‘And your book?’ I say to Willow, who nods enthusiastically.
‘Flick is going to lend me some of hers,’ she says beaming.
I take a deep breath, shaking my head as I feel a wave of emotion flush through me.
‘Go say bye to daddy girls,’ says my sister, and the three of them huddle away, dropping their stuff and running to his side.
‘Thank you,’ I say as I pull her in for a hug.
‘Just go easy on him,’ she says, laughing. ‘Maybe let him have a nap halfway through?’
I punch her arm gently. ‘You can talk,’ I say.
‘I’m speaking from experience,’ she smiles, raising her eyebrows.
‘Come on girls,’ she says. ‘Let’s go before their food gets cold.’
‘Bye dad,’ shouts Thea as she grabs her stuff.
‘Bye daddy,’ the other two call in unison.
Then Harper comes running up to me and squeezes me tight and looks up. ‘Bye Kenzie,’ she says, and then she whispers. ‘I love you,’ and runs away, and I’m left reeling and laughing as tears well up in my eyes again.
And then the door closes and they’re gone and I turn around and smile as Blake stands up.
Slowly I walk over, my chest quivering with emotion as he gestures for me to sit, tucking me in gently as I smell the tomato sauce dripping from the pasta and grin.
‘Is this her signature dish?’ I ask as he sits down.
‘It may be her only dish,’ he laughs, collecting his fork and swirling it into the mix, withdrawing it and offering it up to my lips.
‘Oh, am I like a taste tester?’ I laugh.
‘Absolutely,’ he grins. I open my mouth and he slips the fork in gently, and my taste buds explode with delight as the sauce overwhelms my tongue.
‘Oh my goodness,’ I say, my mouth full. ‘This is amazing.’
‘Yeah?’ he says, taking his fork back and trying a mouthful of his own. ‘Oh, wow,’ he blinks.
‘She is good.’
‘She is,’ he says with pride.
I smile and dab at my lip, then I reach out for his hand and take it in mine, stroking the back of his palm with my thumb.
‘I like this,’ I say.
He grins, taking another mouthful. ‘Me too.’
‘No, I mean. I like this. Being here, with you.’
Blake smiles and nods. ‘I know.’
‘I know this is a big step for you,’ I say carefully. ‘And I want you to know that I’m not expecting anything. I don’t want things to change. I like how we are.’
He nods, putting down his fork. ‘Okay.’
‘I like our… arrangement,’ I continue. ‘I like being your nanny, and… I like being yours. I don’t want you to feel that I need more than that.’