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“It's okay, Mom,” I tell her easily. “Kenna’s here with me.”
She pauses on the other line. “That’s your nanny? She’s at the hospital with you?”
“Yeah?” I say, somewhat defensively.
“That’s kind of going above and beyond, isn’t it?”
“She’s very good with the kids,” I say tightly.
“Hmm.”
I sigh. “Mom, what does that mean?”
“What does what mean?”
“That sound.”
“Hmm?”
“Yes, that one,” I say, exasperated.
“It’s nothing, Derek. Focus on Eli.”
I huff out a breath, frustrated. My mother has something to say, and she won’t say it.
“Not until you tell me what you mean.”
“They’re getting really close to her, aren’t they? They talked about her all weekend.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” my mother says. “It might be, if she’s just an employee."
“Of course she’s just an employee,” I mutter, although I’m lying to her and probably to myself. Kenna is much more than an employee, and she has been for quite some time.
“I trust you know what you’re doing, son. Tell Eli Nana loves him.”
I hang up with a deep sigh and turn back to the waiting area, where Kenna and Maggie are coloring together. She’s always so engaged with them, and it's taught me to be more engaged with them too. So many things changed just from meeting Kenna, and I don’t know how to make things right.
I’ve already ruined things with her this past weekend, but I don’t want to ruin it for my kids.
“I’ll take a turn with Maggie,” I say, and Kenna gets up a little stiffly. I frown after her, but I’m not sure what’s going on with her.
“I’ll grab some lunch for us,” I say, and Kenna nods, looking a little pale. I know she has to be hungry and exhausted, and part of me wants to tell her to go home and get some rest, but I know that she won’t leave Eli.
She heads back to be with Eli and I take Maggie to the car.
“Are yousureyou’re not going to marry Kenna?” she asks, and I groan.
“Kenna’s your nanny, Maggie.”
“So?”
“So, I can’t marry your nanny,” I tell her as I’m buckling her into her seat.
“Why not?” she asks, pouting.
“Because,” I say finally, and thank god, Maggie lets it go.
