2
Colin heard a car door slam in front of his house. His new nanny had arrived in her little yellow car. He looked out the window in time to see her shoving a garden stake with a brightly colored butterfly atop it into the ground. She placed a matching one on the other side of the walk to his door. Not what he’d had in mind when he agreed to a marker.
He opened his door to say that, but she looked toward him with a ready smile on her face and he bit back the words. If gaudy markers were the price to pay for good childcare, he’d ante up… although it was on the tip of his tongue to comment that she’d made her way back to his house just fine without any kind of guide.
“Hi,” she called before leaning back in her car to grab a bag.
She was a different kind of bird, he’d decided after she’d left the day before. A little flighty, maybe, with her concern about finding herself and her stipulation that this was temporary. But what did that matter to him if she cared for Sofia responsibly? Colin wasn’t thinking of Lily in any way but as his short-term nanny.
Except her beauty had surprised him. Her thick dark hair, big hazel eyes, and even her horn-rimmed glasses appealed to him. They shouldn’t, but something about them did. He hadn’t missed her curves, shown off by the slim-fitting skirt, either.
And, as he’d told her, he liked her character. With his connections in the security business, it had been easy to acquire an extensive background check on her. She was as clean as a whistle. Not even a speeding ticket. He’d appreciated her honesty about losing her teaching position, too. He’d known the story already from his sources but was glad to hear her version matched the one he’d received.
“Where’s Sofia?” she asked as she came up the walk.
“Taking a nap. She’ll be up soon.”
Colin had had a tough time getting the girl to settle for her afternoon snooze. Sofia was excited to meet the new live-in nanny and had questioned him, as much as a twenty-seven-month-old’s vocabulary allowed, about Lily. He smiled as he thought of his daughter. Adopting her at the same time he transitioned to civilian life had been tough, rivaling the most aggressive training he’d experienced as a SEAL, but it was worth every difficult moment of the last fifteen months when she greeted him with a happy squeal and a stream of “Dada, Dada” when he came through the door.
He focused on Lily, who had walked into the house ahead of him, her dark green shoulder bag over her arm. She wore leggings, a white lace top, and a denim jacket that day. Less formal than her interview attire, but just as good at showcasing her figure. Not that her curves were any of his concern.
“Let me show you around,” he offered, to distract himself from his inappropriate focus on Lily. He gave her a quick tour of the home’s first floor. In addition to the living room, which she’d already seen, this meant the kitchen, dining room, and utility room. She said nothing as she looked around, but he thought he saw her suppress a smile. What was that about?
“Dada, Dada, Dada.” Sofia’s soft babble came from above their heads when he’d finished showing Lily around the kitchen.
“I guess she’s awake,” Lily said. “Can I come up with you?”
“Sure. You need to see the second floor, too.” He led the way to the stairs and gestured for Lily to go up ahead of him. At the top, she headed straight for Sofia’s open door, pausing outside it so he could enter first.
“After you. She won’t be scared,” he said.
Sofia was plenty brave. She’d already survived losing her mother in a brutal way, living in an orphanage for the months it took him to adopt her, and coming to a new country with Colin as the only person she knew. He’d worried about his daughter’s mental health, but she seemed well adjusted and happy to be with him.
Caring for her was the least he could do for her mother, but he hadn’t expected to love Sofia so much. That had come as a surprise. He liked being a father, and despite his own father’s negative example, Colin thought he was doing all right. For Sofia’s sake, though, he needed a wife, so he could give his daughter the stable family he’d missed out on. That was the goal. With a full-time nanny, he’d be able to date more and hopefully find the right woman to complete his family life.
Lily stepped into the room. “Hello, Sofia.” Lily’s voice when she greeted the toddler was like listening to sunshine. Sofia instantly smiled. “I’m Lily.”
“Up.” Sofia held her arms out to be lifted from the crib, and Lily picked her up and rested her on one hip as if she did it every day. Colin could see the instant connection between them.
