AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes!” Libby beamed. “I set up my American Girls dolls, and I made your bed this morning to make sure it was fresh and clean for you. And I made sure our bathroom was all clean and fresh, too.”
“Wow, you’ve been busy,” Erin said. “And you did all that for me? You make me feel so spoiled.”
“Dad says you and I are going to share the bathroom, and I wanted you to be comfortable. Since you’re going to be here for a long time, I figured I better get it clean.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Erin said. “Good morning, Neils, I appreciate you picking me up again.”
“I wouldn’t make you take a cab back to our place,” I said. “How was the flight?”
“It was alright, not as fast as the other day, if you noticed. I wish there was a way for me to text you from the air so I could let you know I was running a little late.”
“It’s alright, we don’t have much going on today besides coming to pick you up, so you could take all the time you wanted.”
“If I had my way, I would have been here an hour ago,” she said. “But I like flying, so I guess it wasn’t too bad. Not too much to complain about.”
“How’s your old man?” I asked.
“He’s okay,” she said. “He dropped me off at the airport this morning, but I think he was faking a bit of the emotion he showed. I’m pretty sure he was more than a little thrilled to be seeing me off for a few months.”
“No, I’m sure he hates watching you leave again,” I told her.
“I don’t know about that. Just you wait until you and I live together for a few months. You’re going to be glad when it’s time for me to go, too,” she said.
I laughed. “Should I have interviewed you a little closer before letting you move in with us?”
“Might have been the smart thing to do. But it’s too late now. You already emailed me the contract, and I signed, so you’re stuck with me for a while now,” she said with a wink.
God, she was so fucking hot, and when she did little things like that it made my body react in a way I wished it wouldn’t. I had to remind myself that she was way too young for me, and she was here to care for Libby, that was all.
“I want you to stay forever,” Libby said. “Don’t ever ever leave.”
Erin laughed. “Are you sure? I think you might start to want to have your house back after a while, but you know what? I don’t want to talk about leaving right now. I just got here, and I want to talk about all the fun things you and I are going to do while I am here. Your dad already said there are tons of things to do around your house, and I bet you we can go exploring, too.”
“I can’t wait to show you around the town,” Libby said. “There are so many fun things to see. And you’re going to love the ice cream. I want you to take me to get ice cream.”
“I love ice cream,” Erin said. “Right now?”
“No, silly. We have to go back home now. Dad said you’re going to be tired after your trip today, so I can’t be too wild. But if you want me to, I’ll help you with your unpacking and make sure all your stuff is where you want it. I made room for you in the bathroom to keep your things if you want to keep them in there with me.”
“Are you sure?” Erin asked. “I don’t want to take up your space if you’re all set up in there.”
“I made room,” Libby said.
We were heading to the Jeep now, Libby pulling Erin’s hand as I followed with her bags. Erin was doing what she could not to be dragged along, while at the same time keeping the same pace as I myself was. Thankfully, with my long legs, I didn’t have to try very hard to keep up with the shorter strides of my daughter.
“She has been talking about you coming back here all week,” I explained. “I told her you were going to do what made you comfortable, but she could move some things around if she wanted to.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m pretty easygoing, and I want this to be a fun time.”
“It’s going to be so much fun. I think you’re going to have a blast,” Libby said. “I even wrote down a list of things you and I are going to go out and do together. Dad works so much, you’re never going to see him, so it’s going to be you and I all the time.”
“That’s going to be fun, like a girl’s day that just keeps going on and on,” Erin said with a smile. “We don’t have to worry about putting it all in one day because we can go back and do more again the next day. And the next day.”
“And the next and the next!” Libby chimed.
“I do work quite a bit,” I said. “I was able to hang out with the two of you last weekend, but now that you’re here and able to take care of Libby where she needs, you’re not going to see me as often. I’m going to try to be a little more responsible with how much time I spend locked in my office, but for the most part, she’s right, it’s going to be the two of you.”
“I’m okay with that,’ Erin said. “I can cook as well as clean, so if you want to focus on work, I don’t mind making enough dinner for everyone and dropping it off in your office. If I’m able to start writing the way I want to, I’m going to hire someone who can do all the legwork around my house, so I don’t have to ever worry about anything but my writing.”
