His Nanny

Chapter 30

Heather

I clutched onto my small bag tightly. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Gabriele.

He held Luca's hand, the announcements for my flight echoed through the airport. Gabriele smiled at me.

"I guess it's goodbye." He let go of Luca's hand and enveloped me in his embrace. I pulled back and kissed him, it was just a simple kiss but it had so much meaning, so much passion. I felt like I would sink any minute now-that's the exact same reason why I had to leave.

He let go of me and I could see his eyes were darkening.

"Promise me you're coming back." He intently studied me, locking his eyes on mine.

"I promise I'm coming back." Luca grabbed my legs.

"Mommy, don't go away too long." He begged I picked him up into a hug kissing him on the head.

"I'll be back before you know it." I set him down.

"I'll call you later my dear." With that, he turned around and grabbed Luca's hand and strutted away.

I boarded the plane walking to my window seat. I sat down while the streams of people still flooded the cabin. I just stared out the window. I started thinking about what would happen in the future.

I knew that the break would do me good but I felt the guilt knaw at me.

I had the most destructive thoughts, thinking about how I was not supposed to survive the car crash. I was supposed to die. I didn't want to think about it but I didn't know what to do about all the things that bothered me. I wanted to scream, shout, and cry but I couldn't. It felt like I had an emotional scar that just didn't want to go away.

I wanted to breathe again.

The 2-hour flight was mostly filled with reading a book and studying the types of people that walked by. I didn't feel great on this flight, I felt nauseous but pushed it down.

When the plane landed I was really happy since I could get some much needed fresh air. I claimed my bag a good half an hour later and exited the airport. Much to my surprise, Tristen was there to pick me up. I told him that I would get a taxi.

He had little Maya in a stroller; I quickened my pace so that I could get through the masses of people that came out of different gates.

"I've missed you." Tristen hugged me and released.

"I've missed you too, is the little darling sleeping?" He nodded.

"Yeah, she'll be awake as soon as I get her in the car. Strangely enough, I thought that if I drove around the block with her she'd fall asleep but the first time I tried it she was wide awake and laughing." He shook his head in amazement.

"She sounds like your daughter, a need for speed freak." He scoffed as we exited the airport, his car was parked right in front of the airport. He took my bags and placed them in the trunk while I buckled up Maya who was slowly starting to wake up.

I slid into the passenger side as Tristen started the engine.

"Gabriele has already called me about six times. That fiancé of yours is certainly worried about you."

"I don't even know why he is so worried. I promised him that I am going back and I intend on keeping that promise."

"You can't blame him, he loves you so much that it pains him to be away from you for just a few hours. These two weeks are going to be hell on him," I kept quiet.

"How are you holding up?"

"Well some days are good and some days are bad but I'm surviving." He knew about everything I was feeling since he was about the only one that I could tell everything to. Gabriele knew some of what was going on but only Tristen knew exactly how bad it was starting to get.

We stopped at Tristen's apartment, it looked more like a townhouse. He carried my bags as I put Maya into her carrier. She wasn't much of a crier.

He opened up the door to his apartment, it was lavish. I set Maya down onto the couch, she was wide awake now. I made faces at her and she giggled, she was so adorable and you could already see the family resemblance, she had the blue eyes that Tristen and Nichola had, along with the little speckles of blond hair that was starting to show.

I unclipped her from her carrier and sat down with her, I bobbed her up and down on my knee. Tristen came back.

"Your bags are in the guest room." I nodded and continued to play with Maya, all of a sudden I felt the sickness from before coming up, my breakfast was making its unwelcome return. I gave Tristen Maya and ran to the bathroom ( I found the bathroom quickly in my new surroundings).

Just as expected all my breakfast came up and since I didn't eat on the plane I had no idea where the sudden sickness came from.

 I felt Tristen pulling my hair back and rubbing my back.

"Maya's diaper wasn't dirty so I think something else caused it." I laughed as I wiped my mouth off and Tristen handed me the mouthwash.

"I don't know, I think I have altitude sickness or something, on the flight I felt like this too." He raised his eyebrow at me.

"Perhaps you are, or perhaps you are pr-"

"No! I cannot be pregnant! Believe me, I am not." I was on the pill and for most of the time, Gabriele wore protection. I turned a shade of pink as one of our binding scenes filtered through my mind.  Nah uh, there is absolutely no way, we just got engaged about a month ago and I'm sure my parents will have a field day if they find out that their other daughter was also pregnant. I'm not ready for that, we had such a long way to go before we could be ready for another little human.

Tristen held up his hand in surrender.

"Okay sorry, sorry. How about we go out to dinner later?"

"And Maya?"

"Maria, one of my friends offered to babysit." I heard about her before but now I know for a fact that this Maria was his sweetheart that he keeps hidden in Baltimore.

"Maria, oh your girlfriend." I felt gutsy and I needed to know because it's been four years and every once in a while he stays in Baltimore for 'business'. He grunted.

"Girlfriend? Geez, you are pregnant. Why would you think I have a girlfriend? I have Maya to look after and I don't have time for a girl." He still won't tell me.

"Yeah sure. I'll quickly take a shower and dress for dinner and then I'll take Maya so you can dress."

"Mmh" He rolled his eyes agitatedly and then he just walked away. I think I touched a nerve. I quickly took a shower and dressed in skinny jeans, a long jersey with boots. The darkness stretched over the city when I finished dressing.

I stepped out into the living room I couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of me. Tristen was sitting on the couch with his back on the armrest and his legs crossed as he held onto Maya, the little bundle of a baby that rested on his chest. He looked up at me and placed his index finger on his lips to gesture to me to be quiet. I slowly walked to him. He looked so happy even though this wasn't the plan he had.

He shifted so that I could pick Maya up without waking her, the little bundle cuddle up to me and I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of protection towards this little bundle. I rocked her back and forth for a while until Tristen finished dressing. There was a knock at the door and Tristen rushed to answer it before the person knocked again.

He opened the door to reveal a woman, she was beautiful with brown eyes and curly brown hair. She looked happy and smiled at me as Tristan and she talked in hush voices, he hugged her and the way she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply confirmed my suspicions that there was something brewing.

I gave Maya to Maria. Tristen and I walked down the stairs to his car as we left. He mentioned that he had something he would like to discuss with me, that made two of us.