Boss Nanny Ch. 01

Denise squeezed his shoulder and smiled. "Oh Matt, I hope you haven't been gnawing on this all day. Seamus knew better. He's always in a damn hurry."

"Okay," he relaxed. "I just really appreciate everything you've done for me. I don't want to be more of a headache than necessary."

"You're hardly a headache. If anything, you make my life easier. You're the only person who doesn't complain when I ask them for something, like the dishes. You're a big picture person. You see what needs to be done no matter how big or small and then you do it. I appreciate you and the least I can do is help where I can. You're too valuable to lose. Never be afraid to ask for anything."

"Does that mean Aidan can hang out for fifteen minutes or so on Thursday?" he asked, hopeful.

She winked and gave him a thumbs up. Matt tossed a silent thanks to the god above then changed out of his work stuff and left to pick up Aidan.

* * * * *

"Okay Aido-Potato, what do you want for dinner? Similac sensitive or...Similac sensitive?" He watched as his brother wiggled on his back, cooing and smiling as Matt held a bottle in one hand and formula in the other. "Similac sensitive it is. You're a tough negotiator lil brother."

Matt watched Aidan from the corner of his eye as he prepped the bottle then sat on the couch and fed him.

It was weird, Matt looked just like his dad yet Aidan looked a lot like Matt. Having light brown hair and blue eyes wasn't exactly a scientific anomaly. Heck, who knew, maybe they'd look nothing alike as Aidan got older.

After a bath, where Matt tried not to gag as he cleaned the sour milk from Aidan's fat rolls, the ones on his neck being the most pungent thanks to formula drip, Matt did homework. Like every night, it was slow going. Normally he could get so lost that hours would pass in the blink of an eye, now it seemed like he couldn't get ten minutes in before Aidan distracted him.

Matt rolled his eyes when Aidan squawked for the tenth time, demanding attention, and flopped back on the couch. He used his foot to jiggle the small human that was laying on the floor. "Are you sleepy yet? I could read you my textbook? Do you think tax law will put you to sleep? It does for most people."

He got Aidan ready for bed then turned down the lights and snuggled into the couch. It took fifteen minutes of reading before Aidan was passed out. Matt carefully carried him to the crib that sat beside his bed in the small room they shared.

"Being a single parent at twenty wasn't supposed to be in the cards. Not being a dad by accident is literally the one thing a gay man can count on," he whispered in the darkened room as he leaned against the crib. "I miss Mom. Probably for the wrong reasons," he laughed. "But I miss her. And I can't even be mad at her. Sometimes I wish she'd been reckless so I could blame her for all this, but she wasn't. Neither of them had much alcohol. Now it's just you and me. I can't say I'd pick this outcome if I had a choice but here I am, terrified. I have no clue what I'm doing. What if I can't juggle it all? It's not like I have Mom to help me out. I do have Dad, he's awesome and knows exactly what I'm going through, but how weird would it be for him to help raise his dead ex-wife's child that she had with another man. That's some prime daytime television shit right there."

Matt rubbed Aidan's belly and left the door cracked as he left.

Matt stayed up and did homework until Aidan woke again, then they both went to sleep. Aidan was getting better at sleeping and that made the next day easier. A good thing because everything was taking longer. He couldn't jump out of bed and rush to class anymore. Ten minutes for Matt to get ready and twenty-five minutes for Aidan.

Victoria was a good sitter but he wished he could find something closer. There was a daycare that would be perfect but they had a waiting list and he wasn't sure how many kids were before them. He had a feeling he wouldn't get that call until next semester if he was lucky. It meant having Aidan at work more frequently than he wanted. It was only for fifteen or twenty minutes at a time but he still felt guilty.

No one seemed to mind, they loved it even and took turns holding him.

Today, however, wouldn't be fifteen minutes. Victoria was sick. He'd already taken Aidan to class earlier, which he slept through most of it. Matt knew he could call into work but decided to stop by anyway. If it was busy then he'd hang out for a few minutes. If it wasn't, he'd take Aidan and go home.

* * * * *

Two people had called out so, not only was it busy, they were short-handed.

He found Denise in the back, grabbing supplies. "Hey, my sitter is sick. I was going to see about going home but I can totally stay, I just have a little issue—" Matt lifted the car seat and the obvious hiccup strapped inside.

