9. Amelia
CHAPTER 9
AMELIA
“ M eel! Meel!” Grace’s delighted shrieks reached Amelia from across the playground. Amelia peered around the structure to see Grace seated on a bouncing plastic horse. Her pigtails flew up and down as she bounced, and her expression was one of pure joy.
“Cool!” Amelia enthused. She skirted the playground to Grace. “You’re riding a horse!”
“Horsey!” Grace bounced some more. “Horsey!”
“Aunt Amelia!” Amelia turned to see Jamie bounding across the playground towards them.
“Jamie!” Amelia gave the little boy a quick hug. Grace slid off the plastic horse and came to stand behind Amelia’s legs with a shy expression.
“There you are!” Amelia glanced up to see Katie crossing the playground, Jade in her arms. Since it was a Saturday, Katie was dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, just like Amelia.
At the sight of her sister, Amelia felt her heart sink. Almost a week had passed since she had moved in with Liam to take care of Grace — and pretend to be his wife. Amelia had told her siblings that she’d taken a new job as a nanny, but hadn’t offered any details about her unusual relationship with Liam. Katie was going to have a lot of questions.
“Hi, Katie.”
“Hi!”
Jamie was trying to push past Amelia’s legs to find Grace. Grace hugged Amelia’s legs and buried her face behind her knee.
“Jamie, this is Grace. Grace, Jamie.” Amelia bent down and smiled at both children. “Jamie, Grace is feeling a little shy. Do you want to show her the sandbox?”
“Come on, Grace.” Jamie took Grace’s hand and led her towards the sandbox. After a moment of hesitation, Grace followed.
“So.” Katie looked from Amelia to Grace and back. “You’re a nanny now?”
“Yep.” Amelia crossed her arms.
“That’s a bit of a career change.”
“Yep.”
“Does it pay well?”
“Actually, yes.”
Katie tilted her head to the side. “Amelia, I’m a little confused. I thought you weren’t ready to get back into work — and that when you did, you were going to look for a job that won’t take up so much of your heart. But now you’re a live-in nanny to a little girl?”
“Yep.” Amelia sighed. “I know it seems a little unusual, but I’m happy.”
“Well.” Katie shrugged. “That’s enough for me. Come on, let’s sit down.” The sisters walked to a bench beside the sandbox, where Grace and Jamie were digging a hole using two sticks. “So, how did you find this job, anyway?”
“Remember that businessman I met, the one Jamie spilled ice cream on?”
“Whoa.” Katie turned to Amelia. “Did you become a nanny to that guy? Is he married?”
“Yes and no. After we met, he asked me to a meeting. It turned out that he’d just gained full custody of his daughter and that he needed help with her.”
“Wow.” Katie pretended to fan herself. “This is seeming more and more like fate brought you two together. Have you spent a lot of time with him? What was his name again? Liam?”
“Yes, Liam. And no, we haven’t spent a lot of time together. He works a lot.” Amelia bit her lip. The truth was that she’d barely seen Liam since moving in. Liam had worked from early morning until late at night every single day. She’d seen him a few times when he was leaving for work or coming back, and he’d politely chatted with her for a few minutes each time, but they hadn’t had a proper conversation.
It was… odd. Amelia knew she’d agreed to a rather unusual situation, what with pretending to be married to Liam and all, but this wasn’t quite what she’d expected. It seemed that she had become a full-time nanny for a workaholic dad who wasn’t all that interested in his daughter — or in her.
No… that wasn’t true. Liam was interested in Grace. Amelia had seen the look in his eyes when he asked about his daughter and his hesitant expression when talking to her. Perhaps it wasn’t that he didn’t care about Grace, but just that he had no idea how to talk to her or take care of her.
Either way, working constantly wasn’t doing Liam any favors when it came to bonding with his daughter.
Despite the oddness of the situation, though, Amelia was enjoying herself. She absolutely loved Grace. Over the last few days, she’d come to know the child as a sweet but mischievous toddler who loved to make people laugh. Occasionally, she cried for her mother, which was very understandable, but most of the time she was a ray of sunshine.
Plus, Liam’s absence gave Amelia plenty of time to start changing his apartment. She’d started by livening up Grace’s room with a few photographs, some toys, a colorful bedspread, and a rug with images of forest creatures. She’d brought a few things from home to decorate her own bedroom, as well. Now, very slowly, she was adding bits and pieces of personality to the rest of the house.
Liam didn’t seem to have noticed.
“What does he do?” Katie asked.
“He’s the CEO of Lilypad Learning.”
“Wow,” Katie said again. “Really? So, he’s good-looking and rich?”
“Yes, and yes.” Amelia sighed. “But the truth is, I don’t love how distant he is from his daughter. His work and his reputation are his top priorities. And even if I did find him attractive, we would never date. We have a professional relationship — that’s it.”
