Authors: Jennifer Bryan Yarbrough
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I wake up the next morning to the sound of giggles. I open
my eyes and both Gideon and Eden are staring at me and
giggling. I look at the clock beside my bed on the night
stand and its 6 am. Wow! It's been forever since I've been
up this early.
The night before, took me back to having a house full of
kids. We had dinner with Carmen and Lucas and then baths
before bed.
Gideon, of course, gave himself a bath, but I had helped
Eden. She was a little shy at first and said that she could
give herself a bath, because Mrs. Williamson always made
her, but when she was struggling at washing her hair, I
ended up helping her.
When I got her out of the tub, I brushed her long curly hair
and it took me back to doing the same for Jenna. She
reminds me so much of her, except Jenna never quit talking
and Eden hardly ever talks.
I tucked both of them in and read them a story. They
wanted to sleep in the same room and in the same bed, and
with so many changes in their life, I didn't blame them. It wouldn't hurt for one night and they are siblings and still
young, at that.
They decided on Gideon's bedroom, since his bed was
bigger, so we all 3 piled up onto his king sized bed with me
in the middle and them on each side of me, with my arm
around them, as Gideon turned the pages.
Eden immediately started playing with my hair and told me
how pretty my hair was. Gideon looked at me and told me
he was glad that I was their nanny and that he hoped he
never saw Mrs. Williamson again. They fell asleep not too
far into the book and I tucked them in on each side of the
bed and went to my room.
Yes. I knew without a doubt that I had definitely made the
right decision. I felt like a hole was filling in my heart.
They really were sweet precious children and I believe in
time, by the way that Cash reacted to what all I had told him, he will be alright as well. He just needs some more
time to grieve, but he definitely loves his children, that much
I do know.
I pull the covers over my head and the kids start giggling
even harder.
"Did you know that you make funny noises when you
sleep?" I push the covers off of my head and he is grinning
at me from ear to ear and his blue eyes are sparkling,
because he seems so happy. Eden is just smiling at me. I
grab both of them and pull them onto my bed and start tickling them, as they both giggle and try to breathe.
"I do not snore, Gideon!" He's laughing so hard, he's trying
to catch his breath, so I quit tickling him.
"I didn't say you snored, I just said you make funny noises. Hahahaha." Oh, he has such an infectious laugh. Silly boy.
"I guess you two are hungry?" They both nodded at me
and grinned, and I looked at the clock. No sense in getting
dressed as early as it is, so I grab my robe and we all start
going downstairs to the kitchen.
We reach the kitchen and Carmen is in the middle of
cooking breakfast for everyone. There are eggs, bacon,
hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and orange juice and coffee. That's what I want, coffee. I walk around the
bar to get to the coffee pot and Carmen stops me and puts a
spatula between us.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm getting me some coffee. Is that okay?" Seriously?
"What do you want in it? I'll get it for you. You go sit
down."
"No, really. You just finish breakfast; I can get my own coffee." She arches her eyebrows at me. "Really. I can get
it myself. No big deal." Let's call the kitchen police, shall
we?
"Ok, but tell me what you like in your coffee and from now,
on I'll have it ready for you when you come down. I don't
like people in my kitchen. Okay?" Wow. Talk about territorial.
"Yes ma'am." Gideon looked at me and thought my reply
was funny and started cracking up. I just looked at him and
grinned. "See, you're not the only one with manners
around here, little boy."
"Yeah, I can see that and you just got told!" Hahaha... He
reminds me so much of Jeremiah, because that sounded
exactly like something he would have said.
"Yes, I sure did." I winked at him and grinned.
I looked at Carmen and she was blushing and looked
like she was going to say something, but then she had a
shocked look on her face at whatever she was looking at. I
turned around and there was Cash, standing there watching
all of us. Immediately, the room is so quiet, you could hear a
pin drop.
He is already dressed in his suit and I realize that the children and I are still in our pajamas. I only have a tank
top and short shorts on under my robe, and as of this
moment, the robe was hanging off of my body by the way
I'm sitting on the bar stool, and the reason I know this, is
because Cash is slowly looking at me from the bottom of
my feet and all the way to my face. I close my robe quickly and I know I am blushing, because my face feels like it’s on
fire. Holy shit! Carmen told me he never ate dinner at the
house, which was why I didn't bother getting dressed, since
Gideon and I didn't have to get ready for a couple of hours.
"What's for breakfast? It smells good. Carmen? Would you
make me some coffee please? Good morning, everybody."
He's grinning from ear to ear.
I look at Gideon and his mouth is still open, he's so shocked.
Eden is just looking at Cash, as if she doesn't know what to
do and comes and gets in my lap. Lucas had his mouth
wide open, but looks at me and smiles and goes back to
reading the newspaper. Carmen realizes her place and goes
immediately to the coffee pot to get Cash a cup of coffee. I am at a loss for words.
"Good morning, Mr. Kingston. Sorry for my lack of apparel.
