“Your birthday isn’t for another five months,” he reminded her.
“I know,” she sighed. “That’s why I’m only almost seven.”
She was too adorable. I giggled at her response and she quickly joined in.
“Oh, I see what’s going to happen,” he grumbled exaggeratedly. “You two are going to team up on me, aren’t you?”
Sophia and I smiled at each other, giggling even harder. Once our laughter died down, I shrugged my shoulders at Nic and offered him an apologetic smile. “What can I say? Us girls need to stick together.”
“Yeah, Daddy,” Sophia chimed in. “It’s a girl thing, you wouldn’t understand.”
Her response and Nic’s answering growl set off another round of giggles for me, which were interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone.
“I’m sorry,” Nic apologized after pulling his phone from his pants pocket and glancing down at the screen. “I’ve been expecting a call about an urgent matter and need to take this.”
“Go ahead.” I waved him away, pulling the chair next to Sophia out and dropping down onto it. “Sophia and I will be fine. It looks like she has some beautiful pictures here she can show me.”
There was a moment of awkward silence when Nic left the room, but I quickly filled it by asking Sophia about her pictures. “Is this one a kitten?”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I really, really want one, and Daddy said I might be able to get one soon. It depends on what the doctor says at my next appointment. I hope Dr. Declan says I’m all better and Daddy surprises me with a kitten.”
“What kind of kitten would you want?”
“A fluffy white one!” Her response was lightning fast, as though she’d given a lot of thought to it. “Or a grey one, but it has to be super fluffy.”
“I’ll make sure to tell him to only look at super fluffy kittens if you can get one, okay?”
“Thank you,” she said sweetly.
“You’re welcome, but I love fluffy kittens, too.”
“Maybe you can help with the kitten? Daddy said you’re moving in with us.” Sophia’s angelic voice held the slightest note of uncertainty.
“Your daddy thought it would be easier for me to help take care of you if I did, but only if you’re okay with me living here,” I reassured her.
“Oh, I am!” she blurted out. “But I didn’t know if you had a little girl like me at home who would miss you.”
I moved out of my chair and dropped to my knees in front of her, taking her hands into mine. “No little girls or boys for me yet. If I did, then I wouldn’t be able to move in with you. I graduated from high school a year ago, but I still live with my mom and dad. I’m sure they’ll miss me, but they know it’s about time for me to leave home anyway.”
“My daddy had me when he was in high school when he lived at Nonno and Nonna’s old house.” Her admission confirmed my earlier assumption about Nic’s age. “But we moved out when I was two because Daddy wanted us to have a house all to ourselves. Then when Nonno died, he told Nonna he was willing to share me with her, and she moved in upstairs and we got an elevator.”
That was a lot of information out of such a little mouth. I wasn’t sure what to tackle first, so I went with the safest subject. “An elevator, huh? I’d love for you to show it to me. My mom and dad’s house doesn’t have one of those.”
She cocked her head at me. “I don’t have a mom, just a Daddy and Nonna.”
“I’m working on it, my preziosa.”
I jumped to my feet and whirled around, startled by the sound of Nic’s voice. For a big guy, he sure was light on his feet. I hadn’t heard him return, but surely he hadn’t said what I thought. The rich, hot, single dad falling head over heels for the nanny, at first sight, was something that only happened in romance novels, not real life. Even if it did, it certainly wouldn’t happen to me. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stepped away from Sophia, who was staring at both of us, her gaze swiveling back and forth while she had a big grin on her face as she took in the determined look on his.
“I’m sorry to say I need to cut our meeting short. I have business matters which need my attention, and my mother is waiting for Sophia to join her upstairs before I leave.”
Sophia scrambled from her chair and flung herself at Nic’s legs, giving him a quick hug. “Bye, Daddy.”
He bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Bye, my preziosa. I won’t be too long.”
“Okay,” she answered happily. She pulled away from him and before I knew it, she was hurtling towards me. Her skinny arms wrapped around my waist as she pressed her cheek against me in a quick hug. “Bye, Anna. It was nice meeting you.”