Chapter Twenty-Seven
Riley
My last weeks with Jeremy passed in the blink of an eye, it seemed. On my very last day working as his nanny, I was feeling very melancholy.
"How did you sleep?" I asked my sister as she was just waking up.
After a heart-to-heart with my roommates, everyone agreed it was best if Paula moved in.
She’d sleep in my room, which we’d share while I was still living here.
And once I left, she’d simply take over my payments.
I'd already started searching for places to live.
And, well, I had to say, the future was bright.
I was even tentatively looking at two-bedroom apartments, just in case I could convince Paula to move in with me. But realistically, that would only be a good scenario after she graduated and started working.
"This mattress is surprisingly comfy," she said. It was inflatable but designed as a bed. "How come you're already dressed and showered? I didn't even hear you."
"You sleep very deeply, Paula."
My sister yawned. "You look really nice."
"I do, right?"
I was wearing a white dress with lace straps and a boatneck collar.
"You're dressing up awfully cute. Are you trying to impress that kid you're nannying? Or the dad?" She winked at me, and I blushed.
"You know that I just like to dress nicely."
"Hmm. True. But then again, if my boss looked like Duncan Sterling, I'd put in a lot of effort too. Don't you usually start your day in the afternoon?"
"Yes, but Jeremy had a short school day today. I'm actually picking him up from riding lessons."
"Wow. I didn't even know people did that anymore."
I laughed. "Neither did I until Jeremy."
I'd prepared a whole afternoon of activities for the two of us.
While I applied makeup in the small mirror that I kept in the bedroom, my phone beeped with an incoming message from Duncan.
Duncan: Good morning, gorgeous. Keep tonight free. I'm taking you and Jeremy out to celebrate your last day on the job.
I squealed.
"Hey, you scared me to death," Paula protested.
I held up the phone with the screen toward her even though she couldn't see it because she was on the other side of the bedroom.
"He's taking us out. See, it’s a good thing I dressed nicely.”
She smiled sheepishly, then glanced at the huge backpack she'd taken out from under the bed. Maybe she was planning to take a hike today. I didn't want to ask her, though, not wanting her to feel like her big sister was checking in on her.
"I'm sure you'll have fun," she said.
"Wish me luck on my last day, sis.”
Forty minutes later, I watched Jeremy as he walked toward me with a toothy grin. This ranch was amazing! It almost made me want to learn how to ride myself. They offered lessons in horseback riding for adults too—I’d already checked.
"I was the first today!" he exclaimed.
"Congratulations."
"I've never been first before."
"Is it a competition?" I asked.
"Not officially. We’re just training, but it's always a competition."
I nodded. "Ah, duly noted."
I hadn't realized that Jeremy had a competitive streak, but then again, how could I? I'd never seen him interact with other kids, and he didn't have a brother or sister. But remembering how Duncan and his brothers tried one-upping each other, Jeremy probably picked that up from within the family.
I still had so much to learn about him. But I was running out of time.
"I thought we should start our day together with ice cream.”
Jeremy smiled. "This is the best day ever. First, I won our race. And now I get to have ice cream. Where are we going?"
"There's an ice cream parlor near here."
I'd actually been by the house earlier and picked up his favorite toys as well as some puzzles. He liked to talk a lot, but sometimes he needed to keep his hands occupied too. And I enjoyed playing with him. We both liked puzzles.
The ice cream parlor looked exactly like it had in the pictures…
and the prices were as exorbitant as they'd been online.
Part of me thought that maybe they'd made a mistake and added a 1 in front of each price.
Who in their right mind sold a scoop for fourteen bucks?
Then again, what could I expect from an ice cream parlor that was close to a riding school?
But I was learning to be more at ease in Duncan's world and, by extension, Jeremy's.
No more dragging him to other supermarkets because I thought a local grocery store was overpriced.
So, Jeremy ordered a Mickey Mouse, which was a stunning $27, and I ordered one scoop of chocolate.
That was the most I could get myself to spend in this place.
We received the ice cream at the same time, and we both devoured it.
Jeremy was so excited that he ate his whole Mickey Mouse in the time it took me to eat my measly portion.
Once he’d finished, he held his belly and said, "I'm so full."
I smiled. "So am I. Want to see what I brought for you from home?"
His eyes lit up. "Sure."
I got out his favorite penguin toy, and he squeezed it to his chest. "You're the best, Riley."
I also took out the puzzle we both loved.
"Want to see how fast we can do it and who puts together the most puzzle pieces?" I asked.
"Yes!"
While we assembled the puzzle, he scrunched his forehead in concentration. I was being deliberately slow; I didn't care a bit about winning.
At some point, Jeremy stopped putting pieces together.
I frowned. "Jeremy, are you okay? Do you feel sick?"
The puzzle wasn't that hard, and he'd done it a million times. No way could he not know what to do next.
He looked at me and abruptly asked, "Riley, would you like to be a mom?"
I jerked my head back, unsure if I’d heard him correctly, and stammered, "Um, well, I mean, yes. But?—"
He got the next words out so fast that I was sure I'd misunderstood him at first.
"Would you like to be my mom?"
My heart melted. I smiled, moving closer to him and putting a hand on his back.
"Jeremy, baby," I said, then chastised myself because he wasn't my baby, "you know this isn’t how it works. You have a mom."