Denise drummed her long fingers on her lips as she figured a way to handle the situation. "You're allowed to call out," she finally said. The statement was out of obligation because even he could tell she needed the extra help.

"If you don't have a problem with him being here then I don't have a problem staying, I swear."

"Are you sure? It's just—I have an appointment in an hour that I already rescheduled twice. If I don't show up they'll drop me."

"It's not a problem for me. I promise."

Denise looked relieved and thankful.

Since Aidan was sleeping, Matt kept him in the car seat and put him in the corner where he could keep an eye on him while working. When he woke, everyone took turns making sure Aidan, and the customers, were taken care of. It was actually fun. Aidan put everyone in a good mood. Having a baby brought something different to the monotony of work. Not that Matt thought work was boring.

"Dude, it's my turn." Kase held his hands out, greedily. Hilary rolled her eyes but relinquished the child. Kase smiled in victory before heading to the floor to wipe off tables.

"This is a bad idea," she said, though she was smiling as she watched her friend soak up attention from the female patrons. "A football player who's good with babies? He'll have enough numbers to last him all year."

"I should be disgusted that he'd use my baby brother—"

"Lil brother," Hilary corrected.

"Lil brother, but I'm just thankful to be working. Plus, he is dreamy looking with a baby. I'm tempted to give him my number," he faux swooned. Matt wasn't attracted to Kase but yeah, a cute guy with a baby was really sexy. Hilary laughed but the way she watched Kase said she didn't disagree.

"It's really not so bad. I don't think Denise cares. Plus, that is one cute, chubby baby. I just want to bite his legs all day long."

"They are meal worthy," he agreed.

Eventually, it was Matt's turn again. He strapped Aidan to his chest in one of those harness things that was single-handedly making super brotherhood manageable and started putting dishes away.

He was carrying his brother and a tub of cups to the front when someone came in as Matt was going out. Matt let go of the tub in order to protect Aidan, sending the dishes crashing to the ground, again.

Aidan started screaming.

Matt was upset that he'd once again dropped a tub of dishes, more upset his brother was crying, and downright pissed that Seamus hadn't learned his lesson the last time.

"This door is going out of the kitchen. Out," he said as he bent down. He used one hand to keep his brother's head from dangling and the other to fill the tub with broken shards of glass.

"Sorry, I didn't realize there was anyone back here."

"It's impossible to tell if there's someone back here, that's why the doors are labeled. For everyone's safety."

The other door opened and a few coworkers popped in. Aidan's screaming hadn't gone unnoticed by the front of the house.

"Is he okay?" Hilary rushed in. She semi-relaxed when he realized Aidan was okay. "Want me to take him?"

Matt shook his head, stood up and stepped away from the mess while the two other employees took over. He held Aidan tight and began to sway. Aidan still screamed.

"Are you sure he's okay?" Hilary asked again.

"Yeah, he just got scared. Plus, he's hungry and tired. I'm gonna take my fifteen and see if I can get him to sleep."

Matt had never seen Aidan so upset and the nonstop screaming was stressing him out. He couldn't get the bottle ready fast enough. Like kids do, ten minutes later he was fast asleep in his arms. Matt carefully put him on his chest and patted his back then laid him in the car seat.

"I can sit in here with him while he sleeps."

Matt craned his neck. Seamus was standing at the door looking a little guilty.

"It's fine. He can hang with me out front."

"I've got work to do on the computer anyway so it's not a big deal."

"Denise said it was okay for him to be here." Matt felt the need to clarify that bit of information. The last thing he wanted was for the owner, who never really came around, to get upset because he brought a baby to work. Knowing Denise had approved would probably lesson the fallout.

"I don't—I'm not worried about that. But I can watch him."

Matt thought about it for a minute then reached for the car seat. "Yeah, okay. I'll just—" he tucked Aidan into the car seat. Seamus sat at the desk and Matt paused at the door, "Thanks. Just, eh, let me know if he wakes up."

Matt was a total ball of nerves for the next two hours. He had to stop himself from checking on Aidan because he didn't want to inconvenience the owner or have him think less of him. He also worried that Seamus did care that he brought his brother to work and that he'd have a conversation with Denise about it later. He hoped Denise wouldn't get in trouble too.

