I crouch down beside Tate’s desk and raise my voice slightly while speaking to him. “Bullying is never okay, under any circumstances, you understand that, right?” I want to make sure he knows but also that all the other children here realize it too. “I meant what I said. I will be here every single day, Tate. I will make sure you are safe. I promise you. I will not let this continue.”
He has gone a little pale. When he moves, he is so fast, I almost don’t see him when he barrels into me for a hug.
I kiss his head and whisper, “Everything’s going to be fine. I promise you.”
Peering around the room, I spot Dex by the door. His face is bright red, hands clenched into fists. We make eye contact and have a whole conversation without ever really saying a word.
“I’m going to go to the office now to fix this. I’ll be back to pick you up today so I can check-in. Are you going to be alright?”
Tate gives me a small smile and pulls away. He doesn’t make eye contact with anyone, but he pulls out a folder that says ‘morning work’ and gets to the task.
I stand up and glare at Mrs. Williams, then follow her to the office with Dex guiding me by the elbow. The way he is hanging on to me, I briefly wonder if I’m the one about to get into trouble.
The ride home from Tate’s school is quiet, both girls have fallen asleep in their car seats. Dexter, having lost his temper in the meeting with the principal and Mrs. Williams, seems to be lost in thought as he pulls the car up to the house and turns off the engine. Slowly, he turns to me with a pained expression.
“I had no idea. I’m his father, and I had no idea this was going on for so long.” He has tears in his eyes.
During the meeting, we found out that Jake had been tormenting Tate and a few other children all year. Mrs. Williams did the best she could to keep them all separated but couldn’t always succeed. It turns out Jake’s father is also a bully. He has been called into the school numerous times before he started threatening Mrs. Williams.
“Tate is a smart kid. He probably didn’t want you to know. Listen, part of me feels bad for his teacher, but a bigger part feels like the suspension is justified. She is tasked with keeping children safe in her care, and she failed. As for Jake and his dad? All I can say is Karma. US Senator or not, Karma has a way of catching up.”
As the story unfolded in the school office today, I saw so many expressions cross Dexter’s face. Luckily, Jake and his father were not present because I think Dexter would have ended up in jail.
I gently place a hand on his. “There are several reasons you didn’t know, but you do now. How we handle it now is what matters.”
“How am I supposed to go to London? I can’t leave him now. I’ve already failed him so much.” Dex’s voice breaks and he looks away.
“I meant what I said to Tate today. I am here now. I promised him I would make sure he is alright and I will make good on that promise, you can trust me. We will fix this together. Isn’t this trip something you can’t put off? It’s imperative for your company, right? You said it has to be successful so you can continue to provide for your family and employees. Not to mention, continue to pay me,” I say with humor in my voice.
He cracks a smile but silently agrees with me.
“Well, then let me do what you’re paying me the big bucks for. You take care of what you have to do and trust me to handle all of this. I promise I’m not going to let Tate, or you, down.” I reach across and place my hand on his forearm. “Do you trust me, Dex?”
Dex turns in his seat, angling his body towards me. We are so close I can feel his breath on me. The smell of him, clean, crisp ocean, and all-male instinctively makes me want to squeeze my thighs together. I am so nervous about what his answer will be that I feel myself begin to sweat.
Real classy, Lanes, ugh!
“For some reason, I do trust you, Lanie. I can’t thank you enough. You’ve been here for less than two days, and I already feel like I’ve known you my whole life,” he admits. “How is it you come into our lives and make us all feel like you were supposed to be here all along?”
My throat is thick with emotion. I have to swallow it away. Dexter seems to be leaning even closer like he wants to kiss me, and oh god, how I want him to kiss me. It’s been a tough morning, so I go for humor instead, trying to break the tension. “Just call it the Mary Poppins effect.”
The bark of laughter that falls from him is so surprising because it seems to happen so infrequently. It startles the girls who both burst into tears, and our moment is lost.