Kids, let’s go get dressed and by the time we come back, breakfast will be ready."
"No really, it's ok, Olivia. There’s no reason you guys can’t be in your pajamas for breakfast and for the thousandth
time, will you please call me Cash? It makes me feel
weird every time you call me Mr. Kingston."
Now this is weird. Maybe what all I said last night really
opened his eyes and he's realizing he needs to be present
more, but after the way I left him last night, I wasn't
expecting this reaction so quickly.
"Ok, but I really would feel more comfortable if I went
and got dressed. Sorry." I get up and Eden won't let go of
me. "Gideon? I'm going to take your sister to go get dressed. Do you want to get dressed now or wait until after
breakfast?"
He looks at me and then he looks at his dad and back at me
and shakes his head.
"No, I'll wait. You guys can go get dressed if you want." I
just nodded at him and dragged her behind me.
I hurry up and get dressed and got Eden dressed and got to
thinking about Gideon's reaction on our way back
downstairs, from when I told him that his father wanted me to
tell him that he was sorry about how Mrs. Williamson had
treated him.
At first, he didn't believe me and thought I was making it up,
and I told him that I meant it and that I would never lie to
him for any reason and then he just grabbed me and started
hugging me and started bawling.
I asked him why he was bawling and it took him awhile to
compose himself and what he said absolutely ripped my
heart out.
"I thought he didn't love me or care about me anymore."
And then he started bawling again. I didn't know what to say, so I just held him until he stopped crying. Eden even
went up to him and started rubbing his back telling him "It's
ok Bubby, it’s ok." They really loved each other and I
imagine they probably tried to protect each other from that
evil woman. I could just rip her head off for how she
treated them.
I didn't tell Gideon that Cash planned on going to the
school, in case he just said that in the heat of the moment. I didn't want to give him false hope, but as we were
walking back into the kitchen, I heard what Cash said to
Lucas.
"Hey Lucas? Olivia and I are taking Gideon to school this
morning, so do you mind dropping me off at the office,
when we get through talking to his teacher and principal?
Carmen? Do you mind watching Eden, until he brings
Olivia back? "
Once again, everyone is speechless. Of course all Lucas and
Carmen can do is nod. Ok. So I'm going as well? It looks
like I need to change clothes again, because all I put on was
jeans and a T-shirt. Cash looks over at me.
"I know I told you I would take him this morning, but I got
to thinking about it and I want to introduce you to them, so
that they will know you're his new nanny and when I'm not
available, you'll be the one they deal with. I'm going to be
more hands on from now on and they're going to know that
by the time I leave there. Is that alright with you?
Is that alright with me? I want to reach over and give him
a big kiss and a hug, because I'm so proud of him for
standing up for his kid. I look over at Gideon and he is
grinning from ear to ear. I didn't know if there was a
happier kid in the world at the moment, the sight of his expression about choked me up.
"Yes, that's fine with me."
I looked up at Carmen and she winked at me and was
grinning as big as Gideon.
"Breakfast is ready! Let’s eat at the big table today."
Carmen was happy; I think everyone was happy at the
moment. Eden comes and grabs my hand and pulls me
towards the table and motions for me to sit at a certain chair,
and she sets her booster seat up and gets into the chair next to me and then we all started eating our breakfast.
*********************
Gideon was beaming from ear to ear on the drive to his
school. Lucas drove us in the limo at Cash's request and he
was in the seat that was facing us, and he kept looking at me
and then would look at his dad. I could tell that he was
making Cash uncomfortable, because he was looking everywhere but his son.
"Gideon? How about you unbuckle your seat belt and come
over here and sit between your father and I for the rest of
the ride." He immediately did just that and I helped buckle him in between us.
Cash looked over Gideon's head at me and mouthed "thank
you" and smiled. I wonder if he realizes that Gideon is his little mini me. They have the same eyes and big beautiful
smile. I can understand why Gideon is as excited as he is. His
father has never personally gone down to the school to help
him in any way. It was always the nanny that dealt with any
trouble he always seemed to get into and they never
defended him.
I can imagine that Cash is feeling a whole lot of things at
the moment. Shame, for not paying attention to his son all of these years. Shame, for allowing and trusting the nanny
to enforce her own punishment, since he hired her and
always taking her word for it. I imagine embarrassment as
well, for never talking to Gideon himself, to get his side of the issue. He does have a lot of making up to Gideon, but
you have to start somewhere and what he is doing right
now is big.
We pull up to the entrance of the school and Lucas gets out,
opening the doors for us. We get out and Gideon gives me
a big hug and curls his finger at me to come closer, and I
lean down to hear what he has to say.
"Thank you so much, Olivia! I can't believe you talked my
dad into doing this." I leaned down and whispered in his
ear.
"You're very welcome, but I didn't talk your father into anything. He's the one that decided to come all along." Then
I rose up and looked him in the eyes. "Have a good day at school, Gideon." I kissed him on top of his forehead, which
made him start blushing.