“I know, I know, you’re very professional.” Katie leaned back and let Jade wiggle out of her arms and onto the ground. “I just want you to be happy. And I’m not sure that mothering a child who isn’t yours is going to make you happy.”
Katie had a point. Even after less than a week of knowing Grace, Amelia loved the little girl deeply. She’d spent hours rocking Grace back to sleep after bad dreams, had laughed with her as they danced to a silly children’s song in Grace’s airy bedroom, and had played with the washcloth toy and the polar bear with her for hours. Amelia’s heart ached to think that she would eventually have to say goodbye. On top of that, she wondered what would happen to Grace after the fake marriage dissolved. Would she be put in the care of a stream of nannies for the rest of her childhood? What kind of childhood was that?
“It’s all right. But speaking of Grace, it’s getting close to her naptime. We’d better get going.”
“Okay. It was nice to see you! We should arrange a playdate soon.”
“Absolutely.” Amelia said her goodbyes to her sister and the kids, then took Grace’s hand. Grace looked on the verge of bursting into tears at the prospect of leaving her new friends, but Amelia was able to distract her by singing “The Wheels on the Bus,” complete with hand motions. About halfway home, Grace grew tired, and Amelia swung the child into her arms. Grace nestled into Amelia’s chest, rested her head on her shoulder, and promptly grew warm and heavy with sleep.
When they arrived at home, Amelia carefully tucked Grace into her bed, arranged the sheets and pillows, and set up the baby monitor. Then she sneaked out into the living room, where she picked up a book she’d been in the middle of reading. Since Liam also employed a maid and a chef, there was little for Amelia to do during Grace’s naps apart from basic tidying and a little meal prep, which she’d already done earlier in the day.
Amelia couldn’t quite get into her book, though. She was distracted by the conversation she’d had with her sister. Despite all the facts, Katie had seemed convinced that there was a chance for romance between Liam and Amelia. Amelia snorted. Liam didn’t even have time to bond with his daughter. There was no chance he’d have time for romance.
Just then, her phone buzzed. She flipped it over to see a text from Liam, which made her heart skip a beat. Even though she lived in his house, they were rarely in contact. He had texted a few times to answer Amelia’s questions (yes, she could buy anything she wanted for Grace using the credit card; no, he wouldn’t be home for dinner; yes, the maid would be coming in the next day), but he’d never initiated a conversation.
Amelia. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be home around three. I’ve arranged a photoshoot for the three of us. Please be ready. Liam
Amelia blinked at the text for several moments. At first, she wondered why Liam had arranged a photoshoot — but then she realized the obvious answer: that he needed some family pictures to uphold his reputation. That was fine. This was part of their deal, and Grace would be up from her nap by three.
Okay. See you then.
Despite herself, Amelia was a little nervous about seeing Liam. She took a few deeps breaths to steady herself, then turned back to her book.
Just before three, Amelia and Grace were ready and waiting in the living room. Amelia had picked out a simple blue sundress for herself and a newly purchased flowery dress for Grace. It was perhaps a little too fancy, but it was Grace’s favorite, and the little girl had danced with joy when Amelia got it out.
The elevator doors dinged open, and Liam stepped through. He was wearing his usual outfit of a suit and tie. He smiled at Amelia and Grace.
“Hello, ladies.”
Grace snuggled closer to Amelia on the couch, and Amelia put an arm around her. Even though Liam was her father, Grace had barely spent any time with him, so she still felt very shy in his presence. If this bothered Liam, he didn’t show it.
“Thanks for being ready. The photographer is going to meet us downstairs, and we’ll take the pictures in the park across the street. Shall we head down?”
“Sounds good.” Amelia got to her feet.
“Up!” Grace lifted her arms to Amelia, who scooped her up. Together, the three of them returned to the elevator.
“How’s work going?” Amelia asked pleasantly.
“It’s busy, as usual. There are some bugs with our newest app, but the team is working on it.” Liam glanced at Amelia. “And how’s home?”
“Great. Grace is really a joy. Aren’t you, sweetheart?”
Grace squirmed closer to her, and Amelia chuckled.
“A joy, but shy. I really love spending time with her, though.”
“Yes, well.”
Liam didn’t seem to know what to say. In that moment, Amelia’s heart went out to him. What must it be like to be a man so successful in business yet with no clue how to care for his own child? But she shut down her empathy. The truth was that Liam hadn’t cared to know his daughter when she was younger, leaving her care entirely in the hands of the girl’s mother. If he’d been involved from the beginning, he wouldn’t feel so distant now.
“Are these photos for your office?” Amelia asked, trying to move the conversation along.
“Yes. I need a few framed family photos for my desk, especially for my meeting with Stanley.”
“Stanley?”
“He’s one of our major investors, and the main reason for our… arrangement. He’s very traditional and cares about family above all else.”
The opposite of you. Amelia bit her tongue.
