Jordy thanked her profusely and made a mental note to make sure she was paid for the whole day. Given that Kaira was wearing her pajamas at two o’clock, had refused to leave the house, and had made repeated requests for Rowan or Jordy to come home, the woman didn’t deserve to get shortchanged.
Especially when the whole situation was Jordy’s fault. Asking Rowan to play temporary nanny had probably been a mistake. He should have accepted the temporary nannies backin the summer and found a more permanent replacement sooner. Bringing in a stable temporary had clearly made everything worse for Kaira, and she was pushing back against losing a second stabilizing presence so quickly.
Looking back, Jordy wondered if his dick and heart had always been calling the shots with Rowan, even if he hadn’t known it.
Kaira didn’t want to do anything but cling like the cutest koala bear, and Jordy didn’t have the heart or energy to say no. So they watched too much TV, ate too many snacks, and had a quiet day together.
Not that all of that togetherness helped much at bedtime. Kaira stayed clingy and kept asking for more stories, and Jordy finally turned out the lights and said no to story time but promised not to leave until she was asleep. He rubbed her back and drowned in parental guilt until her breathing evened out.
Back in the living room, the house felt empty, so Jordy turned his sudden energy to tidying the den and the mess Kaira had made with her toys.
Rowan still wasn’t home, and Jordy aggressively didn’t care why. He didn’t wonder who Rowan was with or why he was still out at eight on Sunday. And he wasn’t unreasonably mad at Rowan for letting down his daughter, who had whined about wanting to say good night to her Rowan before bed. Being mad at Rowan for being a bad parent would be dumb and selfish, and Jordy wasn’t allowed to do that. Rowan had made his feelings clear. He didn’t want what Jordy had to offer, and Jordy had to respect those boundaries.
Of course, that didn’t mean that Jordy wasn’t allowed to give up halfway through tidying to sit on his couch, clutching a stuffed toy.
Days after his night out with Sully, Jordy had finally admitted to himself that hedidwant love and romance and tobe a good husband. In fact, he wanted that desperately, with an ache that filled his whole body. He just wanted it with someone who didn’t want it back.
His phone rang, and Jordy fumbled to grab it so he could see the caller ID. What if it was Rowan? What if there was a reason he wasn’t home yet?
Emma Shaw
The idea of rejecting his baby sister’s call so he could mope more was too depressing to contemplate. Jordy hit Accept.
“So, what miracle do I owe for you actually calling over texting?”
“I saw a clip from a recent postgame interview. You okay?”
Apparently Jordy had become such a sad sack that his sister could tell when watching clips of him at work. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you have bags under your eyes and you look kinda… resigned,” she settled on.
Well, the bags were easily explained at least. “Haven’t been sleeping so great. Last couple of weeks had been hard on Kaira, and the nanny woes continue.”
“Oh. Kaira is okay?”
“She’s fine, just… change is hard.”
“Right.” Jordy didn’t need to see her face to know she was hesitating to say the next thought. “The trade rumors probably aren’t helping.”
He swallowed. “No. It’s… probably going to happen, and soon. Not that I, uh, told you that.”
“Right, confidential, I know. Shit, Jordy. That sucks.”
“Tell me about it.”
They sat in silence for a moment.
“So, can I ask, what’s happening with Rowan?”
That shouldn’t have blindsided him. “Rowan?”
“Yes, Rowan. You know, the guy who’s been living with you.”
“I know who—what are you asking, Emma?”
“Well, is he going with you?”
“Am I bringing my friend-slash-roommate with me on a possibly international move?”
