A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
"Is Oliver sleeping?" I nod and walk down the stairs after putting Oliver down for the night. "I think now would be a good time to discuss a topic we've been putting on the back burner, a nanny. With Oliver five weeks old, you're going to be wanting to return to work soon."
"I've still got some time.", I shrug, plopping down in the recliner. "I had thought about going back when he was seven weeks old, but now I'm thinking about making it after he's eight weeks old."
"Time goes by fast, and picking the right nanny isn't something you can just do at the snap of a finger. We want the absolute best, right?"
"That's not even a question. I want the best nanny the world has ever known. With that being said, I suppose we should start looking."
"It's going to be ok. We'll scour each and every resume and do the most thorough background check.", he says. I start feeling a little better, but I still feel off. "What else is on your mind?"
"The other day, I told Audrey that I was looking forward to going back to work, yet today I'm considering delaying it. I love my job, but I'm worried about missing moments in Oliver's life. I was holding him this afternoon when he stuck his tongue out and closed his eyes at the same time. He's never done that before."
"Awww. I bet he was adorable. Baby, I wish all the time that I didn't have to work so I could be home with the two of you. I can't though. What I can do is let Oliver know that I love him and will always look after him."
"What if he ends up liking the nanny more than me?", I ask. "I've seen it in movies and read about it in books. I'll be Ana, not Mom."
"Not possible. Have you met you?", Christian scoffs with a grin. "There's no way anyone could replace you in his life." He stands and walks over to the recliner, pulling me to my feet and then sitting down with me in his lap. "You're irreplaceable."
"Oliver, this is where Mommy works." Lewis is in front of me and Ryan is following as we arrive at the office. Every single person except Daniel stops working as soon as they see me. "Hi everyone."
"Ana, hey.", Audrey says. She briefly goes back to typing until pushing her keyboard back and folding her hands undeneath her chin. "We didn't know you were going to visit us today."
"I was sitting at home and realized that I haven't shown Oliver the office. I'm not planning on staying long. Christian said he called you and apologized for the way he acted the other day."
"He did, and I accepted his apology. We all have bad days so I understood." She looks past me and towards Daniel's desk where he's deep in concentration with his work. "Daniel, look who's here." Daniel finally stops with his work and looks over at us.
"Hi Ana.", he says as he gets out of his chair and heads towards me. He smiles down at Oliver. "Hey little dude. How are you?"
"We're doing great. How about you?" Daniel takes a quick glimpse over at Audrey who gives him a sympathetic smile.
"I guess you heard about me not being able to get my review in on time."
"I did, and it's ok. You've always done a remarkable job with your work, and you shouldn't let one lapse bring you down. You move on."
"That's similiar to what Kate said. I have to admit that I thought she was going to be furious, but she was calm. She's been great to work for since you've been gone."
"So I've heard.", I say, glancing at Audrey. "Is Kate in my or should I say her office?"
"She just got back from the art department.", Audrey answers.
"I'm going to go and say hi." I wave and push Oliver's stroller to my/Kate's door. After tapping lightly, I hear heels clicking on the other side. Kate opens the door and smiles in surprise. "Hey."
"Hi. Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I didn't know you were coming for a visit. If I had known, I would've cleaned up the mess I've made of the office." I arch a brow only to have her move from the door, allowing me to see the office is in perfect condition. "Gotcha." She giggles and touches Oliver's hand. "Your Aunt Kate really had your mom scared."
"I knew you were kidding.", I scoff. "Besides, I did tell you to make the office your own while I was gone." I move inside the office and notice most of it is the exact way as I had it. The only exeption is there's a potted plant in the left corner and an extra photo frame on top of the desk.
"I got the plant and put a photo of me and Elliot on the desk. That's really all I wanted to do." She keeps standing by the desk while looking from me to the desk chair. "Do you want to sit down at your chair for old times sake?"
"I'm going to pass and just sit in this chair." I take Oliver out of the stroller and settle with him in the chair in front of the desk. "Has it been a busy week so far?"
"It hasn't been too bad. Daniel's been on track with his writing, and everyone else is steadily getting their articles done. I learned the Seattle Symphony is holding a free concert next weekend. It's open to the public in hopes of generating interest in local music. I decided to write an article on it which means I'll be attending the event on Saturday."
"You've been to the symphony a few times and have enjoyed it, right?"
"I enjoyed it very much and look forward to having a nice time on Saturday. I've already asked Elliot to go with me, and even though he didn't say no, he didn't say yes either. He sort of groaned and said if he must. Isn't being in a relationship about compromise? I've gone to several sporting events with him despite not being a sports lover."
"From the way you sound, this means a lot to you so you should tell him. I'm sure once Elliot hears how important it is, he'll go with you."
"Perhaps. If not, you can go with me. Christian wouldn't mind watching Oliver while you and I have a night out."
"Christian wouldn't have an issue with it, and I'll consider it. You know who else likes the symphony? Mia. I think one of her friends used to play cello in the symphony, and Mia would go and watch her."
"I could ask her to go with us. Of course, that's if she's not too busy with Nicholas. I needed to get a new front passenger side tire the other day, and I decided to go to Nicholas's shop. I got there a little early."
"You were somewhere early?", I gasp while Oliver coos.
"There's a first time for everything.", Kate shrugs. "When I got there, I didn't see anyone around so I decided to sit in the waiting area. About five minutes later, one of the door opened and out walked Mia and Nicholas. Her lipstick was smudged, and he had some on his shirt. Both looked like a deer in headlights when they saw me."
"What did they say?"
"They said they were talking and let time get away from them. I came very close to saying their lips had gotten away from them as well."
"I'm glad Mia's having moments like that. She deserves to have many more of them."
"I concur."
"The visit to the office went well?", Christian asks. He climbs on to the bed where I'm already resting.
"Yep. Oliver was admired by everyone. Kate told me about the article she's working on for a free concert being given by the Seattle Symphony on Saturday night. She wants Elliot to go with her, but in the event that he doesn't go, she'd like for me to go. She's also going to ask Mia as well." Christian turns on to his side and smiles. "Do you already know what I'm going to ask?"
"You want to know if I'll be ok watching Oliver while you go out? The answer is yes. I'll be perfectly fine. You should go and have a good time."
"I might not be going. As I said, Kate wants Elliot to go, but if not, I'll go."
"Elliot might possibly go especially if it's something Kate really wants."
"And it is. While I believe she'd like for me to be there, I think she'd rather have him there.", I say as I nuzzle into his chest. "Was your day good?"
"It was ok. Jack did his new hire paperwork and will be officially starting next week. I reminded him that I'll be watching him."
"Still confident about your decision?"
"Of course. The guy's made mistakes, but he's learned from them. It's through that learning that he'll become a better person."
"I already know you're a good person for giving him the opportunity."