Everyone else seemed to share Matt's nervousness. Theirs had more to do with the owner being there than the Aidan situation but Matt felt better knowing he wasn't alone.

When Seamus came through the door with a wide-awake Aidan in his arms, Matt rushed them. "Here, I can take him."

Seamus pulled Aidan out of Matt's reach. "It's fine. He's been awake for a while. I just came up to get a drink. Would you mind getting me a grande Americano with two sugars and a splash of cream?"

Matt hesitated before fixing said drink. When he came back a minute later Seamus was smiling at a talkative Aidan.

Matt nervously bit his lip. "I can take him."

Seamus shook his head. "Nah, we're good. He's been telling me all about his week. I apologized for scaring him earlier by changing the big deuce he dropped after he woke up."

"You don't have to change him, I can do that," he said, feeling terrible that his boss changed Aidan's diaper, something that was hardly a pleasant experience for anyone but Aidan.

"I'm sure you can but so can I. Anyway, we have to go back to work," Seamus walked toward the back, then stopped. "How much does he usually eat? In case he gets hungry."

"Eh, six-ounces?"

Seamus nodded then left. Matt looked at his coworkers like what the fuck?

"That was the hottest thing I've ever seen," Hilary dreamily watched the door as if she'd just fallen in love.

"Excuses me, I didn't see you gushing over me when I was holding the baby," Kase pouted.

"Yeah, well you're not a rich, built Irishman who slightly terrifies me every time he pops up."

"Exactly how often does he pop up?" Matt asked, wondering if it was safe to bring Aidan back in or if he needed to change things up.

"I don't know. He used to be here all the time but I haven't seen him much in the last year. He has a few other businesses. I think he spends his time there. It's a shame if you ask me."

"God, keep it in your pants," Kase rolled his eyes at Hilary's lusty behavior. "I'm taller than him and a football player. He doesn't even have an Irish accent. We don't even know if he's from Ireland!" You'd think Kase was interested in Hilary but really he just hated sharing the attention.

"Seamus Ryan is a total Irish name and he's got that gorgeous deep red hair. Even if he wasn't born there, he's got Irish blood, that much is obvious."

Matt left them to bicker themselves to death. He had two hours left on shift and he wanted them to pass quickly. Then he needed to go home and study. An hour later he was cleaning the flavored syrup bottles when he heard Aidan crying. He stood still and listened.

"What is it?" Hilary asked as she watched his strange behavior.

"Do you hear that?" He asked.

Hilary focused on trying to hear whatever Matt was hearing but it was hard with all the normal cafe noise.

"I think Aidan's crying."

Hilary half-rolled her eyes. "Yeah, babies do that."

"Maybe I should see if he needs help."

"I think he can manage. He's been doing a pretty good job today. If you want, I can go back and check." Matt narrowed his eyes at her, on to her little game. "What?" she asked. "Sorry I find a man who's good daddy material a turn on."

"What am I? Chopped liver."

"You're gay, so yeah, kinda like chopped liver."

Matt let Aidan cry for a few more minutes. Just when he was about to go back, the crying stopped. Matt didn't hear another peep until his shift was over.

Seamus was sitting at the desk with Aidan in his lap, one arm securing the child to his broad chest while he worked on the computer. He looked at Matt. "We're fine. You don't have to check on us."

"I'm not. I'm off so—" he pointed to Aidan as he walked across the office. Seamus stood up and handed the baby over. Most people treated Aidan like breakable glass but Seamus handled him like someone who'd been around babies, gentle but not afraid to manhandle him a bit.

"You have a kid?" Matt asked.

"Nah, just nieces and nephews."

Matt nodded. Seamus put everything in the backpack while Matt secured Aidan in the car seat. Seamus handed him the backpack then sat down at the desk.

"Thanks," Matt said as he paused by the door. Seamus gave a slight nod then resumed working on the computer, so Matt left.

He had no idea how to handle the situation. He was thankful for the help, yet riddled with anxiety over his boss's boss watching Aidan. He tried to take it at face value and appreciate it for what it was; a helping hand. He needed to focus on making things more reliable so he could eliminate the unneeded stress.