Daddy’s Fiancée Nanny : A Single Dad & A Virgin Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  She’d just zipped the rolling suitcase closed when someone knocked on their door. Jacob jumped at the unexpected pounding and gripped his bear a little tighter.

  Lucy inhaled deeply and steeled herself for the upcoming performance. She looked back down at her son and prayed Seth wouldn’t see himself in the boy’s eyes like she did. Her baby had taken after his father in every way but two: he had his mother’s bad eyesight and he was shy to the point of terror; which was in direct contrast to Seth’s confidence.

  “You ready to meet Mr. Seth?” Lucy asked Jacob and held her hand out for him to take. He nodded once and slipped his small fingers through hers.

  Seth

  Seth popped a mint in his mouth and ran his hands through the thick black spikes on his head. After hanging up with Lucy, he’d gone straight home, tossed some clothes in a gym bag and hopped the next flight out. Upon arrival at Erie International Airport, he’d promptly rented a car – a 2017 candy apple red Ford Mustang GT – and hauled ass to her apartment complex.

  It was the longest fifteen miles of his life. He glanced down at his watch and the indigo blue digits read 5:27 a.m. Damn, he’d made good time, he thought to himself. After one last, deep, breath, he raised his hand and knocked twice.

  However, he wasn’t prepared for the rush of emotions that assaulted him with she opened the door. Although a small woman to begin with, Lucy’s petite frame barely managed to hold her skin on her bones, her hollow cheek bones and drooping eyes betrayed her condition without her uttering a word. Fear tore through Seth on a level he’d never felt before.

  “Seth,” Lucy greeted him softly. “Thank you for getting here so quickly. I’m sorry I bothered you with this, I just don’t have anyone else to turn to,” she apologized and moved aside to allow him room to pass.

  Narrowing his eyes, Seth studied the gray pallor of her once vibrant skin, and pressed his lips firmly shut as he brushed past her into the small, yet cozy apartment. Mismatched furniture spread throughout the simple flow of rooms. He dropped his duffel bag on the butternut yellow sofa and let his eyes roam past the living room to the kitchen – slash – dining room beyond where a small dining table and four chairs sat in the far right corner.

  It was clean to the point of immaculate and he remembered that Lucy had been a neat freak. To his right were two rooms – a bedroom on the right and a painfully small bathroom on the left. To his left was another bedroom, a bit larger than the other.

  Frowning, Seth realized he could fit her entire apartment in his bathroom alone. How had she ended up like this? A straight-A student with a promising future in Journalism, Lucy was the smartest person he’d ever met.

  Turning back to face her, his eyes widened when they landed on a smaller person standing beside Lucy, his little fingers clinging tightly to her leg.

  “And who is this big guy?” Seth asked gently, squatting so he was almost eye level with the child.

  “Are you really my Uncle Chris’s best friend?” the little boy demanded suddenly, his own blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. Using a small finger, he reached up and pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

  Uncle Chris? Seth pondered. As revelation hit, his eyes went from the boy’s to Lucy’s and he raised his eyebrows in question. Lucy answered by slowly shaking her head and then smoothing her hand over the top of the little one’s spiky black hair.

  “Jacob, this is Mr. Seth Landers,” she introduced gently. “Seth, this is my son, Jacob Conlay.”

  “Seth Landers?” Jacob squealed in delight, his shyness all but disappearing in a blur of excitement Lucy rarely seen. “You’re the pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals,” the little boy shrieked. “Mommy, I know him,” he insisted gleefully and reached up to pull on her loose t-shirt. “This is Uncle Chris’s best friend?” he asked again as if he couldn’t wrap his little mind around the fact that his uncle was friends with a famous person.

  Seth chuckled good-naturedly at the little boy and extended his hand.

  “Nice to meet you, buddy, it’s always awesome to meet a fan,” he said, genuinely touched that his fan-following reached a younger audience as well as adults.

  Lucy smiled as her shy little son came out from behind her and started talking baseball with Seth. She hadn’t known he would recognize Seth from the games he watched on television.

