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“Do you need anything?” Alex asks, already getting to her feet. “Ice or something?”
I purse my lips as I walk into the living room, plopping unceremoniously down on the other couch by the window, fully aware of Alex’s gaze on me. “You don’t need to get me anything.”
“Icing it will help,” Alex says decidedly, and before I even have a chance of protesting, she is already heading into the kitchen.
I huff out a breath, tilting my head back and rubbing a hand down my face. Vaguely, I can hear her rummaging in the kitchen, and moments later she is coming back into the living room, wrapping an ice pack up in a clean, thin hand towel as she approaches me.
“Shouldn’t you elevate your foot?” she asks, eyebrows furrowing together as she comes to a stop in front of me.
I raise an eyebrow, my gaze fixed with hers as I grab one of the couch cushions and place it on the coffee table in front of me, before lifting my wrapped-up foot and resting it on the cushion. “Happy?” I ask, one corner of my mouth quirking up.
She shoots me a close-mouthed grin as she holds the ice pack out to me. “Super thrilled,” Alex nods, that smile remaining. Her gaze slides over to the crutch that I have leaning against the couch. A knowing look crosses her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching as she asks, “You’re totally hating the crutch, aren’t you?”
I lean forward and rest the ice pack against my ankle. Arching a brow, I ask dryly, “Is it that obvious?”
Alex laughs lightly. “You look like you wanna throw it out the window.”
“It’s not my favorite thing,” I say, jaw working as I look at the thing. I grab the remote and turn the TV on, flipping through the channels until it lands onInceptionjust starting.
“Oh, I love this movie,” Alex whispers excitedly while gazing at the TV.
I glance up at her before gesturing to the couch. “You’re welcome to join me.”
She looks at me for a moment, and I have to look away to stop myself from enjoying the sight of her chewing on her lower lip before she moves to go sit on the same couch she had been sitting on before. Not on the one that I am sitting on. A safe distance between us—which is good. Which is what is right. Even if I find myself wanting to close the gap.
We watch the movie, the baby monitor sitting on the coffee table that shows a sleeping Lilah. Despite being into the movie, I find my eyes repeatedly sliding over to where Alex is sitting, almost as if I am waiting for her to get up and go into the guest house, calling it a night. Even though I invited her to watch the movie with me, I didn’t expect her to take me up on the offer. She usually makes herself scarce when I come back from a game and Lilah is already in bed, no matter the time I return. Whether I return home right after a game is over and all of the post-game interviews are done, or if I come back later in the night because I decided to go out with the guys for drinks.
This is the first time she has stayed. I don’t mind it.
Fifty minutes into the movie, a noise comes from the baby monitor, and Alex sits up as my own gaze goes to the smaller screen. Lilah is waking up and I can hear her soft cries coming from the device. I hate that this is happening to her, disrupting her sleep once or twice in the night when she wakes up crying, like she’s a newborn baby all over again.
I watch as she sits up in her bed, my chest tightening, and Alex looks to me. “I’ll get her,” she reassures, already up on her feet.
I push myself to sit straighter. “I can—”
“I know you can,” Alex says gently, a soft smile gracing her heart shaped face. “But you also need to rest that foot. Don’t worry—this is what I’m here for.”
My jaw clenches in acquiescence, and I watch as Alex walks out of the living room and heads up the stairs, her footsteps too soft for me to hear. Leaning forward, I turn the baby monitor my way so I can see the screen better, and in less than thirty seconds, I see and hear Alex enter Lilah’s room.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she softly greets, sitting on Lilah’s bedside. The device in Lilah’s bedroom is placed on a shelf, so it provides a full view of Lilah in her bed. Alex brushes Lilah’s hair back before wiping her cheeks. “It’s okay, I’m here. You’re okay.”
Tightness forms right in the middle of my chest at the sight of them, watching Lilah climb into Alex’s arms without any hesitation, burying her face in Alex’s chest. Alex instantly wraps her arms around Lilah’s small frame, holding her closely. I can’t hear what she’s saying, but I can recognize the soothing tone she speaks in, probably murmuring comforting words to my daughter to calm her down.
Alex gently rocks Lilah back and forth, rubbing her back as Lilah’s cries quiet down slowly but surely. The tightness in my chest eases the longer I watch them. For the length of time Alex has worked for us, I have seen plenty of instances where she is a comforting source for Lilah, as a nanny should be, in my opinion. And each instance, it warms me to see someone be in Lilah’s corner who isn’t me or Andrea.
The movie plays forgotten on the TV, my attention on the smaller screen as I watch Alex rock Lilah back to sleep. Jesus fucking Christ—it’s endearing as hell.
Minutes later, Lilah has fallen asleep. Alex carefully puts her back into bed, tucking Lilah back in under her blanket. She kisses Lilah’s forehead before getting up and walking out of the frame, exiting the room. Moments later, Alex is coming down the stairs and returning to the living room, and as soon as she does, I look up at her and exhale roughly.
“Thank you,” I say, capturing her attention. I see a flicker of confusion on her face before clarifying, “You’re good with her.”
Realization dawns and Alex offers me one of those brilliant smiles, shrugging modestly. “It’s what I’m here for.”
Right. And I’d do well to remember that.
6
ALEX