Dexter heads to his home office while I tend to the girls. The rest of the afternoon goes reasonably quickly. Before I know it, I’m packing the girls into the car Dexter insists I drive when I have the kids and head back to the school to pick up Tate.
When I arrive in the pick-up line, I am relieved to see Tate sitting with a little boy and smiling. I can do this, after all. I can make a difference for this family even if it may end up breaking my heart when I have to leave them.
The next couple of days go by in a blur. Dex is working a lot, getting ready for his trip, while I settle into a good routine with the kids. Mrs. Williams has been suspended with pay while the school advisory committee looks into the complaint we filed. Jake has received an out-of-school suspension for the time being, and the change in Tate is remarkable. I’ve never seen him so calm and carefree.
Jake will likely be back to school in a week or two, but the school has promised us he will be placed in a different classroom. I would have preferred a different school, but I’ll take what I can get for now. I’m still picking up Tate from school every day, arriving fifteen minutes early to make my presence known.
Today is a beautiful day, so I’m sitting on a bench outside the school. The girls are sitting in their stroller with some teething cookies. They are a mess but happy, so I let the mess go.
“Excuse me? Are you Tate’s nanny?” Someone asks me in a deep, rumbly voice.
Instantly, my spine straightens and I push the girls’ stroller behind me. I’m not expecting to see Jake’s father, but since I don’t know what he looks like, I have to be prepared.
I stand up and cross my arms over my chest. “I am. Who are you?”
“Sorry, I should have started with that,” he laughs, putting me at ease. “I’m sorry if I startled you. My name is Jamie. I’m Connor’s manny,” he says with another hearty laugh. “Connor and Tate are friends,” he frowns. “Well, they used to be. Connor said Tate hasn’t played with anyone for a long time and hadn’t wanted to talk to him anymore. I told Connor that Tate had a lot going on, but he came home yesterday and said Tate sat with him at lunch. He was hoping they could start playing together again. I used to pick them up from school a couple of times a week before his parents got divorced, and I’m happy to do that again. I know his mom never wanted to take them to their house, and that’s fine, but I know Connor misses his buddy.”
I’m so shocked it took me a minute to answer. “Um, yeah, I’m sure Tate would love that. If it's okay, I’d like to talk with him first. He has had a tough week, so I just want to make sure he’s up for it. Did you say his mom never took them herself?”
“Yeah, between you and me, she never seemed very friendly. My boyfriend and I thought he would be better off when she left. Then he had this string of self-obsessed nannies, to be honest, I’m not sure which was worse. I don’t mean to pry...oh hell, yes, I do! I love the gossip,” he laughs. “Connor told me what went down with Jake a few days ago. Props to you! I’m glad Tate has someone on his side. I would have loved to take that little prick out myself, but it seems like you handled it much better.”
I laugh out loud and immediately know he and I are going to be friends. “I think you and I are going to get along just fine. Let me talk to Tate tonight. If he is up for it, why don’t you guys plan to come over after school one day next week? It sounds like it is our turn to host a playdate anyway!”
“We would love that, thanks. And yes
, I think we will be excellent friends!” He winks at me and we exchange numbers.
When Tate and Connor come walking out of the school together, Jamie nudges my shoulder with his. I can’t help the happy feeling that takes over my heart. Tate is going to be just fine. I can feel it.
Dex
Chapter 12
The rest of the week flew by. Before I knew it, I was landing in London. My heart was still heavy over Tate. Parent guilt was eating me alive but Lanie had promised to be on top of things. I trust her completely, and that’s a weird feeling for me. I don’t know if I ever trusted Bitchzilla this much, and to be honest, it scares me.
In just a week, Lanie had taken up residence in my mind and I can’t see that ending anytime soon. For now, I have to focus on this deal. I will be working 12-18 hours a day just to make this deadline. Failure isn’t an option. Knowing Lanie has the kids covered makes this so much easier.