“Your room is so pretty.” Lily turned in a circle to take in the large, light-filled space. “Thank goodness,” he heard her mutter under her breath.
Colin laughed, making Lily spin in his direction.
“I’m sorry. I—”
“It’s okay. I know my house isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I like things… orderly.” White might seem a strange choice to others, but he never had to worry about anything matching, and it was surprisingly easy to clean.
“I can see that,” she commented, “but children require something more.”
“That’s what my sister-in-law said, so Carolyn decorated Sofia’s room for me.” And she’d done a great job. The room had wallpaper with lavender and yellow flowers. The bedding and curtains matched, in what Sofia called “praple.” Honey-colored oak furniture gave the room a warm tone. And this was the only place in the house where Colin was okay with clutter. The room had an organizational system, but he didn’t insist toys always make it back to their shelf or basket.
“It’s beautiful,” Lily said.
“Carolyn was afraid I’d raise Sofia in a space that looked like a hospital waiting room.” When Carolyn learned he was adopting Sofia, she’d marched into the house he’d just purchased with a tape measure and a color chart. Colin hadn’t argued with her. He was grateful for her and his brothers’ support.
“I hope you thanked her. Do your brother and Carolyn live nearby?” Lily asked.
“A couple miles away. She and Zach have a son about the same age as Sofia. The kids play together a lot.”
“Austin?” Sofia asked, a hopeful note in her soft voice.
“Not today, sweetheart,” Colin said, reaching for his daughter. She went to him readily, putting a smacking kiss on his cheek and wrapping her chubby arms around his neck. “Today we have to make Lily feel welcome and show her around.” He stepped back into the hall, still carrying Sofia. “My room is at the end of the hall, and there’s a spare bedroom next to Sofia’s.”
The house was larger than he needed, but he’d wanted a family home, one with space for more children.
“I’ll be downstairs, though?” Lily peeked in the open door of the empty bedroom but didn’t comment. It was all white as well.
“Right. Follow me.” He went down the main staircase and cut through the kitchen to the back door. The basement had been one of the home’s selling points for Colin. The house was built into a hill and situated in a way that gave the basement outside access. It would make a great family room or game room in the future. For now, he’d converted it into an apartment for the nanny by dividing the space into a living room, bedroom, and bathroom.
“You can get to the apartment through the house, or if you prefer, you can access it from the outside. There are locks on both doors.” He wanted her close by but also to feel that she had an independent space. She glanced around, a slight smirk on her face. Light came in through the large window, highlighting the whiteness of the room. “You can decorate it however you want. Use the white as a blank canvas if you like.” He could tell white on white wasn’t her thing.
She smiled at him then. “I think it’ll be very nice, and I like the idea of living in.”
“Good, because that’s important to me. My job can mean some odd hours at times. I’ve been depending on babysitters and family, but I need more stable childcare.” He’d explained already that he was a logistics and security specialist at a pr
ivate company.
While Lily wandered into the bedroom and bathroom to take a closer look, he put Sofia on her feet and let her wander around the empty space. She immediately went to the long window next to the apartment’s door and put her hand on it.
“Sorry about that,” he said when Lily returned to the room. By then Sofia had her face pressed to the glass. He wanted to rush over and clean the smudges, but since adopting Sofia he had managed to temper some of his tendencies, recognizing that kids weren’t always orderly. He didn’t want Sofia to feel confined by his overly neat inclinations.
“Kids do that.” Lily didn’t appear to be bothered by it. “No big deal. She seems like a happy child.”
“I think she is,” he said, knowing he’d have to fill her in on Sofia’s background at some point, but he could do that later. “So you’ll take the job?” Technically, she’d already accepted, but now that she’d met Sofia and seen where she’d live, he wanted to be sure.
“Absolutely. And like I promised yesterday, I’ll give you time to find someone else when I’m ready to move on.”
