Page 32 of Game On

She took her mug of coffee and sat at the table across from Liam, who immediately started chatting her ear off. It was seven a.m., and he was already running a mile a minute. When I looked back at them, the way she smiled at him and encouraged him made me want to reconsider not trying a relationship. But that was a ridiculous thought. I may have shared a heated kiss with this woman, but I barely knew her.

I busied myself with making eggs and toast, trying to drown out my heart telling me what to do. Or maybe it was my dick. Either way, it needed to shut up because my brain knew better.

I grabbed plates, sectioned our respective portions onto them, and brought them over to the table. I used the special plate for Liam because he hated when his food touched, especially at breakfast. He usually only wanted pancakes, but when Lily made a big show of taking a bite of her eggs and saying, ‘ Yum!’ dramatically, he started eating too.

The fact she was so good with him was obviously because she was a mom. But I had to admit, it was a huge turn-on.

“Can we talk about what happened last night?” I blurted out.

She raised an eyebrow. “Me staying over? I know you said I could leave, but I couldn’t. He seemed so upset.”

I shook my head. “Not that. Before.”

Her eyes widened in recognition, and she shifted around in her chair uncomfortably. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

I rubbed my beard. “I’m not… I don’t have time for a relationship.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Who said I did?”

“I—”

“Forget it, Logan,” she said, but in a firm voice that meant I pissed her off.

“I’m not trying to⁠—”

But she cut me off with a glare, and Liam looked between the two of us in concern. I ruffled his hair to let him know it was okay.

Lily pushed her plate of food away. “I better get going. I’ll see you around, Logan.” She got up from her chair but knelt down in front of Liam. “Bye, Liam. I had fun with you last night. Don’t be too hard on your uncle, okay?”

“No, don’t go!” he cried and wrapped his arms around her neck.

“I gotta, baby. Be good, okay?”

He nodded enthusiastically, while I sat there silently watching her grab her things and leave.

I sighed at the sound of the door slamming behind her.

“I like Lily,” Liam said.

“Me too, bud.”

Because I did. What I saw of her, I liked. In the long run, it was better if I pissed her off instead of her getting ideas that we could be something more. It didn’t help the raging boner I had in my pants when I thought about her moans as we kissed last night, though. A part of me knew things were better this way, but the other part of me was kicking myself for being an asshole.

My phone beeped, and I saw a text message from her sister.

MARI: Hi! I’ll be back in Philly on Sunday. I could swing by and meet Liam if you like?

That was quick. Maybe Mari needed me as much as I needed her.

ME: That would be awesome. Your sister already said she trusted you with her daughter’s life.

MARI: I love Rosie! But please check my other references before you hire me.

Already Mari seemed more professional than any of the other nannies I had hired. I hoped this worked out.

“Okay, bud, we’re gonna meet a new friend today,” I told Liam and tried to get him excited.

“Lily?” he asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.