As much as I trust her, I still have a past that won’t let go of me. It seems like something Lanie and I may have in common. The guys are doing as promised by checking in on her every day. They had better keep their god damn hands to themselves. They’ve all been warned.
I also had the security system upgraded before I left, installing cameras inside and outside the house. I know I should have told Lanie, and I will when I get home. I just couldn’t come to London without being able to check in on them.
Loki warned that it is an invasion of privacy, and Lanie will be pissed when she finds out. He is probably right, but I did it anyway. Hopefully, she will understand.
Unfortunately, watching Lanie with my kids is quickly becoming an obsession. I reason doing it by telling myself I needed to keep an eye on my kids; it’s not like I put one in her bedroom. I groan silently because holy hell would I have liked to.
I'm in my hotel room waiting on room service so I take a seat on the couch to facetime the kids. The time difference has been difficult for us, but they are my priority. I’ll always make it work. I promised Tate I would facetime him at least once a day, I have to come through on that no matter what.
Lanie picks up after the second ring, and my breath catches. God, why does she have to be so fucking hot?
“Hey there, Boss! How’s London?” She is smiling, her hair is a mess, but she has never looked better. Instantly, I’m hard as a fucking rock.
“Cold,” I answer, “and wet. Very, very wet,” I shouldn’t do this with her, this weird back and forth we sometimes have. I often wonder if she knows how sexually charged our conversations are. She seems so innocent, yet her eyes dance with mirth as she answers.
“Well, Mr. Cross, sometimes I find I enjoy being wet.” She winks, and I can only nod. “Tate is dying to talk to you, but first, I wanted to ask you something.”
Nothing like throwing my kids out there to deflate a boner. “Yes, Miss Heart?” I force out.
“Remember how I was telling you about Tate’s friend, Connor? I met his nanny, Jamie. They are coming over for a playdate this week. Tate is so excited, by the way. Jamie seems sweet as well, and I was sort of wondering…” she breaks off, visibly nervous about continuing, and she has me intrigued.
“What are you so nervous to ask me, Miss Heart? Now you have me so very curious,” I grin at her.
Relaxing slightly, she says, “Fine, do you care if I have friends over when the kids are in bed? Jamie’s sister is also a nanny in town, so I thought I would have them over one night to try and make some friends down here.”
I want to tell her that I’ll be her friend, but I don’t. Nor do I even have to think about her request. “Lanie, that is your home too. As long as you’re not throwing a rager while my kids are sleeping, I am more than happy for you to have a friend or two over. I want you to feel at home, but thank you for asking. I hope you guys have fun.”
“Thanks, Dex,” she says. There is something about her voice in moments like this that thaw something inside of me.
“You’re more than welcome…and, Lanie?” I feel my voice softening to match hers.
“Yes, Dex?” Her sass returning.
“Thank you…for everything. I truly don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found you,” I let my emotions play out through my words.
“You’re welcome.” Her smile is so honest, so pure, and gone far too soon. “Here’s Tate.”
The call with Tate goes by too quickly. He still isn’t talking much, but the look of pure joy on his face when I asked him about his upcoming playdate loosened a little more of my blackened heart.
I spend the next few days working, facetiming with Lanie and Tate, and obsessively watching the security cameras at the house. Every morning, Lanie dances around the kitchen, making the kids breakfast, and every morning, Tate leaves the house laughing. She is good for him, I realize. I go to bed at night watching recorded clips of Lanie interacting with the kids, and thank god they are in the videos, or I’d be jerking off to home movies like a creeper.
Thursday, in between meetings, I get about thirty pictures from Lanie of Tate and his buddy. She is so thoughtful. The next morning, I order room service and settle down to facetime home.
“Hello, boss-man. How’s London?” Lanie asks with a smile that overtakes her face.
“The same as yesterday, and the day before.” This has become our conversation every time I call. “Tell me about Tate’s playdate?”
