Page 29 of Coast to Coast

“It’s a great neighborhood. And you’ll have as much privacy as you want. We’ve had other professional athletes live in the neighborhood, and no one ever bothered them.”

“That’s reassuring,” she said. “We both want to raise our kids with as much normalcy as possible.” Kelsey’s hand dropped to her belly, and her gaze fell to Crew.

“He doesn’t wake up with noise, huh?” I asked.

“No. It’s a side effect of spending the first year of his life in a sling or baby carrier. He’s out like a light if you walk around with him and can tolerate most noise, including a cheering crowd.”

“Does he understand much about the games?”

“Not exactly; he recognizes Sam and some of the other players when he’s pitching. He barely remembers being at Tom’s hockey games, but we have been watching last year’s games on replay. I’m not sure how many of Tom’s teammates returned this year, but one of the WAGs, Mariana, has two kids, and Crew loves them. They played together a couple of times. Mariana is also great at welcoming newcomers. Keep an eye out for her. She’ll be a valuable resource. I grew up in Boston, with a built-in support system. I can’t imagine living in a foreign country with Sam away for weeks at a time.”

The pilot came over the loudspeaker and announced that passengers needed to return to their seats. We both looked down at the sleeping Crew and then at the seat between us, not looking forward to disturbing him.

“I’m going to keep holding him until someone makes me put him down,” I said.

“Good plan.”

The more time I spent with Kelsey, the more I wished I had met her outside of as an employer. I estimated that we were the same age, which was insane. I couldn’t imagine being a mother at my age; even in the few days I had spent with Crew, I had left exhausted. Yes, I’d have free time, but would I have the energy to take advantage of it?

The flight attendants either forgot about us or realized that allowing Crew to sleep on my shoulder was better for everyone on the plane. He was still asleep when we touched down but lifted his head when he heard the commotion of the other passengers as they grabbed their bags from the overhead compartments.

“Dada?”

“Yes, bud. You’re going to see Dada soon.”

Crew’s smile and excitement to see his father were contagious. Watching him, I almost forgot that I was moving cross-country. The more time I spent with him, the more attached I became. I was fully aware of the level of trust that this entire family needed to bring me into their lives.

I carried Crew while Kelsey negotiated the airport with their carry-ons. We had decided not to check bags and stuck with the smallest bags possible. The movers had brought most of my belongings to Colorado ahead of our flights, which allowed me to travel lighter than I was used to. We went directly to the pick-up area to meet Tom.

TOM

Crew saw me before Calliope and Kelsey did and pulled loose from Calliope’s hand to race across the airport. The brief panic in Calliope’s expression smoothed over once she saw me scoop him into my arms.

“Hey bud, I missed you, too. But you scared Mommy and Callie when you ran away from them.”

“Sowwy, Dada.” He snuggled into me, resting his head on my shoulder.

Calliope and Kelsey followed shortly after; Kelsey was a little breathless, and I could tell that the pregnancy was weighing on her physically. She still only had a small baby bump, but it was much more noticeable than it had been just a week ago.

“Hey, sorry. I wasn’t expecting him to dart across the airport. He has been glued to our sides since we arrived at Logan this morning,” Calliope apologized, flustered after losing sight of Crew.

“He and I already talked about how he’s not supposed to pull away, right, bud?”

Crew nodded slowly, “Scare Mommy and Kiwi. Sowwy.”

Fuck, I loved how his language skills expanded hourly. He was constantly learning new words and beginning to speak in short sentences.

“How was the flight?” I asked, looking between Calliope and Kelsey.

Kelsey spoke, “He slept on Callie for most of the flight. We had a brief meltdown because I forgot to download his shows, but Calliope came through in a pinch.”

One more confirmation that we made the right decision to hire Calliope. Crew had quickly taken to her; she was great at thinking two steps ahead. Now, all I needed was to get my attraction to her in check. She was dressed casually in leggings and a hooded sweatshirt, but not even a bulky sweatshirt could hide her figure. I swallowed the lump in my throat and purposely averted my eyes before Kelsey could catch me checking out our nanny, but not before noticing a telltale flush on Calliope’s cheeks.

“Do either of you need to use the lady's room before we head out? The traffic is a little rough right now. It might take a bit.”

Kelsey and Calliope took the time to make a pit stop before heading to the parking lot. Crew stayed behind me, telling me in vivid detail about the airplane ride he’d slept through.

When both women returned, we went directly to where I had parked my truck.

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