Chapter 30 #2
Dean pauses outside the window. Tiny holiday outfits cover miniature mannequins.
One display has matching family pajamas. Another has velvet dresses no bigger than my forearm.
He glances down at Liana. “I think she needs another sweater.”
I laugh. “She has six.”
“She could use seven. It feels like she outgrows them every week.”
I shake my head. “You’re impossible.”
He nods his head. “I’ve accepted that.”
Inside, he somehow becomes even worse. Every few minutes, he’s pulling another tiny outfit off a rack.
“What about this?” he asks as he holds it in front of Liana.
“It’s adorable.”
He continues, “And this?”
“Also adorable.”
“And this one?”
I laugh. “Dean …”
He holds up an impossibly tiny yellow-colored cable-knit cardigan. “Tell me this isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.”
I open my mouth but close it again when I really look at it. “Okay … it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I knew it.”
Into the basket it goes.
Liana watches the entire process with complete indifference, perfectly content to chew on one of the carrier straps while her father debates between two nearly identical pairs of tiny winter boots.
I laugh so hard that I have to lean against him. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I prefer enthusiastic.”
The cashier smiles knowingly as she rings everything up. “First baby?”
Dean looks down at Liana before looking at me.
We are going to have to get used to people assuming we’re a family. It’s just easier not to correct them.
As we step back onto the sidewalk, I notice a woman standing outside the store.
She’s probably around my age. Her husband balances a sleepy toddler on one shoulder, looking extremely annoyed, while she watches Dean adjust Liana’s little hat happily.
For just a second, our eyes meet. She smiles at Dean again before she looks back at me.
There’s something in her expression I recognize immediately—jealousy. She’s looking at us and seeing something she wishes she had.
A little family, enjoying a Saturday afternoon together.
She has no idea Dean and I have only officially been together for about fifteen minutes. She has no idea how terrified we both were of what people would think.
To her, we simply look like we belong together.
The thought follows me all the way to the dress boutique.
When we return to the penthouse, garment bags hang over Dean’s arm while Liana is fast asleep against his chest, exhausted from all the excitement.
Dean puts the bags down then carefully unclips the carrier before lifting her into his arms.
She barely stirs.
“I’ll put her down.”
I nod. “I’ll go put all of this in my closet.”
He smiles over his shoulder. “I’m not going to be able to get the images of you in those dresses out of my head.”
Heat creeps into my cheeks. “You are such a flirt.”
“I’ve earned the right.”
I laugh quietly as I disappear down the hallway.
Inside my bedroom, I close the door and lean against it for a moment.
I place the garment bags in my closet and the shopping bags on the floor.
Life feels different now. The future suddenly stretches further than I’ve let myself imagine.
Then I remember Dean and his fear of me telling my parents. I promised Dean I’d call them tonight.
My stomach flutters. I’m not ashamed, but this conversation will somehow make everything feel real.
I pull my phone from my purse and scroll until I find my mom’s name. My thumb hovers over the screen.
For one brief moment, I picture Dad answering.
Picture trying to explain that somewhere between becoming a nanny and helping raise a baby, I fell in love with the baby’s father.
There’s no perfect way to say it. So, I take a steadying breath and press Call. The phone rings twice before she answers.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Mom,” I say, trying to sound breezy and nonchalant.
“Well …” she says slowly. “You sound happy.”
I laugh. “Do I?”
“You’ve sounded happy for weeks now. I’m so glad this arrangement worked out. It’s exactly what you needed.”
I walk over to the window, looking down at the lights twinkling across Manhattan. “Is Dad there?”
“Oh, he’s sitting right beside me. I’ll put you on speaker.”
I hear some shuffling before my dad’s familiar voice comes on the line.
“Hey, Bug.”
I smile. “You know I outgrew that nickname years ago.”
“Never,” he replies matter-of-factly.
I shake my head, laughing. “I’m fighting a losing battle, aren’t I?”
“Glad you’re figuring that out. Took you twenty-two years.”
The teasing settles my nerves a little. For a moment, it almost feels like every other phone call we’ve had since I moved to the city.
Almost.
Dad must sense something because his voice softens. “What’s up?”
I twist the ring on my finger nervously. “I wanted to tell you guys something.”
“Okay …” he replies.
“Dean invited me to a charity event for his company this weekend.”
“That’s nice,” Mom says. “His company hosts one every year, doesn’t it?”
“I think so.”
“So, you’re helping with Liana that night?”
I close my eyes. “No.” I take another breath. “I’m going as his date.”
Neither of them says a word. For several long seconds, all I hear is the faint static on the line.
“Dean?” Dad finally says.
“Yes,” I swallow the lump that feels stuck in my throat.
