A Princess Under The Mistletoe

Sam shook his head.

“Is it cheese and crackers?”

Sam shook his head.

“Is it a bunny?”

Sam shook his head and his little mouth lifted in a grin. “Here,” he said, offering the bag to her.

She opened the bag and pulled out the small cup of gelato and took off the top. She dipped her head and took a swipe with her tongue. “Hazelnut. My favorite. Thank you so much. What kind did you have?”

“Chocolate and marshmallow,” Sam said.

“I took your advice and got the hazelnut. You were right. It’s pretty good. You’d probably better eat that quickly. We got caught in road construction, so it’s melted.”

“Just nice and soft. Let me get your water,” she said as she headed for the kitchen.

As soon as she left, Sam turned to him. “She’s pretty, but she’s a terrible guesser.”

Gavin couldn’t shut off his awareness of her presence. It wasn’t all bad. She smiled easily and something about her made everything feel a little less dark and gloomy. She talked with Sam even though he rarely gave her a verbal response.

“Go to bed,” Gavin told her although it was early. “Tomorrow’s another day.”

She nodded. “So it is. Shall I put Sam to bed?”

Gavin shook his head. “No. That’s my treat. I’ll take the first middle-of-the-night wake-up, but I’d appreciate it if you would take the second.”

Her eyes widened. “Two wake-ups?”

He shrugged. “We’re still adjusting.”

“Then I’ll try to be ready. Good night, Sam. Thank you for the delicious gelato.”

Sam nodded and Gavin nudged his son. “Say you’re welcome.”

“You’re welcome,” Sam echoed in a small voice.

“Sweet sleep to both of you,” she said, and then she left the room.

* * *

Sometime when it was dark, Sam awakened. He felt panic overtake him. His heart raced. He glanced toward the cartoon night-light and took a deep breath.

He took more deep breaths and thought about his mother. She had left, then never come home again. He missed her so much. He didn’t want to lose anyone else.

Sliding out of his bed, he silently scampered to his father’s room. The door wasn’t closed all the way. Sam pushed it open and went inside. His father was on his back, softly snoring.

Sam felt a sliver of relief. He watched his father for several more moments. Then he wandered down the hall to the new nanny’s bedroom. Her door was also open. He wandered inside and saw her sleeping on her side. He heard an odd sound. It took a moment for him to figure out what it was.

The ocean. Waves. He loved that sound.

He loved the sound so much he wanted to hear it more. He decided to lie down on the carpet. Sam wished he had a blanket, but he liked the sound more than he missed his blanket.

As the swooshing sound continued, he calmed down and felt droopy and sleepy. He didn’t remember when he fell asleep.

* * *

Sara awakened to an unfamiliar sound. She heard a series of humming and grunting sounds and frowned as she shifted in her bed. Staring into the darkness, she saw a small figure on her floor. It took a moment for her to figure out who it was. Sam.

Sliding from her bed, she picked him up and held him against her. He startled.

“It’s okay. I’m your nanny. Sara,” she said, walking toward his room.

“But—”

Gavin appeared in the hallway. “What happened? I usually find him sleeping on the floor of my bedroom.”

“He was in my bedroom.”

Gavin gathered his son into his arms. “What’s up, bud?”

“I liked the waves,” he said.

Gavin looked at her curiously.

“My sound machine,” Sara said. “I keep it on an ocean setting.” She looked toward Sam and stroked his forehead. “Would you like to hear the waves at night?”

He nodded.

“Done,” she said. Then she went and moved her sound machine to Sam’s bedroom.

With his hands on his hips, Gavin stood looking at his son. Protecting his son, she thought. His stance tugged at her heart. She couldn’t remember a time she’d awakened to the sight of her father watching over her. Stop, she told herself, closing her eyes. Her life was all about now and the future. No whining about the past.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and found Gavin staring at her. He crooked a finger at her and pointed toward the hallway. She followed him outside the door of Sam’s bedroom.

“That’s a first,” Gavin said. “For six months Sam has been coming into my bedroom and staring at me, making sure I’m not going to leave him forever. The way, in his eyes, his mother did.”

Her heart twisted at his words. “He’s had a hard time. You’ve all had a hard time.”

Gavin gave a slow nod, and she was all too aware of his height, his power, his masculinity. “Yeah, we have. Who would have known a sound machine would make such a difference?”

She shrugged, knowing that the sound machine was her secret to a good night’s sleep. “Yeah. Who would have known?”

“Thank you,” he said, lowering his head toward hers.

She caught her breath.

He squeezed her arm. “Get some sleep.”