Page 18 of Six of Hearts
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"
Liam picked up his spoon, taking a slow bite of ice cream, his eyes never leaving mine. "I don't know what you mean."
I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling. "Come on. You're all clearly attractive men. Successful, intelligent, good fathers. I just can't believe that none of you are seeing anyone. It seems... unlikely."
Something shifted in his expression—the playfulness fading into something more serious. "I mean..." He shook his head. "Nothing."
I scooted my stool closer, intrigued by his hesitation. "Tell me."
"No, I don't think so," Liam said, but his voice was uncertain.
"Come on." I leaned forward. "Tell me."
His eyes dropped to where my hand rested near his on the counter, then slowly travelled back up to meet my gaze. The intensity there made my breath catch. "I really do think I should keep this to myself. I don't want to scare you off."
That took me completely by surprise. Scare me off? What could he possibly have to say that he thought would scare me? "Tell me," I said, my voice coming out softer than I intended.
"I really shouldn't," Liam said, but I could see the conflict in his expression—wanting to tell me, afraid of the consequences.
"Maybe not." I held his gaze. "Tell me anyway."
Liam took a deep breath, and I watched him make the decision. "Okay, but you can't quit."
My heart was beating faster now. "I won't quit. Tell me."
"Being such busy men, between our kids and our jobs, we've found that traditional dating doesn't really work for us," Liam began carefully. "We don't have the time or energy to maintain separate relationships, to give individual women the attention they deserve."
I nodded slowly, not sure where this was going but completely focused on every word.
"But if there's one woman," he continued, his voice quiet, "and we work together to make sure she's happy, supported, cared for—that works much better. For everyone."
The words hung in the air between us. One woman. Shared among all six of them.
"So you all... share someone?" I said slowly, trying to wrap my mind around it.
"That's right." His voice lifted slightly at the end, like there was more he wasn't saying.
"What?" I asked. "There's more, isn't there?"
Liam nodded, and I could see him gathering courage. "When we're looking for a nanny, we're also... we're also hoping to find someone who might be open to more. Someone who could be part of our family in every sense."
My heart stopped. "Wait. You mean—"
"Traditionally, the woman we've been involved with has been our nanny," Liam said, his eyes searching mine. "Because she's already part of our lives, already connected to our children. She understands what our lives are like. And because you're our nanny..."
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to.
I sat back, my mind racing. This explained so much—the way they'd all been watching me, the careful attention, the sense that I was being evaluated for something beyond my childcare skills. They weren't just looking for a nanny. They were looking for a partner. For all of them.
"So how does it work?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt. I needed to understand this, needed to know what I was actually being offered. "Is it... do you take turns? Or is it more fluid than that?"
Liam seemed to relax slightly at my question—I wasn't running, wasn't rejecting the idea outright.
”It's fluid. Sometimes it's one-on-one time. Sometimes it's a few of us together. It depends on schedules, on what feels right in the moment. But it's not just about sex, Aria. It's about partnership, support, building something together."
"And the kids?"
"They know we're close, that we're family. As they get older, they'll understand more. But right now, they just know that the adults in their lives love each other and take care of each other. That seems like a good model to us."