“Dean Ledger?”
I can’t help laughing. “How many Deans do you know?”
“I just …” He lets out a surprised breath. “Steven’s Dean?”
“Yes.”
Mom gasps. “Oh my goodness.”
“I did not see that coming.” Dad still sounds completely caught off guard.
“I know,” I reply.
“I mean …” He laughs in disbelief. “I sent you over there to help with his baby.”
I bury my face in one hand, laughing despite myself. “I know.”
Mom starts laughing too. “Well, I certainly didn’t have that on my bingo card.”
“I don’t think anyone did,” I offer.
Dad grows quiet again. “So, how long has this been going on?”
I glance toward my bedroom door. “Not that long.”
“Long enough that he asked you to attend a public event as his date. He wouldn’t take my daughter to a public charity gala unless he intended to make things serious.”
I blink as I realize he’s spot-on with his assumption. That sounds exactly like Dean. Never rushing into something halfway.
“We’ve been trying to figure things out,” I admit. “I didn’t plan for this, Dad. I promise. It just”—I search for the right words— “happened.”
His answer comes without hesitation. “The best things usually do.”
Emotion catches unexpectedly in my throat. “You aren’t upset?”
“I’m surprised.” He laughs softly. “Very surprised.”
“But upset?” I question.
“No,” he says warmly. “Not even a little.”
I lean against the windowsill. “I honestly thought you might be.”
“Why?”
I tuck my hair behind my ear. “The age difference.”
He hums thoughtfully. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the first thing that popped into my head.”
My stomach sinks.
He continues, “But then I remembered who we’re talking about.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve known Dean since he was a teenager. I’ve watched that boy grow into a man. He worked for everything he has. I’ve never once heard anyone question his character.”
Mom jumps in. “Your father has always liked Dean.”
“I know.” I smile to myself.
“He just never imagined liking him as a potential son-in-law.”
Dad laughs. “That’s true.”
I smile despite myself. “I suppose this takes a little getting used to.”
“A little?” He chuckles. “I still remember him coming over to the house with grass stains on his knees.”
I laugh as I try to picture Dean at that age.
The line goes quiet again.
Finally, Dad asks the question I knew was coming. “Does he make you happy?”
I don’t even have to think. “Happier than I’ve ever been.”
“Does he treat you well?”
I close my eyes. “He treats me better than I ever imagined someone could.” I laugh. “Sometimes, more than I want him to.”
“What does that mean?”
“He lets me win arguments.”
Dad snorts. “Now I know you’re lying.”
“I swear. He actually asks what I think. He trusts me.” My smile softens. “He makes me feel like I matter.”
“That’s all I needed to know,” Dad replies.
Tears prick unexpectedly behind my eyes. “Really?”
“Really.”
“I trusted Steven when he said Dean needed help. I trust my daughter to know who deserves her heart.”
My throat tightens. “I’m crazy about him.”
“I knew there must’ve been a reason you were smiling every time we video-chatted with you. I knew it was a guy,” Dad brags.
“You thought she was smiling because she liked New York,” Mom cuts in.
“I can have two correct thoughts.”
Their playful bickering makes me laugh through the tears gathering in my eyes.
“So,” Mom says, “when do we finally get to see the two of you together?”
“Oh gosh. There will probably be pictures from this weekend.”
“Oh, I can’t wait,” Mom says enthusiastically.
Dad clears his throat dramatically. “I can.”
Mom laughs. “You’re impossible.”
“I’m still adjusting.”
“To what?” I ask.
“The little girl who used to chase lightning bugs in my backyard is dating Steven Ledger’s son.”
I smile. “When you say it like that … it sounds strange.”
“Tell Dean something for me.”
My heart skips. “What?”
“Tell him he’s a lucky guy.”
I blink. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.” A beat passes before he adds with a chuckle, “And tell him not to get too comfortable.”
I laugh. “What does that mean?”
“It means I fully intend to remind him that no matter how successful he becomes … he’s still the kid who accidentally broke my rake, trying to build a baseball field in our backyard.”
I burst into laughter. “Oh my gosh.”
“He remembers. I guarantee he remembers.”
I shake my head, smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt. “I’ll tell him.”
“I love you, Bug.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
“Thank you for telling us, sweetheart,” Mom says. “Love you, dear.”
“I love you, Mom.”
When the call ends, I lower the phone and stare out at the city for another moment.
The knot I’ve been carrying in my chest since Dean asked me to be his girlfriend is gone.
My parents know. They’re happy, and somewhere down the hall, Dean is probably feeding Liana her bedtime bottle.
I wipe away a happy tear, smile to myself, and head for the bedroom door.
I can’t wait to tell him.