"I know. But she's far away, and you do mom stuff with me. You play with me."
I frowned. "I'm sure Ms. Williams did too."
He shook his head. "No. She watched me play, or sometimes she showed me how to do things like a puzzle, but then I had to do it by myself. You're so young and pretty, and I would like you to be my mom."
My chest tightened. "I love spending time with you. You know I do."
"But you’re going to have another job, and then you won’t play with me anymore. But if you were my mom, you would have to. That's what moms do."
I smiled at him. "I'm sure we can arrange something so that we meet and play," I assured him. I wasn't simply saying this to calm him down. I genuinely wanted to see Jeremy once my job started.
I groaned inwardly, realizing I should probably discuss things like this with Duncan before I made any promises to Jeremy. But the little guy was inconsolable.
"But would you like to be my mom?" he insisted. "Because if you do, I can tell Dad."
That took me by complete surprise. I jerked my head back. "What?"
"I think Dad would like that."
Oh dear God. Duncan and I needed to have a word. I never in a million years would have imagined this. I honestly couldn't reply without causing trouble either way. If I told him yes, he’d get his hopes up. If I said no, I’d break his heart.
Distraction was my best weapon.
"Come on. If you finish your part of the puzzle before me, you can choose what you want for lunch," I said.
The trick worked. Jeremy immediately focused on the table. I didn't even have to pretend he was beating me. The little guy won with flying colors a few minutes later, and we ended up having pizza for lunch.
In the afternoon, Duncan picked us up from the zoo. He’d insisted on it, so we’d Ubered to the ranch in the morning even though I could have just used the car he gave me to drive. He had a huge smile on his face when he arrived.
"Dad, today was awesome!" Jeremy exclaimed. "Riley's really the best nanny ever. Do you think you can convince her to stay and not take that new job?"
Jeremy had skills. I was impressed.
Duncan’s expression fell a bit. "We've spoken about this, Jeremy."
They did? Maybe that would explain why he came on so strong this morning.
"Ready for the rest of the afternoon?" Duncan asked.
Jeremy nodded.
"Good, because I have a surprise for both of you," Duncan said, looking from Jeremy to me.
"Really?" I asked. "And what's that?"
"I checked the weather, and it's perfect."
"For what?"
Duncan grinned. "Camping."
I gasped. Jeremy was jumping up and down. "Yes, Dad! Thank you so much! I thought you'd never want to do that."
"We're leaving tonight,” he informed us.
“But I need to pack and everything," I protested with borderline panic.
Duncan's eyes twinkled. "I've got that covered," he said.
I wanted to jump his bones and kiss him right here, but that was definitely not appropriate.
"What do you mean? I need details before I agree. I mean, I need certain clothes and?—"
"Paula already packed your bag. All we need to do is load it in the car. I left the office early and packed Jeremy's."
Huh. Paula the sneak. That backpack under her bed must have been for me.
"I love you, Dad," Jeremy said.
I was stunned—and swooning.
"I love you, too, son. Come on, let's get in the car." He opened the car door for Jeremy, helping him in. Closing the door, he turned to me.
"When did you speak to my sister?" I asked.
"I've been plotting with her for a while."
I could have melted when he waggled his brows. This man…
"She didn't tell me anything."
"That's the point of a surprise," Duncan said with an amused expression.
I had so many questions. How were we going to act around Jeremy? Were we going to tell him something? Did it even make sense considering I was starting my new job on Monday? I wanted to bring up the mom issue, but maybe I’d have time later tonight.
We dropped by my house to get my things. There was no one home, but Paula had laid the gray backpack on my bed. Duncan loaded it in the trunk, next to his and Jeremy’s bags and the tent.
I had to admit, I was beyond anxious. "Are you going to tell us where we’re headed?" I asked once we were in the car again.
"Yeah. To Idyllwild Campground in Mount San Jacinto."
"Yes! We get a mountain experience," I said.
Jeremy was cheering in the back, and I couldn’t help but grin. Oh man, this felt so much like we were a family. Was this why Jeremy had asked if I wanted to be his mom? Objectively, there was no need for me to go camping with them—Duncan was perfectly capable of going with his own son.
Just as I opened my mouth, Duncan squeezed my fingers, as if guessing what was on my mind. He gave me one of those devastating smiles, and I relaxed instantly.
We were just going camping. I didn't need to overthink this.
"You've got supplies too?" I asked.
"Yes. I've got some sausage, hamburgers, buns, and bread—stuff we can cook on a campfire."
"Marshmallows too? For s'mores?"
Duncan nodded. "Yep. Couldn't forget those, could I?"
I smiled. He was a great dad.
He was a great man, period.
The drive would take about two hours. I looked up the info on my phone and kept spouting off random facts.
One hour into the drive, Jeremy fell asleep, and Duncan and I stayed silent. Jeremy was a light sleeper, so he'd probably wake up if we started talking. Duncan took my hand again, squeezing my fingers, and I just relaxed into the seat.
An hour later, as we entered the park, Jeremy woke up.
"We’re here!" he exclaimed.
I smiled from ear to ear. This was shaping up to be the best weekend ever!
As we got out of the car, Jeremy hugged me. “I know you and Dad both like the nanny starting on Monday, but you're the best.”
I smiled, kissing the top of his head, trying not to think that someone else would take my place in a few days.