Chapter 2
Two
Noah
I watched Aria consider the offer, trying to read her expression. She had her eyes trained downward, and I could see her working through everything I'd just told her. Seven children. Four hours a day. A salary that was probably triple what she'd expected.
It was a lot to process.
I'd been honest in the job posting about needing someone experienced with multiple children, but we'd learned the hard way that leading with "seven kids from six different families" got us applicants who saw dollar signs instead of children. People who knew how to manage chaos but not how to care.
This time, we'd been more strategic. And now I was watching someone I genuinely believed could be perfect for the kids, someone who might actually want to run.
I couldn't blame her if she did.
But God, I hoped she wouldn't.
There was something about Aria that had caught my attention from the moment she'd walked into my office.
Not just that she was beautiful—though she was, with those blue-green eyes and the way she'd nervously tucked her hair behind her ear—but the way she'd talked about wanting to be immersed with children.
The genuine warmth in her voice when she'd asked about Oliver and Theo. The way she'd leaned forward when I mentioned the kids' activities, like she was already planning how to support them.
She'd laughed at the Kid Cruiser story, a real laugh that lit up her whole face, and something in my chest had tightened.
I wanted her to say yes. For the kids, obviously. They deserved someone like her.
But if I was being honest with myself—and I tried to be—I wanted her to say yes for other reasons too. Reasons I had no business thinking about during a job interview.
Reasons that involved the five other men who were probably pacing their respective homes right now, waiting to hear if I'd found someone worth meeting.
We'd talked about it, the six of us. About how the right nanny might be more than just a nanny, if she was open to it. If she was the kind of woman who could handle our unconventional situation.
But that was getting ahead of myself. First, she had to agree to watch seven kids.
Aria lifted her head finally, and I held my breath.
"I'll do it," she said.
Relief flooded through me so fast I almost missed her next words.
"It's like I said, I want to be immersed with kids. What better way to do it than with seven babies as opposed to two?"
She smiled, and it took everything in me not to let my professional mask slip completely. "Really?"
"Yeah." She nodded, more confident now. "I mean, it's definitely not what I expected when I came here today, but... it feels right. Like this is what I'm supposed to be doing."
I reached into my desk drawer and pulled out the file I'd prepared—dietary restrictions, schedules, allergies, medications, personality quirks.
Everything she'd need to know about the kids.
"I'm thrilled you're willing to do it." I handed the folder across the desk, and our fingers brushed briefly as she took it.
"Here's everything you need to know about the kids.
Obviously, you'll learn the most about them by interacting with them, but this will give you an idea about their schedules and what their individual needs are. "
She clutched the folder to her chest, already looking down at it with interest. "Excellent. I'll study it tonight. When would you like me to start?"
"If you can take some time to read it over this week and then give me a call with any questions by Friday afternoon. If you're comfortable with it, we'll have you meet them after we pick them up from school on Friday. We'll also give you the keys to The Kid Cruiser," I said.
Aria snickered, and I realised I'd thrown one of the kids' phrases at her with no context. "The what?"
"The Kid Cruiser," I repeated, imagining the twins cracking up as I said it.
"When we first decided to combine our nannies into one position, we bought a van for the nanny to use. I handed the keys to the nanny and made a Freudian slip, calling it a 'Kid Cruiser' not a 'Van.' The kids thought it was hysterical, and so it became the 'Kid Cruiser.'"
Aria giggled, and the sound did something to me. "That's so cute."
"You'll have the van at your disposal. Feel free to use it for whatever needs you have so long as you're getting the kids where they need to go, and we'll make sure it gets a full tank of gas over the weekend so you're good to go on Monday," I told her.
She nodded, still smiling. "Wonderful. It sounds like you guys really have done everything to make things go smoothly."
"Well, we've done what we can, but we're glad we have you to come in and do what we can't for them," I responded, and I meant it. Our kids deserved someone who cared. Someone who saw them as more than a paycheck or a responsibility.
I stood up and held out a hand for her to shake. "Welcome to the family."
Aria stood up, clutching the folder close to her chest. She took my hand, and her skin was soft and warm against mine. "Thank you. I'm happy to help."
I held her hand perhaps a moment longer than was strictly professional, then released it and led her out of my office and down to her car. We made small talk about the neighbourhood, about parking, about when she should call if she had questions.
All the while, I was thinking about the phone call I needed to make.
As soon as her car pulled away from the curb, I was pulling out my phone.
"Ronan," I said when he picked up. "Get Gabriel and Liam and head over. We need to talk."
"You found someone?" His voice was cautious, hopeful.
"Yeah," I said, watching Aria's car disappear around the corner. "I think I did. And guys... I think she might be the one."
I could hear the smile in Ronan's voice. "We'll be there in twenty."
I hung up and headed back inside, already thinking about how to explain Aria to the others. How to convey that she wasn't just qualified, wasn't just good with kids.
She was special.
And if we were very, very lucky, she might be exactly what we'd all been looking for.