He opens the door and places the little girl on the bed.
“Bed!” she says, and while I almost think that she might lie down and crawl under the covers, I’m dead wrong.
She begins bouncing on the queen-sized mattress. The bed is huge for such a little girl, but I don’t suppose he knew he was going to have a kid around the house.
Levi drops the backpack at his feet and bends, unzipping the compartment, and retrieving a set of pajamas. The cotton material is pink and covered in yellow ducks. The jammies are cute, but they’re not princess-esque if that’s what Amelia is going for.
Amelia flies into the air, giggling as she jumps on the bed.
“Princess! Princess!” she squeals, and I capture her before her feet can land on the mattress.
“I think you need to get this little princess a trampoline,” I say.
“No, they’re too dangerous,” Levi says.
“And jumping on the bed isn’t dangerous?”
“I didn’t say that she could jump on the bed,” he snaps. I swear I hear him growl. He’s steaming. I’ve annoyed him once again. How many times is my limit in one day?
“How about we take a bath and then read a story?” I suggest, helping her climb onto my back for a ride.
The kid is heavy, and it’s a struggle, but I’ll do anything to make this little girl happy. Her father, on the other hand, can kiss my ass any time that he’d like.
“Give her here,” Levi says, and bends down. “Give your mo—nanny a break.”
Was he seriously about to slip and call me Mommy? My cheeks burn, and I help Amelia climb down off me. She instantly snuggles around his back, her arms tight around his neck while he carries her off to the bathroom.
I stand there awkwardly in her bedroom.
“Are you coming,Airplane Girl?” Levi shouts to me from down the hall.
I grab the pajamas and head out of the little girl’s bedroom, following his voice down the hallway. I shuffle into the bathroom as Levi guides her feet back to the floor. Like the rest of the house, the bathroom is ridiculously large.
There’s a glass shower stall and a separate claw bathtub.
“Bath or shower?” he asks Amelia.
“Out!” she demands, pointing at him to leave her alone.
“If you want your privacy, then you’re going to have to take a shower,” he says. “I’m not taking a chance that you’ll drown in the tub.”
Amelia scrunches her nose at him and sticks out her tongue.
“I can help her,” I say.
“No boys allowed.” Amelia points at Levi and then at the door.
“Are you sure you’ve got this?” Levi asks, his brows raised. He looks worried.
“I promise she’s in good hands.”
“Don’t lock the bathroom door,” he demands as he slowly retreats, but he never fully leaves the room. His eyes are foggy like he’s trying to decide whether to trust me alone with his daughter.
“Hop in the shower,” I say to Amelia, sliding open the glass door, giving her a semblance of privacy while Levi stands in the doorjamb, his arms folded across his chest. He hasn’t retreated any farther, and I doubt that he will.
Amelia shimmies out of her clothes, the hot pink skirt coming off last. Once I have the dirty clothes, I hand them off to Levi to deal with. I adjust the shower spray, pointing it at the wall while I turn it on and wait for the temperature to rise, before turning it to the center of the shower.
I slide the door closed. The glass is frosted, which allows the little girl her privacy while also assuring both of us that she hasn’t fallen or gotten hurt.