Page 112 of Bang

To Willow, I replied, "Well, they just need to get to know him, that's all."

"Oh, I know," she said. "But is he your boyfriend?"

Oh, boy.

Again, I hesitated. I didn’t want to lie to her. And happily I didn't need to. But still, I felt slightly dishonest when I said, "No. We're just friends, that's all."

"But are you sure?" she said. "Because I heard your friend say he was."

"Yeah, but she was just teasing me."

Willow eyed me with obvious suspicion. "Are you really,reallysure?"

"Sure, I'm sure."

And I was.

I mean, hadn't I just told him a few days ago that we were back to business as usual?

And let's say wewereplanning to do the horizonal hokey-pokey again, that still wouldn't make him my boyfriend.

But whatwouldit make him?

My donk-buddy?

I really hated the sound ofthat.

To Willow, I added, "But he's notjustmy friend. He's also my boss. And if your friends ask, you can tell them that he's a pretty good one, too."

And I meant it.In reality, working for Mason hadn't been half as bad as I'd feared. In fact, I'd actually come to admire him, especially for the way he cared for his sister.

Willow said, "It's okay if you are."

I'd been so lost in my thoughts of Mason, I'd lost track of the conversation. "Sorry, Sweet Pea, I'm not following. It's okay if I'm what?"

"I mean, it's okay if he's your boyfriend." She gave me a hopeful smile. "I don't mind, honest."

At the eagerness in her eyes, something tugged at my heart. More than anything, Willow wanted a regular family. She hadn't said so directly, but from little things she'd said over the past few months, I knew exactly where her thoughts were leading her.

I tried to look at it from her point-of-view. If Mason and I ever became a couple, and maybe even got married, nothing would need to change. I'd never leave, and Willow would finally have a mom – or at the very least, an older sister who adored her.

The three of us would be a family.

It was such a pretty picture, and her eager eyes held such hope that I felt my own eyes grow just a little misty.

She reallywasa terrific kid – which is why I refused to get her hopes up, only to see them dashed later on. With an encouraging smile, I said, "Well, lots of girls like Mason, so I'm sure that when the time is right, he'll meet someone really nice."

She frowned. "I don't want someone nice. I want you."

As she said it, I couldn't help but recall Mason's concerns regarding how Willow might react if I left my nanny job ahead of schedule.

The way it looked, those concerns were completely valid.

Still, I knew a minefield when I saw it. Hoping to distract her, I teased, "Oh, so I'm not nice, huh?" With a friendly laugh, I said, "I see how this is."

"But youarenice," she said. "You're just nottoonice. To him, I mean."

I was intrigued in spite of myself. "How so?"