Page 9 of The Last Thing (Baker Girls #4)

CHAPTER NINE

WILSON

I’m not firing on all cylinders this morning.

Actually, I take that back. I am , but all those cylinders are devoted to Hallie.

My little hellion.

My hellion who is supposed to be Sophia’s nanny.

I drop my pencil onto the table in front of me when I come too close to snapping it in half.

Monday morning is my late morning. We have our project managers meeting at the AB Construction offices at 8:30. It worked out perfect for me to stay home a little longer and meet Hallie before heading here.

Except that meeting Hallie wasn’t the relief I hoped it would be.

She was supposed to be a memory. One I looked back on reverently, but a memory nonetheless.

Because to have her here, right across the hall from me…

whether she works for me or not, it’s going to be pure torture.

It’s impossible to deny there was more than sex between us that night.

There was an underlying passion—connection—that drove everything.

I don’t let random hookups drag me to carnivals, and I don’t finger them on Ferris wheel rides.

This is why I don’t do fun things. This is why I overthink and over plan. It drives Sophia nuts, but it keeps these exact situations from happening.

And of course, Sophia had to instantly fall in love with Hallie.

I mean, who wouldn’t?

I’ve yet to see anything about her that isn’t incredible.

I’m in so much fucking trouble.

Especially because I need a nanny. And her living across the hall would make life so much easier. It would uproot her life less, and it would make it easy for her to be there in a pinch.

My cock is very angry about this because it means he doesn’t get to play anymore.

If Hallie is going to be Soph’s nanny, anything else has to be done.

If her being Soph’s nanny is even a smart idea at this point. Maybe it’s too tangled.

Fuck.

I have zero frame of reference for this.

As the meeting ends, I grab a cup of coffee, and try to think about who I can talk to.

My mom is usually my go-to person for this, but this is one area of my life I don’t need her to know about or have an opinion on.

Thankfully, I think of a better option, and I make my way up to Leo’s office, hoping this isn’t crossing any boundaries.

He’s always supportive of his workers and tells us to come to him with anything, work-related or not, so here I am.

I knock on his door frame since his door is open, and he looks up from his computer.

“Hey, Deck.”

“Hey, boss. Got a minute?”

He waves a hand. “Sure thing, come on in. What’s going on?”

“Nothing construction-related. This is a personal thing. Question. If you’re okay with that. I don’t know many single dads, especially ones who have already been around the block. I could use some advice.”

Though he’s only forty-eight, Leo had kids in his mid-twenties and his youngest daughter was a teen mom, so he’s been through the ringer already.

“Yeah, of course. What’s going on?”

“Well, I may have found a nanny for Sophia.”

“That’s great.”

“It’s Frannie’s sister.”

“Ah, she moving up from New York?”

“Apparently. The thing is… back in August, I was down there for a friend’s wedding and I had a one-night stand…” I clear my throat and his brows go up. “With Frannie’s sister. But we didn’t exchange full names, so I had no idea and she had no idea and this morning we found out.”

“Wow.”

“Yes. And she’s worked as a nanny for years. Lives across the hall from us. Seems to have a good heart. Soph already loves her. But would it be crazy to have her be Sophia’s nanny after what happened between us?”

“Look, I’m just going to ask… do you want it to happen again?”

“In a perfect fucking world, of course. But in reality, I can keep my dick in my pants.”

“Then you’ve answered your own question. If you can both be professional, then I don’t see a problem. Assuming you feel she’s comfortable with it.”

“I think so.”

“Then talk to her. Worst case she’s not, and she becomes the fun neighbor Sophia talks to now and then.

But if she is, and you can both be professional, it should be fine.

” Then he laughs and shakes his head. “But I get it. It’s complicated.

I told myself over and over I wasn’t going to sleep with my daughter’s dance teacher and I’ve been married to her for over fifteen years now, so what the fuck do I know?

I guess what I’m saying is, play it by ear, but don’t write it off because of your history.

Maybe fate’s bringing you back together for a reason. ”

I let that settle in. It makes the most sense. No matter how incredible that night was, I can put it aside and be professional, and if Hallie can do the same, there’s no reason we shouldn’t do this.

“Thanks, Leo.”

“No problem. Have a good day, Deck.”

“Yeah, you too.”

“Is Hallie going to be my nanny?” Sophia asks through a yawn as I’m tucking her into bed.

