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A slow smile curled his lips.
“What?” I asked.
“I will neither confirm nor deny that a sort-of secret subsidiary of my main company has developed two new games in the last year. They’re both doing great, but the one hit so hard I’m in negotiations with a movie studio for a film adaptation.”
“Holy crap, Luca!”
“Right?” he laughed. “I never would have dreamed this. What about you?”
“No one’s making movies about my work.”
“It’s important work, though. Did you always want to be a nanny?”
My tongue dampened my bottom lip as I took a moment. “No, not really. But I kind of fell into it. I was always babysitting during high school and even into college. So when it came to courses, it was just a no-brainer to do early child development. I started working part-time for Care-Co when I was twenty, then full-time once I graduated. And the rest is history.”
I didn’t need to go into the details of nannying only being a stop along the way of my life. It wasn’t my ultimate goal, which was old-school traditional and undervalued. I wanted a family of my own someday, and once I settled down, I wouldn’t work as a nanny anymore. I’d use the other part of my degree, a minor in accounting to do bookkeeping.
Chances weren’t high that I’d ever get married and have children of my own, though. With working as a live-in nanny for the past few years, I didn’t date much. It didn’t leave much time to find Mr. Right.
If I were truthful, Mr.Right Here In This Kitcheninterested me way too much for my own good. That wouldn’t lead me anywhere but to the unemployment office.
“Well, falling into it or not, you’re good at what you do. Actually, that’s an understatement. You’re a miracle.”
My cheeks warmed at his praise as a golden glow seemed to expand in my chest then wrap around me in a warm blanket.
No, Em, this is bad bad bad. Don’t fall for this crush on him. Don’t do it!
Suddenly, I had a new goal: not falling for this sexy, grownup version of the boy I’d crushed on so hard as a teen.
Hiding behind my cup, I took a sip of my coffee that had started to cool while we talked. “I should probably go get Noa’s clothes into the washer before she wakes up.”
He nodded. “Go ahead and leave her monitor here. I’ll listen for the squid.”
That was another thing about him. Luca never just dropped all the parenting on me. While he’d stopped me the first few times I’d tried to sneak away during his time with his daughter, it wasn’t to make me take care of Noa. He just wanted me around. He’d absorbed everything I did, watching, learning, implementing, but he also included me.
Like I was family.
Without knowing it, he gave me the very thing I wanted deep, deep in my heart, even though that could never happen with him. Belonging.
Five
Luca
My life had always been gaming then my business. I chose technology over human. Except for my best friend, Noland, who’d passed away far too young last year. He’d been one of therealpeople in my life, someone I’d let inside my tight circle.
Even with Noa coming along, my existence had been lonely. Busy. Overwhelming. But lonely, nonetheless.
Then came Em.
I was still trying to figure her out. In the few weeks since she’d come to us, we’d grown closer, taking time to chat during Noa’s naps, spending time together in the evenings, cooking, watching movies or even a couple times gaming.
She was more than Squid’s nanny; she was my…friend.
My brain protested at the word, trying to insist she was more. I wanted her. Craved her. I’d desired her since the day I’d opened the door to see the gorgeous angel on my doorstep. Every day, just proved Em was mine, but I couldn’t figure out how to take the next step into her orbit without beingthatskeevy dad.
There was nothing repellent about my desire for her. I didn’t want a hookup with a convenient woman. I just wanted Em in whatever way I could have or keep her. Which meant I’d walked a really fine line since she’d gotten here.
And I’d taken myself in hand more times than I had as a teen boy who’d just discovered what girls did to his dick.