He wanted to ask how long Lily thought she might stay, but he suspected she didn’t know. He didn’t get the whole “finding out who she was” thing. He’d always known exactly who he was and what he wanted, ever since he was a teen and Admiral Anderson took him and his brothers into his home. After applying some tough love, the former Navy leader had put them all on paths to success.
“I think she wants to go outside,” Lily said, pointing to where Sofia was watching a bird hop across the stretch of grass. “It’s a nice day for this early in the year. Maybe we should take her out to play.”
“I’ll get her trike and grab a sweatshirt for her,” he agreed. “She likes to ride on the front sidewalk.” Sofia had become a speed demon since getting the tricycle for Christmas. Her little legs pumped hard, but she struggled to keep the trike going in a straight line.
“We’ll meet you there.” Lily went to Sofia and took her hand before going out the door. They took the sidewalk that curved around the house and gave the little apartment a private entrance.
Colin was pleased with how readily Sofia went with Lily. She was a trusting child, but the connection between her and Lily seemed instant. That was good. He only hoped Sofia would form a similar relationship with his future wife. Whoever she was. He was going to have to set up some dates, he decided, as he went back through the house and into the attached garage.
By the time he rejoined them in front of the house, Sofia and Lily were lying on their backs in the grass watching the clouds roll past.
Lily pointed upward. “I think that one’s a frog,” she said, making Sofia giggle.
“Bunny,” the child declared.
“You might be right. How about the one over there?” Lily directed Sofia’s attention to elsewhere in the sky.
“Horsey,” Sofia squealed.
“That’s what I thought.”
Any worry Colin had about his new nanny disappeared as he watched. Lily understood children, and she was kind. He kept himself from adding pretty to the list of attributes that made her suitable for the role, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking how natural Sofia and Lily looked together, with their long dark hair intermingled on the grass.
He tore his eyes away from them and noticed a car cruising slowly down the street as if looking for an address. The driver was a man wearing a baseball cap, but the windows were tinted dark, preventing Colin from observing any more details. He analyzed every situation, a habit left over from his years as a SEAL and one that served him well in his current work. The car turned at the next street and disappeared from sight, but Colin’s senses tingled, sending him a warning. He’d learned long ago to trust his internal alarms.
3
Lily added a layer of newspaper between some framed prints she’d collected over the past few years. Her current landlord was obsessive about not putting holes in the walls, so she hadn’t displayed much of her artwork. Since Colin, for all his apparent fastidiousness, had given her permission to decorate as she liked, she planned to take advantage of that offer.
She moved to the next box, which contained her attempts at sculpture. She had little formal training, but she’d been playing around with clay for a while and had a few respectable-looking pieces. If she had some spare time, she’d continue to work on that while being Sofia’s nanny. Maybe even encourage the girl to do some molding. Kids usually loved that stuff.
Her little basement apartment might be the place to do that, so they wouldn’t soil the incredibly white house. She rolled her eyes. Colin needed color in his life, but he seemed set in his ways. She was grateful that she could make the basement her own for the time she was there. How long that would be, she couldn’t say, but working for Colin was a good opportunity to save some money and figure out what her next move should be.
A knock sounded on her door, and she glanced at her watch. Precisely ten. That was the time Colin had said he’d arrive. She wasn’t surprised by his punctuality, but she also didn’t take chances. Before opening the door, she checked through the peephole. Thank goodness, this was the last time she’d have to worry about creepy John Stout.
Colin stood in the hall, his focus directed away from the door. Safe to open it. As she swung the door open, she saw what Colin was watching. John was just entering the hall, accompanied by another man she didn’t recognize.
“Come in,” she said as she stepped back, hoping John didn’t see her. Colin didn’t hesitate, and a second later she had the door closed again. He’d noticed her quick action, she saw. She had nothing to hide, other than a concern about a soon-to-be-former neighbor, but she didn’t feel like explaining a situation that might seem like nothing to Colin. “Thanks for helping me move.”