I’m surprised it took her this long to ask, but she was busy telling me every detail of her day, then I distracted her by telling her she could take dance classes with Lara. Because as long as Hallie is on board, I’m determined to make this nannying thing work.

“I hope so. I’m going to talk to her about it tonight. But you have to go to sleep first.”

She gives me her grumpiest face, and I lean in and kiss her nose, then gently run my fingers through her light brown hair.

Even when the entire world is a dumpster fire, Soph is perfect. She’s the best part of my life, no question. Even when one or both of us is struggling, we make it through together. Usually with a little help from my mom.

Mom’s always been my biggest supporter. My dad died ten years ago, so when Sophia was born eight years ago, she devoted her time to being our rock. I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing when Sophia’s mom told me she was pregnant.

We’d been dating about six months and it was all just okay. We were young. Still figuring ourselves out.

She didn’t decide right away about keeping Sophia, and I gave her my full support with either option. I love Sophia with all my heart and I have no regrets, but at barely twenty-three and in an iffy relationship, I wasn’t longing for a kid then, either.

Soph changed it all, though.

Her mom struggled through the pregnancy.

It was high risk. She was uncomfortable and unhappy.

She had to quit a job she loved because she couldn’t work and was hospitalized all the time.

I worked two shitty jobs to make sure every bill was covered, and even then, my mom helped out a lot.

Between my dad’s pension and his life insurance, she’s set for the rest of her life and uses the extra to help everyone around her, especially me and Soph.

Sophia was born by an emergency C-section, and though I’d like to say I was more worried about Soph’s mom, I wasn’t. Our relationship was dying and neither of us really wanted to keep it alive. She had a long recovery and held a lot of resentment toward Sophia because of it.

But I respect her because she knew it. She knew she wasn’t in the mental space to be the kind of mom Sophia needed. After a lot of talks, she decided to take some time away, pursue the master’s program she wanted, and see how she felt.

She ultimately signed her rights away. Not because she felt like she had to choose between Sophia and a future, but because she realized she didn’t want her future to include motherhood.

I’ve raised Sophia telling her that her mom loved her enough to let her go because she knew she couldn’t be the mom Sophia needed. That will probably hurt more as she gets to her teen years, but for now, she’s okay with it.

And I’m okay having Soph all to myself. Though I’ve always left the door open to her mother. She can change her mind, and as long as she’s sure, she’s welcome in Sophia’s life. I refuse to let there be any bad blood there. It destroys kids.

Sophia is my whole world, and I’ll do everything I can to protect her from that kind of needless ache.

“Night, Daddy,” she whispers sleepily as I leave the room.

“Night, kiddo.”

I switch the light off, then head out to the kitchen. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing or what I want, though, so I prowl around the apartment, trying to be quiet as I wait for Soph to drift off.

Unlike when she was young, she’s a great sleeper now, so I don’t have to worry too much. Still, I’ll take the video monitor over to Hallie’s place when I go.

I just want to talk to her. Get it all out. Move on.

Because if I don’t do that, my mind will keep wandering to what-ifs, and that’s a dangerous place to be.

Carefully, I creep down the hall to Sophia’s room and stick my head inside. She’s snoring softly and cuddled up with her favorite purple bear.

Grabbing the video monitor, I quietly walk back down the hall and to the door, grabbing my keys and then locking it behind me. Even though there’s a door at the end of the hall that automatically locks along with the one downstairs, I’ll never risk Sophia’s safety.

In the hallway, I let out a long breath, then take the three diagonal steps over to Hallie’s door and knock.

There are soft footsteps on the other side, then the door swings open.

The slightest smirk appears on her lips. “Deck.”

Her playfulness relaxes me a little, and a smile slips out. “I told you it was a real name.”

“A nick name. For Decker. Wilson Decker.”

“Hallie Baker. Though I still prefer Hells Bells.”

She laughs lightly. “Where’s Sophia?”

I shake the monitor in my hand. “Asleep.”

“Ah. Well, come on in. We should talk.”

“Yeah. So… this morning was a surprise.”

“You’re telling me.”

She takes a seat at the far end of the couch, and I sit down at the opposite end. That’s good. Keeping space between us.

Whatever it is about her that attracted me to her after only a look across the bar hasn’t gone away. As much as I’d like to pin her to this couch and hear her scream my name again, that’s not an option.

“Do you think Frannie knew?” I ask.

Hallie immediately shakes her head. “No. I mean, I wouldn’t put it out of the realm of possibility for her to meddle like that, but I never mentioned to her that I hooked up with anyone. It’s pure coincidence.”

