Page 1 of Manny Included
ChapterOne
Bayer Swanson got off the redeye and checked his messages as he waited for his Uber to show.There were a number of them from Will, his assistant, giving him the details of the funeral, as well as confirming the address of his brother’s place so he knew where he was going.
His ride pulled up, and he tossed his garment bag and his carry-on into the back, sliding in after them and settling back with a sigh.He’d been doing business in Japan when he’d gotten the news that his brother and sister-in-law had been killed in a car accident, leaving behind four kids.He’d put Will on organizing the funeral while he made his way back.He’d had one meeting he couldn’t cancel but had been on the first flight back after that.Even with an overnight from LA, it had taken three days to get back.Three days with very little sleep and he was grumpy as fuck.
Will had cleared his calendar for four days; the man was a miracle worker, honestly.
He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew, the driver was telling him they’d arrived.
With a clipped, “Thanks,” he grabbed his stuff and got out of the car before heading up the front walk and the stairs to the front door.The house was midsized in an older neighborhood.Bay seemed to remember something about a big backyard and good schools, but he honestly hadn’t been paying that much attention when Tony had told him about the place they’d bought.
He put down his carry-on so he could ring the bell.Nobody answered, so he rang again.Twice in quick succession.
“I swear to god, if you wake up Merida or Flynn, I will beat you!”A lean, exhausted looking man with a mass of wild curls appeared through the door open, wearing a tiny pair of shorts and a Sesame Street T-shirt.“What do you want?”
“A coffee, breakfast, and if at all possible, a nap,” he snapped back.
“Not a B&B.This is not a good time.The children are sleeping.Please.”
“Look, I assume you’re the manny Will told me about, so thanks for looking after the kids.But you need to let me in.While I realize I’m likely not to get any of those three, I am not going to stand out on the stoop like some fucking salesman.I’m Bay.Tony’s brother?Didn’t Will let you know I was coming this morning?”He didn’t believe that for a minute; Will was the best assistant he’d ever had; the man worked miracles on a regular basis, no way had he forgotten to let the children’s carer know he was coming.
“Watch your mouth!”The guy blinked at him.“I’m Pete.Can I please see some identification?”
Bay would be annoyed by the question, except he supposed it was a good thing this guy was being cautious—it was his job to look after the kids, after all.He let the ‘watch your mouth’ go.This time.He put his garment bag down on top of his carry-on and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.He opened it to his driver’s license and showed it to Pete.“Happy?”He really did need to sit and to get some coffee into himself, even if he had to Doordash it.He’d been awake for a fucking long time.
“Yes.Sorry, it’s been an awful week.I have a pot of coffee going and there are doughnut holes.”Pete opened the door wider.
“That sounds like it’ll hit the spot, thank you.And yeah.It’s been shitty.”He went in past Pete, bringing his carry-on and his garment bag.“I’m straight off the plane from Japan.Where can I put my stuff?”
“Let me show you.The kids have been—understandably—hysterical.The babies have only been down for a couple of hours, and Belle made herself sick crying.Eric won’t come out from under his bed, but they are all asleep.”
“Under his bed?”That didn’t sound healthy.But it had only been a few days since their parents died, and he figured the manny knew a hell of a lot more about kids than he did.Thank god they’d had one because he wasn’t sure what he would have done if not.“I wanted to say thank you for dealing with all of this.”
Pete shrugged.“I’ve been with them since two days before Belle was born.It’s my honor.”
“Belle’s the oldest!”That was all the kids’ lives.And the last seven years of Tony and Cindy’s too.Seven?Eight?Nine?He’d ask Will.
“She is.It’s been the most amazing eight years of my life so far.They’re my kiddos.”
Well, they’d been Tony’skiddos, but he wasn’t about to argue with the man taking care of the kids.“Well, I can’t fault your commitment.”
That earned him an odd little look, but a functional little bedroom door was opened, and he was ushered in.
“Here you go,” Pete whispered.“The coffee’s in the kitchen.The bathroom is down the hall.”
He looked around, frowning.This was tiny.He supposed it would do for now, but if he wound up staying here, he’d be using the master.
“Thanks.I’ll wash up first.”He might even grab a shower, actually change into a pair of sweats or something, see if he couldn’t get an hour or so before he checked in on work.
Pete nodded to him, then turned away with a frown.
“PETE!PETE, HELP ME!”
The man was sprinting before the first syllable was out, sliding into one of the bedrooms and pulling a screaming little boy out from beneath the bed.
“I’m here, buddy.I’m right here.”
“Don’t go!Don’t leave!”