  On more than one occasion, she caught Seth studying Jacob’s eyes and hair and hoped he didn’t put two-and-two together. She wasn’t ready to tell either of them just yet. She had to make sure they’d get along and only then Seth would have to show concrete interest in her baby before she shoved him in front of that particular bus.

  “Jacob,” Lucy called her son. “Why don’t you go find your card collection for Mr. Seth while he and I have a little grown-up talk?”

  Jacob nodded at his mother and then leaned closer to Seth’s ear.

  “That means she doesn’t want me to hear what you talk about,” Jacob whispered conspiratorially and patted Seth on the shoulder in sympathy. “I hope you’re not in trouble,” he added and then raced off to his room, which Seth noticed was the one beside the minute bathroom.

  Rising back to his feet, Seth turned inquisitive eyes on Lucy and smiled when he noticed she squirmed nervously.

  “Looks like we have some catchin’ up to do,” Seth drawled and jammed his hands into his jean’s pockets.

  Lucy nodded and pulled her open hoodie most snugly around her frail body.

  “Would you like some coffee?” she asked. “I have two hours before I have to be at the clinic.”

  “Coffee sounds good,” Seth agreed. For some reason, he suddenly wanted to pull her into his embrace and hold her and ‘never let her go’ echoed throughout his mind. He also wanted to go get a truckload of food and feed her until her skin was pink and healthy again.

  “You can tell me just what exactly is goin’ on in the meantime,” he suggested and didn’t miss the way her shoulders instantly stiffened.

  “Yes,” she agreed reluctantly. “I asked a big favor of you, I’ll explain.”

  With a curt nod, she turned and headed into the little kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinet above the double sink. After loading the coffee maker, she turned back to Seth and motioned for him to sit with her at the dining table.

  “As you can see, I’m not in the best health,” Lucy explained. “I was diagnosed with breast cancer a little over two months ago.”

  Seth’s heart lurched when Lucy said the word “cancer.” Like most people, when he thought about that fatal condition, fear seized him. Both his parents had died from different types of it, and he knew very well how it affected not just the patient, but their families as well.

  “Why didn’t you ask a friend to help you?” Seth demanded when he realized she’d been dealing with the situation on her own all this time. “Why isn’t Chris or Amber here?”

  Lucy sighed and dropped her head onto the tiny table. For a moment Seth thought she’d passed out, but before he could react, she sat back up and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her hoodie.

  “I don’t have any friends,” she admitted. “Jacob is my life. Between work and my son, I don’t have time to mingle with the natives,” she snapped.

  When Seth sat back in his chair and crossed his arms in defense, her angry expression fell.

  “I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I’m tired. I’m always so tired,” she confessed and sniffled. “Up until now, Chris has been flying in to sit with Jacob, but now that I need chemotherapy and radiation, I’ll need to stay around the clock at the hospital for a couple of weeks. Chris doesn’t have time off available and Amber just got a promotion, so she can’t leave work yet. But I promise you, just as soon as Chris is able, he’ll be here and you can go about your life.”

  “Hey,” Seth barked in resentment and quickly placed his hand on her shoulder when she started to get up. “I’m not complaining. Chris is like a brother to me -” His voice trailed off when his next thought wa
s that Lucy was anything but like a little sister. How did he explain his affection and tie to her? How could he without sounding like a player or perv?

  “You and I shared a connection,” he insisted and was pleased with his choice of words. “We had a great time and I’d like to think we could consider ourselves friends at this point. When my friends need me, I’m there,” he insisted. He nodded to accentuate his pleasure with the speech.

  Lucy sniffled again and mopped at the tear treks on her face; her long sleeves flapping with the motion. They were at least two inches too long for her and upon closer inspection; he realized all her clothes appeared at least two sizes too large for her.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, snapping him out of his scrutinizing gaze. “You have no idea how hard it was to call you,” she admitted and Seth felt insulted for a brief moment. But he quickly reminded himself that he hadn’t so much as called or texted her since their one-night stand, so what reason would she have to turn to him?