Or fate. But I’m not stupid enough to say that.

“So, what do you want me to do?” Hallie asks.

My gaze darts to hers, and she laughs.

“As your nanny, Deck.”

I clear my throat. “Right.”

“Assuming you still want me to take on that role.”

“I do. It’s the perfect situation. You’re close by and Sophia already loves you. I saw a flash of your abilities this morning, and I trust Frannie when she vouches for you. And Sophia needs someone like you.”

“Someone like me?”

“Upbeat. Fun. Not a curmudgeon like me.”

She bites her lip, and fuck me.

Don’t growl. Don’t move. Don’t think of her naked.

“I don’t think curmudgeons make people come on Ferris wheels.”

I groan before I can stop myself, then shake my head. “The guy you saw that night is a guy I haven’t been for a long time.”

“Because you have to focus on being a dad. And a grump.”

I stare at her for a beat. “You really think I’m grumpy?”

She shrugs. “You have a gruff side. Like you’re closing a part of yourself off. It might be subconsciously, but I think it comes off slightly grumpy.”

Running my hand through my hair, I lean back against her couch. “I keep things locked down tight so I don’t have to worry about major things being out of my control.”

Her features cloud for a moment. “That’s not how life works.”

“You’re right. It’s not.” I wave my hand and move on because I don’t want to get into my baggage right now. “Anyway, I want to make sure you’re comfortable with all this.”

“Absolutely, Mr. Decker.”

“Hallie…”

Her grin returns. “Sorry. It’s fun. If you want me to stop and never mention it again, then that’s fine.

But don’t worry. I wouldn’t do it in front of Sophia, and you don’t need to worry about my professionalism.

I have one hard and fast rule. Never sleep with someone I work for.

Never get involved with them. It only ends up destroying things. ”

Why do those words destroy me a little? They’re exactly what I should want to hear. She’ll keep this professional, and she can be the nanny—and woman—my daughter needs.

What about what I need?

Ha. My needs. I gave those up when I had a kid.

“Well, we should talk about compensation, then. Not a sex joke, I promise.”

She laughs a little. “Let’s crunch some numbers.”

It’s almost ten by the time we’re finished talking through things and drawing up an online contract. I was ready to say screw it, but Hallie reminded me that contracts protect both parties and they’re essential.

We came up with a pretty good system overall. I can’t afford to pay her a ton, but since Frannie isn’t charging her rent, she says she doesn’t need a lot.

Hallie sets her mostly full cup of tea on the table and fidgets in her spot like she’s done several times over the last twenty minutes.

She just signed the contract. Now I’m reading through it all on her tablet so I can sign it too.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

I finished my tea a half hour ago. Maybe she’s just tired or nervous—though that doesn’t seem like her. Either way, something’s wrong.

“Just been a long day. Still getting used to a new apartment.” She gestures to the tablet. “Finish reading.”

I finish up and sign. It’s more thorough than I ever would’ve thought of, but she’s right. It protects us both.

I lean forward to hand her the tablet, but she pushes to her feet. “Fuck.”

Then she’s bolting toward the hallway. I jump to my feet and follow her.

She runs into the bathroom and drops to her knees in front of the toilet. She barely gets it open before she throws up.

I drop to my knees beside her and grab her hair, holding it back.

After a couple of minutes, she sits back, wipes her mouth with some toilet paper, then swipes her hand over her eyes, sniffling.

“Sorry. I hate throwing up.”

I gently run my hand down her back. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. Is it something you ate? A stomach bug? Can I get you anything?”

She waves a hand. “No. It’s… I’ll get some crackers in a minute.”

“Let me get you some water.”

I run back to the kitchen before she can say another word and return with a glass of water for her.

“Thanks.”

“It’s okay. Do you need any medicine? Pepto? Or I think I have some antiemetics from when Soph was sick last.”

“No. It’s fine. I don’t think I can…”

She trails off, breathing heavily.

I stare at her for a moment.

She said no when I asked about the stomach bug or food.

She doesn’t know if she can have meds.

“Hallie…?”

All fragility disappears, and she sits up straight, looking me in the eyes. “I’m pregnant.”

It’s mine .

I know it before she opens her mouth to say it.

She’s pregnant with my baby.

She’s. Pregnant.

Fuck.

Shell-shocked, I stand up, mumble something about seeing her in the morning, and bolt.