Temporary Nanny

Epilogue

"I still can't believe you did all this." I murmur from my seat in the rocking chair. Only I'm not in Stella's room. In fact, I'm not even in the same building.

As it turns out, Michael invested in a home. Not some nice apartment home but an actual home. One with freshly cut green grass and a yard with a small playground - the whole nine.

He claims he bought it a couple weeks after I left and has been slowly moving in with Stella. That of course was put on pause after the accident but he's been coming to work on the nursery every time Karen made him switch out at the hospital.

It's a beautiful nursery. Full of all the baby essentials that luckily Stella had grown out of needing, such as her changing table and though it was a torn decision, her crib.

In the end it was her who made the choice to switch to a big girl bed and let her baby sleep in the crib so in her words 'he not fall.' Sarah still sleeps cuddled up close in bed with her but she decided Park should have Fido, the only one of Sarah's kittens that we kept.

I was worried at first that she'd feel replaced or threatened by the new baby but it's been quite the opposite.

She love to help with bath time, watches as we change diapers, and even sings him to sleep every night. Shes always got a close eye on him and makes sure whoever is holding him is gentle like when she pets the kitties.

Of course me and Michael are always careful with letting her feel important and helpful with him especially on busy days when maybe our focus isn't solely on her and what she's doing, running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Those days I like to have her nap with him or lay him in his swing and ask her to keep an eye on him even if he is just sleeping.

All in all life has been pretty great since getting back from the hospital. I've woken up to/gone to sleep in an empty bed only twice this month and I've thought about my old apartment exactly one time.

Which must be some kind of new record for us.

Michael hasn't written a note in a couple weeks now and even when he doesn't come home I always know where to find him.Sometimes it's the park or aquarium or his parents' house but it's almost always the diner we first ever ate at the day after I watched Stella for the first time.

"I have a confession," Michael mutters, with a small hint of a smile. He's sat on the floor with Park sleeping soundly in his arms. "I lied that day I called you about Stella being sick."

"What do you mean?" My brows pulling together. "Well, yeah she had a small fever but mum had already told me what to do. I just...I thought you were on a date," he admits. "You were trying to crash my date?" I cock a brow. "Technically. But it wasn't really a date was it," he states with a grin.

"I can't believe you were trying to cock block me." I shake my head amusingly.

"It's not my fault you made me like you," he defends. "I made you like me?" I chuckle. "Mhm, you and your book buying and getting in with my daughter," he smirks. I roll my eyes lightheartedly and look down at the sleeping almost 3 year old in my lap.

Times gone so fast it still leaves me dizzy sometimes.

"I can't believe he's already just about the age she was when I first met you two." I hum softly, running a gentle finger over the soft skin of Stella's rosy cheeks. "I can't believe I left my baby with a stranger," Michael teases. I send him an unimpressed look. "I'm glad I did though. I guess you were right all along, you really were only my nanny temporarily."

I smile easily, looking up from the steady breathing of the toddler deep in slumber and over to the two boys I loved unconditionally, feeling absolutely full of warmth and love. I couldn't think of a better way to end my night. Abetter place to be, than right here with the three most important people in my life.

And all because some red haired runner had no idea what he was doing with a 4 month old baby.

So many things could have gone differently that day. I could have not answered the door, he could have knocked on someone else's, his sitter could have actually showed, his wife could have rethought her decision to leave.

Yet, somehow he ended up knocking on my door only a day after I moved in. What were the odds?

Whatever the reason was, be it fate or a higher power, I'm just eternally grateful for this absolute dream of a man. Even if he did steal my parking spot that one day.

"I'm glad I was your temporary nanny." I breathe into the quiet room feeling complete bliss with the soft smile he sends my way.