“Are you telling me I don’t pay you enough?” he asked.
She laughed. “You pay me plenty. I’m just saving for my future.”
He nodded in understanding. “I can respect that.”
“Aren’t you going to drink yours?” she asked.
He nodded. “Cheers,” he said with a grin, lifting his cup before taking a sip.
She smiled and did the same.
“So I’m curious. How did you end up being a nanny? What was your path?” he asked.
She glanced at him over the top of her cup. “I was in foster care from the age of seven until I aged out at eighteen,” she said.
He thought of his little girl, and the idea of her being left alone, to the clutches of the state and whatever person took her in, made his stomach turn. “I’m sorry,” he said, suddenly envisioning her as a little thing like Bailey, only a few years older, going to live with strangers.
“Don’t be. I mean, I had it better than most. Good families, decent people took me in. As I got older, I loved taking care of the younger kids and the babies in the houses I was in. I didn’t make trouble, so I didn’t get switched around too often.” She shrugged, seemingly having made peace with her past.
“So you always liked kids.”
She nodded. “I put myself through a local college. I majored in early child development and minored in psychology, and I could have gone on, gotten my master’s in education, been a teacher…”
“I hear a but there,” he said, enjoying the story and her attitude toward life.
She smiled. “But I’d been working as a nanny while I was in school, and it suited me.” She shrugged. “Not a very exciting story.”
“It is to me.” He met her gaze, hoping to convey that he really did appreciate her life and admire her. “You’re strong, Mia. And you made the best of the hand you were dealt.”
She blushed. “Well, thank you for saying that.”
“No thanks necessary. Just telling the truth. So what’s your end game?”
She paused, lowering the cup from her lips. “You’ll laugh. Or at the very least, you won’t think it’s overly ambitious.”
He ignored his coffee, more interested in the fascinating woman sitting across from him. “Try me.”
“Someday I’d like a family of my own. A lot of kids, not all mine. Kids who’ve been in foster care too long and never adopted because everyone wants babies.” She rubbed her cup between her palms, not meeting his gaze. “See? Nothing all that enterprising, like becoming a teacher or succeeding in business.”
He couldn’t stop staring, enthralled not just by her beauty but by her heart. “I think it’s inspiring, what you want to do.” And the man by her side when she fulfilled her dreams would be one lucky SOB. “Not for me, because been there, done that… the family and marriage thing, but I’m sure it can work for the right couple.” He shrugged, realizing he’d admitted way too much. “I hope you find what you’re looking for,” he said, meaning it.
She glanced down, her gaze sweeping over her watch on her wrist. “Oh! It’s time to pick up Bailey.” She crumpled the napkin beside her and picked up her cup as she rose to her feet.
He stood, joining her as they tossed their half-finished drinks in the trash. They headed to the car and he beat her there, opening the passenger door before she could grab the handle herself.
He turned back and she stopped short. He caught her before she bumped into him, grasping her around the waist and pulling her close. She sucked in a surprised breath but didn’t back away, her face inches from his. Her mouth so damned close.
He knew better, he really did, but he was tired of denying himself what he wanted and his body was definitely on board. He waited for a sign she wasn’t right there with him. If she pulled back or jerked away, he’d apologize and they’d move forward from there. Instead she swayed toward him, sealing her fate.
He grasped her waist, anchoring himself by touching her, the soft sweater doing little to hide her slender body or delicate curves. He tipped his head, sliding his tongue across her lips, and with a soft moan, she parted her mouth and let him inside. She tasted of vanilla and coffee, a sweet flavor that was all Mia.
Their tongues touched, tangled, and his body came alive with a hunger he hadn’t known before.
She raised her arms, hands coming to his biceps, holding on for a brief second before she gave in and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close, giving him all the excuse he needed to deepen the kiss. He tilted his head and consumed her, swirling his tongue around the farther recesses of her mouth.