The elevator doors opened and the trio stepped into the lobby. Amelia was still holding Grace in her arms, but as they exited the building, Grace began to wiggle to get down. Amelia set her gently on her feet, and Grace took her hand.
“She really likes you,” Liam pointed out. There was a slight undercurrent in his tone that Amelia couldn’t place.
“I really like her ,” Amelia countered. “We’re friends, right, Grace?”
“Fwiends,” Grace repeated happily.
“The two of you could be friends too,” Amelia pointed out.
“Fwiends,” Grace repeated. Amelia wasn’t sure how much the child had understood of the conversation, but she squeezed Grace’s hand. Liam didn’t reply. He just gestured to a woman standing on the street outside.
“Here’s our photographer.”
The woman smiled. “Hi there. I’m Meg.”
“Nice to meet you.” Amelia extended a hand to shake. “I’m Amelia and this is Grace. Grace, do you want to say hi?”
Grace shook her head and buried her face behind Amelia’s knee again.
“No problem.” The photographer smiled at them. “Shall we head to the park?”
They crossed the street to a nearby park. Grace immediately spotted a duck pond and tugged at Amelia’s hand.
“Duck! Duck!”
“I know, sweetie.” Amelia smiled at her. “We’ll see the ducks a little later, okay?”
“Ducks,” Grace said again, sadly.
“Don’t worry,” Meg said. “Pictures can be fun, too. Let’s start with a few group shots. Mom, can you pick Grace up? And Dad, you can put your arms around them?”
Amelia’s mouth opened of its own accord, ready to correct the photographer, but she closed it again. This was what she and Liam had agreed to — that she wouldn’t correct people who assumed that she was Grace’s mother.
“Sure,” she said instead. “Grace, up?”
Grace obediently held up her arms. “Up.” Amelia lifted her onto her hip.
“Perfect. Now, Dad, put one arm around Amelia and rest your other hand on Grace’s head.”
Liam hesitated, and Amelia could tell that he was uncomfortable with the arrangement. She wasn’t entirely comfortable, either. Holding Grace was one thing, but having Liam put his arm around her felt entirely different. Intimate.
But Liam stepped forward. He slid an arm around Amelia’s shoulders, and Amelia caught the scent of his cologne, a masculine, slightly woodsy smell. Liam’s presence was warm, and all her focus was drawn to him, just like when he’d stood in front of her at the restaurant and asked her to reconsider their arrangement.
Liam rested his other hand on Grace’s back, as instructed, and the photographer snapped a few shots.
“Lean into each other,” she suggested. Amelia gave in to the magnetic force that pulled her towards Liam and allowed herself to lean against him. His chest was firm and muscular against her shoulder. The photographer snapped a few more photos, then instructed them to take a new position.
This time, Amelia and Liam held Grace’s hands and swung her between them. Grace was hesitant to take Liam’s hand — he was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger to her — but she agreed when Amelia explained that they could swing her high through the air. When they lifted her up, the little girl shrieked with joy, her pink sneakers kicking up almost level with her head.
Next, the photographer instructed them to hold Grace’s hands and look down at her, their backs to the camera. Grace looked from Amelia to Liam, grinning broadly. Amelia and Liam exchanged a glance, and Amelia’s heart warmed — perhaps Liam was finally bonding with his daughter. Maybe this photoshoot would be good for more than a few fake photos.
After a few shots of this, Meg nodded. “Great. Now, Mom and Dad, bend down and kiss Grace’s cheeks.”
Just then, there was a buzzing sound. Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
“Sorry, it’s work.” He answered and turned away, already speaking quickly into the phone. “I see. Tell Oliver that until we get a better figure for the service fees, we won’t be partnering with him at all. And…” His voice trailed off as he walked away from them.
Amelia exchanged an apologetic glance with the photographer. “His job is very important.”
“Right. Shall we take a few photos of you and Grace?”
“Sure.” But as Amelia posed with Grace, holding her hands, chasing her around, tickling her small stomach until the child cackled with glee, she was distracted by Liam. It had seemed that he was finally connecting with Grace, at least a little, but the moment work had called, it was all over. Amelia couldn’t help feeling frustrated. It wasn’t right for him to prioritize his job during the few minutes he’d set aside for his child.
And yes, Amelia felt a little personally slighted, too. She’d been having fun with Liam. It had been nice to see him again in a more relaxed environment. It had also been nice when he’d put her arms around her, even though she knew it shouldn’t have been.
A few minutes later, Liam came striding back towards them. Amelia was relieved.
“Sorry about this, but I will need to go into the office. There’s a minor emergency.”
“You paid for the full two hours,” Meg reminded him.
“Maybe you can take a few more shots of Amelia and Grace. Listen, I have to run.”
And with that, Liam was gone, leaving Amelia in shock — and more disappointed than she should have been.