  “Don’t worry,” Seth patted her shoulder again. “Uncle Seth is here and I’ll take care of Jacob while you get yourself better.”

  Lucy smiled and nodded before rising to go pour them both a cup of coffee. Watching her as she moved away from him, Seth couldn’t help but feel like he’d finally come home. All the money, flashy cars, mansion, loose girls; none of it made him feel as complete as being with Lucy in her shabby little apartment.

  But just as quickly as those thoughts occurred, he banished them to the far recesses of his mind. After losing his parents, he’d vowed to never again love anyone. If he didn’t love anyone, he wouldn’t be hurt when he lost them. And Lucy now Lucy has the same disease that took his parents away from him.

  He didn’t love Lucy, couldn’t love Lucy, or her son. He didn’t want that kind of life. Marriage was for poor, ordinary schmucks, not for superstars like him. And kids, the last thing he wanted was a little Seth Landers running around. Ah, hell no, he thought to himself. He was perfectly happy with his fast lifestyle; the love ‘em and leave ‘em method. He didn’t need anything or anyone else.

  “Yea, just keep tellin’ yourself that bud,” he murmured softly to himself.

  Lucy

  Lucy tried to pour two cups of coffee without spilling it all over the place. Her hands trembled so bad, she feared she’d drop the carafe.

  So far, so good. She’d managed to stick to the basics. No extended excuses or explanations. She didn’t want to outright lie to him, but should he prove to be undependable or unsuitable for Jacob, she’d take this secret to the grave. She just hoped Chris came soon.

  Taking a tray, she placed both cups on it, along with the sugar and cream bowls. She wasn’t sure if he’d eaten or not, so she grabbed a bag of chocolate chip cookies from the pantry. She headed back into the dining area with the loaded tray and jumped when Seth leapt from his seat to take it from her.

  “Let me get that,” he murmured and Lucy thought she saw a faint blush creep up his neck. The action touched her deeply but she firmly reminded herself that he hadn’t wanted the kind of lifestyle she lived. No family for him.

  “Thank you,” Lucy said and reclaimed her chair. Seth grabbed a cup and began sipping the black liquid straight. Cringing at the thought of that bitter, vile flavor, Lucy set to loading hers with sugar and cream. Taking a cookie, she nibbled at it and sipped at her delicious drink.

  “So,” Seth broke the silence after a few awkward moments of sipping and nibbling. “What have they done so far in the form of treatment?” he asked. “You mentioned goin’ in for chemo and radiation.”

  Lucy sat her cup back on the table and brushed some stray crumbs from her lap.

  “After the mammogram detected the cyst, they surgically removed it and when the biopsy came back malignant, they went back in and removed all the surrounding tissue,” she explained. “It wouldn’t be enough to merely remove my breast, so the next step is chemo.” Her hand immediately went to her ponytail. She hated the thought of her thick hair falling out but given the choice between death or losing her hair, she’d be bald any day.

  She’d already bought a wig in anticipation. Her doctor had assured her that they’d caught it early enough that she’d pull through, but warned that the chemo and radiation would drastically weaken her. She’d already lost close to forty pounds out of pure stress. She’d been warned that she’d lose much more before it all ended.

  She released her ponytail and reclaimed her cup, using the warmth emanating from the ceramic receptacle as comfort. She hadn’t gone into much detail with Chris and she refused to with Seth. She’d already had a Last Will drawn up, declaring Chris and Amber as Jacob’s guardians.

  “What are my marchin’ orders Commander?” Seth asked and Lucy laughed, allowing some of the tension to leave her body with the expression. His charisma was one of the things that had once attracted her to Seth. That, and his sheer sexiness.

  She rose from the table and went to her bedroom to retrieve the folder she’d put together after getting off the phone with Seth last night. Walking back into the living room, she stopped when she saw that Jacob had found his baseball cards and were currently showing them to Seth. Her breath hitched when she watched her little boy crawl into Seth’s lap and settle himself before engaging in a conversation as old as time.

  Heading over to them, she gently placed the folder on the table and froze when two identical sets of blue eyes rose to meet hers.

