His Christmas Wish (2 page)

What have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Two

Nick followed Josh out the back door and walked over to the young boy and his loyal dog. When he'd agreed to go to this interview, he had no idea of the emotional impact Josh and Daniel's situation would have on him. He knew they were alone, but the agent didn't bother telling him any details of the job itself. Now, after meeting and talking with Josh, he hoped he and Daniel would hit it off. He got a good vibe talking to the somewhat reserved Josh. It was obvious to Nick that not only did Daniel hurt from the untimely loss of his parents; Josh still grieved too. He had a feeling that Josh and Daniel needed him almost as badly as he needed them.

Nick missed working with kids. He'd been devastated when the daycare had closed down. His parents tried to pressure him into teaching, but Nick didn't want that. He knew good daycares were hard to come by, and he wanted to make a difference. He was anxious to open his own place, but right now it just wasn't financially feasible. He had so many plans and ideas to make his daycare the best in the state; he just had to save up the funds to do it.

As they approached Daniel, Nick had a warm feeling of affection flow over him. Strange, since he hadn't met the boy yet. Something about being here made him feel like this was the place he needed to be, and the right thing to do.

Please let the little guy like me.

Daniel's high-pitched giggle echoed around them as the overweight basset hound barked at him while they played in the snow. Nick walked over and stood several inches from his feet. He watched Daniel continue to move his arms and legs in a flapping motion so he could make a snow angel. The kid did a pretty good job of it.

Josh didn't interrupt. He waited a few minutes until Daniel and the dog noticed their presence. Daniel jumped up and gazed at them, a surprised look on his freckled face.

"Daniel, I want you to meet someone. This is Nick. He's one of the people I'm interviewing to be your sitter."

Nick crouched down so he could get eye level with Daniel.

"Hi, Daniel. I just met your Uncle Josh and I wanted to meet you, too." He extended his hand to the boy and wondered if he would shake it.

Daniel's face lit up with a big smile. His two front teeth were missing, giving him an adorable gap-toothed grin. Nick was caught off guard when Daniel practically threw himself into his arms and gave him a big bear hug.

"You're here! I knew you would come!"

Did he just say he knew I was coming?

Nick looked over at Josh, who had his own startled look on his face at the young boy's words. But the expression quickly disappeared. "I'll just leave you two here so you can get to know each other better. Y'all need to come in soon and warm up, okay Daniel?"

Daniel nodded and clung to Nick without saying a word.

Nick noticed the quick look of longing that flashed over Josh's face before he nodded and walked back to the house.

After a short moment of being startled by the young boy's greeting, Nick managed to shake himself out of his stunned stupor and return the bear hug. Daniel pulled away from him and grabbed his elbow, tugging him toward a small snowman he had built.

"Do you like Frosty? I'm going to see if Uncle Josh will let me have a scarf to put around his neck so he can keep warm. Do you like his pinecone nose? I didn't have any carrots…"

The boy rambled on, and Nick knew at that moment this was the place he should be. Something about Daniel and Josh pulled at his heartstrings. He only hoped Josh would feel the same and give him the job he was beginning to believe they all desperately needed for him to have.

Nick snapped out of his own thoughts when Daniel stopped talking and looked at him expectantly.

Nick knelt down and gave the snowman a good once over. "You know, Daniel, I think Frosty is a very nice looking snowman indeed. I bet if you asked your Uncle Josh if he had an extra scarf, he would let you put it on him."

Daniel bounced excitedly at Nick's assessment of Frosty.

"Really? You think he would? Frosty would really like that."

"I do. While I was talking with your Uncle Josh, I noticed that you were making some really cool looking snow angels. I don't know how to make them; will you show me how to do it?"

Daniel's green eyes lit up with anticipation, and he promptly lay down on his back in the snow. "Sure! All you have to do is lie down on the snow and move your arms and legs like this."

Nick grinned as he watched Daniel's small limbs moving across the snow, effectively making a perfect angel.

"That looks like fun! Let's see if I can do as good of a job as you can." Nick lay down beside Daniel on his back. He ignored the cold, wet snow on his backside, and started moving his arms and legs to make a snow angel.

"Wow, Nick! You're making a big one! Mine looks really little next to yours." Daniel compared the two snow angels they had just made.

Nick stood up and looked at their creations. "Mine might be bigger, but your angel is much better." Nick glanced over at Daniel and grinned.

Daniel looked up at him; his rosy cheeks flushed even pinker with pleasure.

"You think so? I think your angel looks awesome, too!"

Nick reached over and put his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Absolutely. You're definitely the best at angel making. Maybe next time you can give me some pointers."

Daniel giggled and bounced happily on his toes.

"It's getting a bit nippy out here, how about we go inside for a while? I had some of your Uncle Josh's hot chocolate a few minutes ago and it was delicious. We can warm up and get to know each other better, what do you think?"

Daniel nodded and grabbed Nick's hand with his own gloved one. "Have you ever played Uno? I've got it and it's a lot of fun. Wanna play with me? You'll have to shuffle the cards because I can't do it that good. Is that okay?"

