming up.” I run a hand down my face.
Hannah cringes. “I know. I thought maybe… you could use a live-in nanny while I’m gone.” Something must cross my face because she quickly backtracks. “If you don’t like the idea, I can just decline the opportunity. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure others will come up.”
Guilt tugs in my gut. She’s spent the last six years at the mercy of my career and never once complained. She moved here to allow me to be close to my parents and play for the Kingsmen. It’s not fair for her to always sacrifice for me if I’m not willing to do the same.
“Don’t say no. I think you’re right. A live-in nanny is the best option. It’ll be weird… I’ve never had anyone help me with Theo before, but I can’t rely on my parents to always pick up the slack. And Bianca and Evan are headed back east for grad school in the fall. A nanny is our best solution.”
Having my twenty-two-year-old twin half-sibs help me out with Theo would have been ideal, but they have their own lives.
“Are you sure? God, I’ve felt so guilty about this.”
I squeeze her shoulders. “Han, don’t feel guilty. You’ve given up a lot of opportunities over the years because of my career. It’s just a few months.”
Tears pool in the corners of her eyes. “Do you think Theo will be okay with someone else watching him?”
“He’s gonna miss you, for sure. But he misses you when you’re ten minutes away. We’ll video chat with you and school will be starting soon, so he’ll be busy all day anyway.”
“I guess.” She looks down at her hands.
I cover her hands with mine. “Does he resent me when I’m away working?” I arch an eyebrow.
“No… I guess not. But you’re a football player. It’s different. He’s proud of you. He can usually watch you on the television at night and see you at work.”
“And you’re a nurse who helps people in the worst moments of their lives. I’ll make sure he knows who the real hero is out of his mom and dad.”
A small smile creases her lips. “Okay, I’ll talk to him about it tonight.”
I nod. “He’s going to be fine. I promise.” I squeeze her hands.
“I hope so.”
I retract my hand. “So for this nanny thing… what do I have to do?”
“Well… I had heard they can be hard to come by these days. So just in case you were okay with it, I already got in touch with a local agency that handles clients like yourself.” There’s that look again, the same one from when she asked me to talk.
My forehead wrinkles. “Hot, single, professional athletes with an abundance of charm and charisma?”
“No.” She gives me a stern look. “I was talking about celebrity clients. When they interview the candidates, they don’t tell them the client’s name until they’re hired. Then they have to sign an ironclad NDA. Keeps the celebrity hunters away.”
I nod. “Makes sense. So you want me to do this?” I try to hide the slight whine in my voice. I hate hiring people. I pawned off finding a gardener and house cleaner for this place on my mom.
Hannah tilts her head and presses her lips together. “I can do it if you want, but it’s not going to be me who has to live with them.”
“You just said they won’t know who they’re working for, so it’s not like I’d meet them anyway.”
