Page 13 of Hat Trick
I shake my head as if I can shake off those thoughts and focus on the switch.
We eat in a comfortable silence. I like having her here. I'm relaxed around her. I'm normally relaxed in my own home, with the guys. But even with them I feel like I can't fully shed the "Captain" roll. With Emily, though, I don't have to be anybody but me.
"Well, isn't this cozy." Gabe growls as he walks in the front door and sees Emily, Annie and me. He slams the door. Emily jumps and sits up fast, still clutching Annie to her chest.
"Dude! Annie's sleeping!" I whisper-shout at him. Annie starts to wake up and whimper, but Emily's quick to her feet, holding Annie close to her chest, bouncing her a little and shushing softly in her ear.
"I'm going to take Annie to bed. Goodnight." Emily whispers quickly before retreating to her room. Fuck, I hate the way she couldn't look Gabe or Luca in the eye as she ran away.
"You need to knock it the fuck out." I stand and point a finger at Gabe. "Emily's here to stay. Get the fuck over it and start treating her with more respect."
"She's getting into your head already!" Gabe shouts back. "You know nothing about this woman you randomly picked up off the street! How do you know she's not going to sell our used underwear online? Or get pregnant and claim it's one of ours!"
"Do you hear yourself right now? I may not know her, yet, but you also can't go around assuming the worst of her whenyoudon't know her either!" I hate the idea that Emily can hear us right now, but fuck Gabe can't keep being an ass to her. If I have to choose between the two, it'll be Gabe out on the street. He's a big boy, he can figure it out. I can't be the dad Annie deserves without Emily, and right now she's my priority.
"Sort your shit out, Karlsson, or I'll sort it out for you."
I turn my back on him and walk down the hall to Emily's room before knocking gently on the door. She opens it, but only a crack.
"Are you okay? I'm so sorry about that." I whisper, rubbing the back of my neck. She opens the door a crack more when she realizes it's just me and lets me into her room. Annie's already fast asleep in her crib.
She gives a half-hearted shrug. "It's alright. I get it."
I reach out and grab her arm, turning her to face me. I bend a little to get closer to her level. "It's not alright. Whether he likes it or not, this is your home now. You have every right to feel safe and comfortable in your home."
She bites her lower lip, and I can't stop myself from tugging her lower lip away from her teeth with my thumb. The move is way more intimate than I have any right to do, but for some reason, I'm not afraid of her reaction.
She looks up at me with those wide, stunning brown eyes. "I think it's just best if I stick to my room when he's home. Is that okay?"
Fuck no.
But I nod. "Whatever makes you feel comfortable. I'll talk to him again when we've both calmed down."
She nods sadly before I wrap my hand around the back of her head and pull her to my chest. I let out a weary sigh.
"I know I've said it before, but thank you, Ems. I really couldn't do this without you." I rest my cheek on top of her hair, breathing in her lavender scent.
She nods awkwardly. "You're welcome." She pulls back a little to look up at me. "Annie really is the easiest baby I've ever met. And you're a great boss. And this is my dream job. Soon, I'll be able to afford to enroll back in school."
I take the opening as an opportunity to get to know my nanny better. I sit on the corner of her bed. "You never did tell me why you dropped out. It's clearly something you're passionate about." I say, motioning to Annie.
She sits on the bed next to me, but her shoulders and eyes fall. "I was in a really toxic long-term relationship with my ex. When thingsfinally ended...I wasn't in a good place, mentally. I couldn't risk running into him on campus. Honestly, I couldn't get myself out of bed most days." I reach out and lace her fingers with mine. She curls her fingers around mine. I hate to think of Emily that sad. I've only known her for two days, but she seems so bright and bubbly.
"Then I got the job with the Titans and while I really liked it, it didn't pay enough to let me go back full time."
I don't like the idea of her working for me for only a few months and leaving me again. "Can you do online classes?"
"Yeah. I already have hours with the daycare, and you, of course. So, everything else would just be online."
"What if I paid for your degree?"
A tiny gasp leaves her lips and I my eyes dip to her open mouth.
"Why would you do that?"
"I'll pay for your degree, if you do it online, and you stay with Annie and I." I can hear the desperation in my own voice. But I school my features before patting her on the knee and rising. "You don't have to answer right now. Think about it and let me know. I know it's a big ask."
Chapter seven