“Oh my god! It was so great. They played together for three hours. He did so well. I was so proud of him. Connor is a talker, so I don’t think he felt pressure to say much, but I did hear him answer questions a few times.” She is so animated as she speaks that I have trouble tracking her through the phone with all her wild hand movements.
“That is great, Lanie.” I can’t explain the deep sense of gratitude I have for her. All the other nannies we’ve had combined didn’t have the compassion or love for Tate the way Lanie does.
If I didn’t know better, I would think I was developing feelings other than gratitude for her, but I haven’t known her long enough for that, so I quickly push that thought aside. Plus, I have turned into a bit of a creeper. I had my assistant order me another laptop so that I could have the live feed from the house going all the time while I worked on my other one. Her voice relaxes me in a way I’ve never felt before. Even when the girls are crying and it’s complete chaos, she is calm and loving—everything their mother was not.
“Dex? Did you hear me?” She asks, calling me out of my thoughts.
I’m watching her sitting at the kitchen island while talking to me. She has little jean shorts on and a tank top that hugs every curve. She doodles on a piece of paper while she talks; I wish I could see what she is writing.
“Uh, sorry, bad connection, what did you say?” I lie.
“I said you just missed the kids. They were exhausted. Tate was so tired, he put himself to bed early so we will have to try to catch you in the morning. Also, Jamie is going to be here soon, so I should go. Is it alright if we open one of these bottles of wine on the island?” Lanie asks, looking so comfortable in my home.
“Sure, whatever you want, Lanie.” I hate that at that moment I know it’s true, I’d give her just about anything I could.
“Okay, have a good night…er…day, I guess. I’ll have Tate facetime you in the morning,” she laughs, still not having mastered the time change between us.
“Goodnight, Lanie. Have fun with your friend,” I tell her, realizing I mean it. I want her to feel at home in my space.
“Goodnight, Dex,” she says quietly, that tone I’m starting to associate as just for me.
I stare at the phone long after she hangs up. Then I remember Preston had called me earlier today, so I move to the desk and give him a call.
“Hey, asshole, how’s London?” He answers my call.
“Nice greeting, dickhead. What if it had been Molly on the line?” I ask, not waiting for his answer. “London is fine,” I tell him. “Deals are almost done. I can’t wait to get home. You
guys have been checking on Lanie?"
“Of course, I have been checking her out. She’s hot, man!” Preston says to piss me off.
A growl escapes my throat. When I speak, my voice has turned to gravel, “I told you, she is off-limits.”
“Yeah, you tell her friend, Jamie, that?” He is laughing so hard now, I almost missed what he said.
“What do you mean, Jamie, her nanny friend?” I ask, and Preston laughs even harder.
“You mean her manny friend? He’s a dude, you know! And a good looking one. They seemed to be getting along really well when I stopped by earlier. He is a very touchy-feely kind of guy.”
I’m out of my chair so fast it flips over behind me. Fuck. The one day I couldn’t watch the live feed.
“What do you mean, he’s a dude?” I yell.
“I mean, he has a dick, and if I were a lady, I’d probably think he was hot,” Pres enlightens me.
“What the fuck! She never said anything about Jamie being a guy. He is coming over tonight for wine. What the actual fuck?” I say as I begin to pace.
“You jealous, bro?” He asks me, and I have to stop for a second. Am I jealous? I run a hand through my hair and pace the room. I’m angry. I don’t want her going out with anyone but me.
She is mine. Mine.
I slump into the bed. “Fuck. I think I am.”
“Well, you better make a move. I’m not saying this to be a dink, Dex, but she is hot. I know one of the single dads at Tate’s school already asked for her number,” he tattles.
My stomach clenches. “What? How do you know that?”
“She told me. Jamie thought it was hilarious. He is a pretty good dude; I think you’ll like him.”
“The fuck I will,” I grumble. “Well, did she give it to him? The phone number, I mean?”
Cross My Heart: A Waverley-Cay Novel Page 9
