Nanny for the Neighbors

by Lily Gold

Cyrus scoops up a handful of my hair and tugs my mouth to his. “It’s been a long time,” he mutters between kisses. “What did you expect?” He licks my bottom lip, and I shudder against him. “Sorry,” he murmurs. “Didn’t mean to drown you.”

“Shit,” I swear, riding him harder, milking his climax out of him. His grip on my arms tightens so hard he’ll probably leave bruises, and his face twists in agonised pleasure as I rut into him, desperately forcing every last drop of his seed inside of me.

“Good girl,” Seb says quietly. “God, you’re so damn sweet, Beth. You’re so sweet.”

I can feel the three men’s release seeping out between my legs, mixing with my own wetness and sticking to my thighs.

Sebastian is stacking her favourite pink blocks in towers. Cami is bopping up and down in Jack’s arms, giggling as she watches. She’s wearing a green dinosaur onesie with little felt spikes running down the back.

As I watch, Sebastian takes Cami and holds her upright, walking her through the piles of blocks. She starts kicking them over, beaming, while Jack narrates in a grave voice.

“Cami the Giant Chameleon made her way through the great city, leaving chaos in her wake. Buildings collapsed before her. The city streets were filled with flame. Bridges crumbled and trees were ripped from their roots. But the Giant Cami showed no mercy.”

“Citizens ran screaming, desperate to get away from her huge feet.” He tickles one of Cami’s feet, making her kick and squeal.

“She approached the clock tower. It was the tallest, strongest building in the city. Surely even the Cami monster couldn’t topple such a massive structure!”

Cami tries to kick it over—and misses. Her foot goes wide. She tries again and almost falls over. Sebastian swings her in his arms, and she flies into the tower. Cubes rain onto the floor, scattering across the living room.

“The Giant Chameleon had crushed the last building in the city! She raised her fists in triumph—” Cami giggles and flops onto her ...

We both watch as Cami pats Seb’s stomach, and he pretends to fall to the ground, knocked flat by her enormous strength. She laughs uproariously.

None of them have perfect families, but that hasn’t stopped them from making their own.

“Holy shit,” Cyrus says. “Did she throw that?” “She’s got a good overhand,” Jack mutters. “Don’t worry, honey. Even if you turn out to like sports, I’ll still love you.”

Cami squeals in my lap, smacking the phone out of my hand and frowning at me. “Oh, I’m sorry, was I ignoring you?” I ask, tickling her cheek. “Do you need some attention? Maybe some kisses?” I pick her up and start covering her in kisses, and she roars with laughter as Cyrus joins in. “I love you,” I tell her, pressing one last kiss to her tiny nose. She throws her arms up in triumph.

“No!” Cyrus says suddenly. “That’s not for you, ladybug!” I look down to see Cami sticking her hand in my gravy. She licks it off, then smiles up at me, her pink cheeks smeared with pureed carrot, her little pigtails lopsided.

His mum texts me every day, asking for help solving a new level. She’s not very phone-savvy, but she’s still determined to play every one of her son’s games. It’s very sweet.

Cy is sitting in his favourite armchair with Cami on his lap, brushing out her hair and chattering to her in a mixture of English and Bangla. “You want one or two pigtails?” he asks, bunching up her hair in a pineapple on top of her head, then repeating the question in Bangla.

“You look stunning,” he tells her seriously. “Very sparkly.” He glances up as I step closer.

I pass him the coffee, and he tips his lips up to kiss me. “You look hot.” I snort. He says that to me every morning, whether I’m in lingerie, or hungover in old, stained pajamas. “So do you, Romeo.” He pulls a face. “Will you ever let that go?” “I’m carving it into your gravestone, gorgeous.”

That’s not to say he’s stopped stripping, mind. I get a front-row seat to a private show whenever I like. Which is usually at least once a week.

Cyrus strokes his big hand up and down my arm, occasionally pressing a kiss to both of our cheeks. I can’t help but smile to myself. I love these easy, mundane moments. We’re just watching cartoons on a Sunday morning, but I couldn’t be happier.

The game is awesome: a cross between Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. The only problem is— Cami examines the screen. “Is mummy.” They based the artwork for the main female character on me. I thought it was cute at the time; but now my digitalised face is splashed on YouTube ads and posters and game sites. I even have people recognising me in the street,

Cy waits until she’s safely out of reach, then stands, picking me up and carrying me towards the bedroom. I hook my arms around his neck and kiss his throat, trying to distract him. He just grumbles and gives my bum a slap,

The bedroom has been transformed. There are pink streamers on the walls and vases of fresh flowers on the bedside tables. Bunches of pink and white balloons float around the bed. Cami stares at them like she’s been hypnotised.

I laugh. “What does that mean? Why would jellybean be cooking my breakfast?”

She takes a little bite and chews thoughtfully, her tiny face scrunching into a frown. “Yummy?” I ask. “Or did your daddies burn it again?” “Is yummy!” she declares, throwing her hands up. Jack pretends to wipe sweat off his forehead. “Thank God.”

It’s not her birth certificate. It’s a certificate of adoption. “Oh,” I whisper. And then I start crying. Not sweet, cute crying. Full-on ugly sobbing. Cami looks up at me wide-eyed, then offers me her bunny.

“Will you guys marry me?” They all freeze. “What?” Seb asks, his voice hoarse. “What did you say?”

“He’s been wanting to ask you forever,” Jack says, laughing. “But he was waiting for you to be ready.” “You want to be my wife?” Cyrus breathes against my skin. “Really?”

Cyrus frowns, pulling back. “This isn’t the engagement,” he warns, his face serious. “I don’t have the rings yet.” I laugh. “I don’t need rings, baby.” “Yes, you do,” he insists. “We’re going to do this properly.”

“We want to take you somewhere,” Jack adds. “Maybe we’ll go on holiday. Somewhere tropical.” “Or Paris,” Seb says behind me. He bands his arms around my waist and gently pulls me upright, drawing me into his lap.

“But you’ll say yes?” Cyrus checks. “Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, yes, yes.” He makes a punched-out noise and grabs my cheeks, pulling me into a kiss. Cami squeals indignan...

Jack grins, squeezing in next to me and taking my hand. “We love y...

I look up at Sebastian, tears rolling down my face. “Happy Mother’s day,” he says with a small smile, and I pull his lips down to mine.