  Lord help me, she thought to herself. I think I have a higher chance of surviving the cancer than this.

  Nodding toward the folder, she filled Seth in on everything he needed to know in order to take care of Jacob. She hated leaving her son in the hands of a virtual stranger, but knew she had no choice. She rattled off Jacob’s food allergies, reiterated his bedtime – much to the little boy’s aggravation – and stressed that they were not, under any circumstances, to leave town, throw a party, make long distance phone calls or invite any girls over.

  Jacob laughed, but she caught a gleam of resentment in Seth’s eyes. She’d evidently hit a nerve with him but ignored his reaction in lieu of pulling her son into her arms for one last cuddle.

  “I love you, Little Bit,” she murmured and placed him back on his feet beside Seth’s chair. “Be good for Mr. Seth and he’ll bring you to see me soon.” Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to his forehead and ruffled his hair playfully.

  “Do I get a kiss too?” Seth inquired and Lucy merely laughed and shook her head.

  “No kisses for the babysitter,” she informed him with a smile. “Take care of my son,” she challenged gently. “This is a big job. I’ve never trusted anyone but my brother, his wife and daycare with him.”

  Seth nodded, his face serious and solemn.

  “I swear on my pitchin’ arm that he is in good hands,” he boasted and pulled the child back into his lap, tickling his ribs gently.

  Lucy smiled, retrieved her rolling suitcase and left the two of them alone, wrestling and laughing. She thanked God she left to the sounds of laughter and happiness instead of wails of fear and a child’s tantrum.

  Seth

  Two days later…

  “C’mon buddy, we have to get goin’ before we miss visitin’ hours,” Seth called from the kitchen where he was busy rinsing his coffee mug. He’d enjoyed two fun-filled days with a walking question-machine. He’d been asked everything from how he’d learned to throw a ball so fast, to where babies came from?

  The first was easy to explain, the second; not so much. With a hasty “they come from Target,” he’d managed to appease the little guy’s curiosity long enough to get him interested in something else.

  Both bath time and bed time had been tricky, but together they’d muddled through it. Seth hadn’t had much success getting the kid to brush his teeth, but hey, they were just baby teeth and he’d lose them anyway, so did it really matter in the long run?

  They’d gorged on pizza, chips and cola to the point that Seth feared the kid would develop
diabetes or high blood pressure, but at the end of the day – after bath time – he’d found great pleasure in relaxing on the worn sofa and watching cartoons with the little guy.

  They’d also played so many games on the Wii that’d he soon found himself having more fun than he’d ever thought possible; especially considering he’d been the responsible one at the party. Jacob was the smartest, bravest and most interesting kid Seth had ever met.

  He marveled at how Lucy had managed to raise such a perfect kid. He’d had so much fun, that he’d soon found himself wondering if he’d be a good father.

  “I’m ready,” a small voice declared from the kitchen doorway. Seth turned and nearly doubled over in laughter.

  “You sure you wanna wear that?” he asked after pulling himself together.

  Jacob looked down at his blue sweat-suit, red cape and boots and then back at Seth.

  “Why not?” Jacob challenged with a familiar gleam in his eye. Seth knew the look well; he’d used it often in his own youth. It hadn’t taken many instances to realize the method didn’t work for him, he decided to let the kid have this one.

  “Looks good to me,” Seth agreed. “Grab your coat,” he insisted and grabbing the apartment keys Lucy left for him, they headed for the hospital.

  Seth pulled his rental car into the hospital visitor’s parking lot and cursed his choice to go with the flashy sports car. Of course, he’d thought to impress his former lover with a hot car before he’d known the circumstances of her request for help. He tilted the rearview mirror and studied the kid in the back seat.

  He’d had hell getting the booster seat strapped into the crowded area and knew Jacob wasn’t exactly comfortable as the seat raised him enough so that his head touched the headliner of the car.

  “Sorry bud,” Seth murmured. “I guess I should have gotten a minivan huh?”

  Jacob smiled and shoved his glasses back onto his nose. Seth had figured out the kid had the habit of doing that when he was nervous.