For the Sake of Their Son (The Alpha Brotherhood #5)(22)
Author: Catherine Mann

She smiled nostalgically. “And cutting off Sharilynn’s braid. Not a nice thing to do at all, by the way.”

“She was mean to you. She deserved it.” He and Lucy Ann had been each other’s champions in those days. “But you shouldn’t have told the teacher you did it. You ended up cleaning the erasers for a week.”

“I enjoyed staying after school. And my mom didn’t do anything except laugh, then make me write an apology and do some extra chores.” She looked down at her hands twisted in her lap. “Your father wouldn’t have laughed if the school called him.”

“You’re right there.” He scooped up her hand and held on. It was getting easier and easier for them to be together again. As much as he hated revisiting the past, if it worked to bring her back into his life, he would walk over hot coals in hell for her. “You protected me every bit as much as I tried to protect you.”

“But your risk was so much higher…with your dad.” She squeezed his hand. “You did the knightly thing. That meant a lot to a scrawny girl no one noticed except to make fun of her clothes or her mom.”

He looked up at Lucy Ann quickly. Somehow he’d forgotten that part of her past. He always saw her as quietly feisty. “What elementary school boy cares about someone’s clothes?”

“True enough, I guess.” She studied him through the sweep of long eyelashes. “I never quite understood why you decided we would be friends—before we started taking the blame for each other’s transgressions.”

Why? He thought back to that time, to the day he saw her sitting at the computer station, her legs swinging, too short to reach the ground. The rest of the class was running around their desks while the teacher stepped out to speak with a parent. “You were peaceful. I wasn’t. We balanced each other out. We can have that again.”

“You’re pushing.” She tugged her hand.

He held firm. “Less than a minute ago, you told me I have the right to be mad at you.”

“And I have the right to apologize and walk away.”

Her quick retort surprised him. The Lucy Ann of the past would have been passive rather than confrontational. Like leaving for a year and having his baby. “Yeah, you’re good at that, avoiding.”

“There.” She looked up quickly. “Tell me off. Be angry. Do anything other than smile and pretend everything’s okay between us while we tour around the world like some dream couple.”

Her fire bemused him and mesmerized him. “You are the most confusing woman I have ever met.”

“Good.” She stood up quickly, tugging her camera bag back onto her shoulder. “Women have always fallen into your arms far too easily. Time to finish the tour.”

Seven

Lucy Ann swaddled her son in a fluffy towel after his bath while the nanny, Mrs. Clayworth, placed a fresh diaper and sleeper on the changing table. After the full day touring, then dinner with the nanny so Lucy Ann could get to know her better, she felt more comfortable with the woman.

Elliot’s thoughtfulness and care for their son’s future touched her. He’d charmed Mrs. Clayworth, yet asked perceptive questions. The woman appeared soft and like someone out of a Disney movie, but over the hours it became clear she was more than a stereotype. More than a résumé as a pediatric nurse. She was an avid musician and a hiker who enjoyed the world travel that came with her job. She spent her days off trekking through different local sites or attending concerts.

Lucy Ann liked the woman more and more with every minute that passed. “Mrs. Clayworth, so you really were a nanny for royalty? That had to have been exciting.”

Her eyes twinkled as she held out her arms for Eli. “You have seen my list of references. But that’s just about the parents.” She tucked Eli against her shoulder with expert hands, patting his back. “A baby doesn’t care anything about lineage or credentials. Only that he or she is dry, fed, cuddled and loved.”

“I can see clearly enough that you have a gift with babies.”

The nanny’s patience had been admirable when, just after supper, Eli cried himself purple over a bout of gas.

“I had two of my own. The child care career started once they left for the university. I used to be a pediatric nurse and while the money was good, it wasn’t enough. I had bills to pay because of my loser ex-husband, and thanks to my daughter’s connections with a blue-blooded roommate, I lucked into a career I thoroughly enjoy.”

Having lived the past months as a single mom, Lucy Ann sympathized. Except she had always had the safety net of calling Elliot. She’d had her aunt’s help, as well. What if she’d had nowhere to go and no one’s help? The thought made her stomach knot with apprehension. That didn’t mean she would stay with Elliot just because of her bills—but she certainly needed to make more concrete plans.

“I want the best for my son, too.”

“Well, as much as I like my job, you have to know the best can’t always be bought with money.”

So very true. Lucy Ann took Eli back to dress him in his teddy bear sleeper. “You remind me of my aunt.”

“I hope that’s a compliment.” She tucked the towel into the laundry chute.

“It is. Aunt Carla is my favorite relative.” Not that there was a lot of stiff competition. She traced the appliquéd teddy bear on the pj’s and thought of her aunt’s closet full of themed clothes. “She always wears these chipper seasonal T-shirts and sweatshirts. She has a thick Southern accent and deep-fries everything, including pickles. I know on the outside it sounds like the two of you are nothing alike, but on the inside, there’s a calming spirit about you both.”

“Then I will most certainly take that as a compliment, love.” She walked to the pitcher on the desk by the window and poured a glass of water. “I respect that you’re taking your time to get to know me and to see how I handle your son. Not all parents are as careful with their wee ones.”

Mrs. Clayworth placed the glass beside the ornately carved rocker thoughtfully, even though Lucy Ann hadn’t mentioned how thirsty she got when she nursed Eli. Money couldn’t buy happiness, but having extra hands sure made life easier. She snapped Eli’s sleeper up to his neck.

“I do trust Elliot’s judgment. I’ve known him all my life. We’ve relied on each other for so much.” There had been a time when she thought there was nothing he could do that would drive a wedge between them. “Except now there’s this new dynamic to adjust to with Eli. But then you probably see that all the time.”