"Uno sounds like fun."

Daniel looked up at Nick and gave him a brilliant smile.

It was at that moment, a friendship was born.

Chapter Three

Josh pulled into the semi-crowded parking lot and shut off the ignition to his car. Five o'clock in the morning and there were already several people at his favorite bakery; Yummy Indulgences. Josh's co-workers had raved about how delicious the cakes and pastries were, so Josh decided to check it out for himself. He'd fallen in love with all of the baked goods he'd sampled there, and he indulged in some of its yummy goodness several times a month.

He opened the door, its chime tinkling behind him.

The owners of the bakery, Shiloh and Sheri, stood behind the counter. The siblings often bickered back and forth together, but it was always in good fun. Over the past few months, Josh had become acquainted with them and found he enjoyed being in their company.

"Hey, Josh! I was just talking about you yesterday." Shiloh grinned from across the room. There were several customers before him, so Josh waved, stood back, and watched the smaller man wait on an older gentleman.

Shiloh Ballard was one big ball of energy. Not only did the man never seem to slow down, he was friendly, sexy and very out and proud to everyone who knew him. Josh found himself envious of Shiloh's obvious comfort being in his own skin. Shiloh's thick, dark, chin length hair was pulled back into a ponytail. As usual, several pieces in the front fell across his face. His golden eyes often sparkled with laughter and merriment, like now, as he joked around with the older male customer. He wore a dark purple t-shirt and his tight faded jeans were already dusted with something that looked like flour.

Shiloh was very adorable, and Josh thought about asking the younger man out, but once Nick moved in with him and Daniel he couldn't get the tall, sexy employee off his mind. He waited for his turn and his thoughts reflected back on the past week. The moment Nick moved in, his nephew somehow found his smile again. Nick was not only fun and playful with Daniel, but he also had the ability to easily coax his nephew out of the shell he'd been living in for the past year and a half.

For the first time since his twin's death, Josh felt like he could breathe a little. He'd been so busy trying to care for Daniel and getting all of his sister and brother-in-law's financial affairs in order that he hadn't really had time to grieve and deal with them being gone. Now, with Nick taking excellent care of Daniel, Josh had the time to think about how much he missed them… and he didn't know if that was a good thing.

"Josh?"

Hearing his name jolted him out of his deep thoughts.

He looked into concerned eyes and found himself smiling to ease away the younger man's worried expression.

"Hey Shiloh, how are things going?"

Shiloh cocked his head to the side and studied him for a few moments, as if he was able to read Josh's most inner thoughts. Finally, golden eyes smiled at him and the younger man bounced lightly on his toes.

"We're doing fabulous, Josh. Business has really picked up and we're already getting advance wedding orders for the next
two
years."

"Well, everyone I know loves your pastries, especially Daniel. I thought I'd pick up six glazed and six chocolate covered donuts to take home for breakfast this morning." Josh grinned at the shorter man across the glass counter.

"How is your adorable nephew doing? Did you ever find a nanny to help you out?" Shiloh carefully grabbed a couple of glazed donuts and placed them lightly in a lavender colored box.

"I did. His name is Nick, and he and Daniel have really hit it off."

"That's great, Josh! I'm glad to hear it."

"Yeah, Nick's really been helping me out, too. He cooks supper every night and makes sure Daniel is well taken care of. He's made a real difference in our lives."

One of Shiloh's perfectly groomed eyebrows rose, and an impish grin appeared on his pretty face. "Really… Nick's made a difference in
both
of your lives?"

Josh felt the warmth of a blush form up his chest to his neck and face.

"Stop it, Shiloh. Can't you see you're embarrassing him?" Sheri mumbled, walking behind him and nudging the back of his head playfully along the way.

"Sher, this is an A to B conversation… so
see
your way out of it," Shiloh griped good-naturedly, bunched up a small piece of waxed paper and tossed it in her direction.

Sheri and Josh laughed at Shiloh's reaction. In many ways, the siblings' affection for each other reminded him of his own relationship with Jolene. They often teased and were playful with one another, too. A lump formed in his throat and Josh's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He cleared his throat and tried to get control of his wayward emotions. Unfortunately, this time Shiloh and Sheri turned their attention to him instead of each other.

Shiloh's golden eyes widened in alarm and he walked around the counter toward Josh. "Oh, sweetie, are you alright? Sher, watch the counter for a few while I talk with our favorite nurse."

For some reason Josh couldn't fathom, he allowed Shiloh to escort him into a room he'd heard Shiloh once call the tasting room. The moderate sized area had a black lacquered round table with some comfortable black leather chairs surrounding it. Shiloh made Josh sit down and he promptly sat down in the chair next to him, a compassionate look on his pretty face. "Talk to me, Josh."

"There's not much to say. I miss my sister and for some crazy-assed reason, Daniel and I don't have a close relationship like we should. I've tried, Shiloh, but there's something that keeps us apart."

Shiloh put his much smaller hand on his, gave it a small squeeze and said nothing.