“Happy to,” he said, scanning the boxes scattered on the floor.
She could guess what he was thinking. None of them were labeled, and half were still open. “I’m done with the ones in the kitchen. As it turns out, I don’t own much.” He raised an eyebrow. “Much in the way of usual housewares,” she clarified. Her kitchen was in three boxes, her bathroom in one. Two suitcases were full of clothes. She did have an entire box of shoes, but a woman needed variety. The majority of the boxes were her art supplies and decorative pieces that would make the white canvas of her new apartment homey.
“I’ll get the ones in the kitchen,” he volunteered.
As she finished with boxes, he carried the sealed ones to the door, stacking them neatly. More than once, she had to refocus on her task. His long, broad-shouldered frame, clad in a pair of faded Levi’s and a US Navy T-shirt, kept drawing her attention away. He was six feet, three inches of hard muscle, making him the sexiest moving man she’d ever seen.
She glanced down at her favorite pink sweatshirt and yoga pants. Both items of clothing had seen better days. Her hair was twisted up in a messy bun to control it. Not a flattering look, but attracting him wasn’t her goal. They had a business relationship, nothing more. She needed to make conversation to distract her from watching the flex of his biceps.
“Where’s Sofia?” she asked.
“Zach and Carolyn have her.”
“She’ll get to play with their son,” Lily said. “Austin, was it?”
“That’s right. He was a surprise.”
“Surprise baby?” Unexpected pregnancies certainly happened, but where was Colin going with this?
“Surprise to my brother.” Colin shot her a grin. “Zach had just gotten out of the service. When he came home, his former fiancée had a little boy.”
“His?” she asked. This was getting good.
“No doubt about it. Austin is a mini version of Zach. It didn’t take long for him and Carolyn to settle their differences and get married.”
“For the sake of their son?”
“Only partly,” he said with a shrug. “They’re in love, too.”
“A happy ending for everyone, then.” She liked the story. Ma
ybe if she got to know Carolyn, she’d get to hear a more thorough version of it. “Do you have any other family?” she asked to keep him talking.
“A younger brother. Alex. He’s still serving.”
“All of you were in the military?” she asked. His gaze assessed her, silently asking how she knew he’d been. “It’s kind of obvious from the way you carry yourself… and the T-shirt.” She pointed to his chest.
“All SEALs,” he confirmed.
“Oh!” she said. “That’s… unusual. Your parents must be proud.”
He shot her a look that was dark and unfathomable, but she didn’t feel it was directed at her. Maybe it was his warning that she shouldn’t pry any more. She scooted a box across the floor toward the door, straightened, and dusted off her hands. But she was terribly curious about Sofia’s mother, and he had readily volunteered information about his brothers.
He was watching her, hands on hips. She shouldn’t ask more questions, but what the heck?
“You don’t have to give me an answer, but I was wondering if Sofia’s mother is in the picture.” Would a mom show up at the house and want to see the toddler? Lily thought she ought to know that, in case it happened when Colin wasn’t home.
“She’s dead.” His tone was blunt.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lily rushed to say, regretting that she’d broached the subject. “I didn’t mean to—”
“She wasn’t my wife or girlfriend, and Sofia’s not my daughter. I adopted her when she was a year old,” he said.
Lily cocked her head, silently encouraging him to explain and hoping he’d accommodate her unspoken wish. She’d burn up with inquisitiveness if he didn’t.
“Her mother was a friend of mine,” he continued, “from my time as a SEAL. I was on a mission in Colombia when I met her. After her death and a whole lot of diplomatic wrangling, I became Sofia’s legal father.”
“You left the service to care for her?” Lily guessed, imagining how impossible it would be as a single dad and a SEAL. Still, giving up his career was a big thing.
The SEAL’s Beautiful Nanny: The Admiral’s SEALs Book Two Page 2