"Did you know Jolene was my big sister? She was born exactly two minutes before me, and believe me, she made sure everyone knew that fact, too. She always made a big deal out of it. I think it gave her an excuse to mother me in a way. I miss her fussing over me… hell I just miss her and I know it's worse for Daniel. He tries to be so strong, but he's just a little boy. I'm thankful he has someone like Nick he can look up too."

"I'm sure he looks up to you, too."

Josh shrugged and leaned back in his chair. He suddenly felt tired and much older than his thirty years.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Every once in a while, Shiloh would pat his hand as if to reassure him in some way.

"I love him, but for some reason we can't connect together like we should. It's like we have a brick wall between us and we can't crawl over it or tear it down."

Shiloh pulled his soft hand away and leaned back in his chair. Those strange, golden eyes gleamed in the florescent light and a confident crossed his pretty face.

"I've got a feeling Nick will tear down that wall between you."

Josh managed to smile back and thought,
what if you're wrong?

Chapter Four

Nick sensed more than heard the front door open and close. He glanced over at his alarm clock. It was just after six a.m.

Josh was home.

God, being under the same roof as the handsome and somewhat aloof man drove Nick out of his mind. Everywhere he looked, it reminded him of Josh. Hell, even Daniel's light green eyes reminded him of the man. It was obvious the two were related, but the eyes were the only feature they truly had in common.

By anyone's standards, Josh wouldn't be considered a big man. He stood several inches shorter than Nick's own six foot height. He was a slim, but not too skinny. His arms were filled out nicely from hard work, and even though Nick hadn't been privileged to see those shapely legs naked he could tell by the way they fit snugly in his jeans that Josh had some very sexy legs as well. His dark brown hair was cropped short on the back and sides, but he wore it a little longer on the top, giving him a youthful, handsome look.

Nick figured Josh's cheeks and angular chin would be slightly darker from the five o'clock shadow this morning. Josh would probably stumble in from working an overnight shift at the ER, take a shower, and sleep for most of the day today. Josh might be adamant about Daniel's safety and well being, but to Nick's assessment Josh didn't do such a hot job of taking care of himself.

Nick got out of bed and stretched. Since he only wore his red and green checked flannel pants to sleep in, he found his faded green t-shirt and put it on, sliding his feet into his black house shoes. He walked out of his bedroom and two doors down into the bathroom.

He splashed some water on his face, brushed his teeth and took care of all of his other morning needs, then tiptoed down the hall and checked in on Daniel. The boy's superhero nightlight lit up his room with a soft glow, making his small form easily recognizable on the bed. Fred lifted his head up from the foot of Daniel's bed, a curious look on his face. Sprawled out on the bed, Daniel had the covers wrapped all around him like a cocoon. He snuffled a little, but settled back down into a deep sleep.

Once Fred realized Nick wasn't approaching the bed, he lay his head back down on the mattress and closed his eyes. Nick grinned at the two sleeping friends and eased the door halfway closed so that he could give Daniel some more undisturbed sleep but still hear him if he called out and needed him or Josh.

He walked down the hallway and into the living room. Josh sat on the couch, still in his dark blue scrubs. He'd kicked off his shoes and had his white socked feet propped up on the walnut coffee table. His head rested back against the couch, his eyes closed.

Josh must've been too tired to go much further than the living room.

He looked almost as adorable as his nephew had just moments earlier.

Nick stood for several minutes and watched Josh doze comfortably on the couch. Knowing that Josh would rest easier in bed, he walked over and eased down on the couch beside him. He reached out and put his hand on the smaller man's shoulder, lightly shaking it.

Josh slowly opened his light green eyes and glanced Nick's way. He blinked a few times and an endearing smile formed on his handsome face. "Good morning." He opened and closed his eyes as if trying to wake himself up more.

"Good morning. How was your night?" Nick asked, and reluctantly removed his hand from Josh's shoulder and placed it in his own lap.

"It was okay… busy… but we always are this time of year. I brought some donuts home this morning. I thought you and Daniel might like a sweet treat for breakfast. I'm surprised he isn't already up, even though it is a Saturday morning." Josh chuckled and stretched his arms over his head. The action raised his navy scrub top a few inches above the waistline of his pants, showing off a glimpse of his flat, smooth stomach.

Nick felt an urge to lean over and nip at that fine, pale skin. He squirmed a little and tried to ignore the budding arousal he felt in his groin. Even though Josh was gorgeous, he was Nick's boss, and that made him off limits.

Very off limits.

Still, a man could dream.

Nick reluctantly dragged his eyes off the forbidden, pale patch of skin and up to Josh's face. Josh still had his arms stretched over his head, but stared at him openmouthed, apparently stunned by Nick's attraction to him.

Nick's heart beat faster and his face heated with embarrassment. Damn, nothing like getting caught ogling the boss. He cleared his clogged throat and stood up. "W-would you like some j-juice? A-are you hungry?" Nick managed to stammer. His face burned hotter as he walked hurriedly out of the room.

Are you trying to get yourself fired?

Nick forced himself over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice. He closed the door, set the carton on the countertop, and watched Josh walk into the kitchen. The other man leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. It gave Nick the impression that Josh wanted to comfort or protect himself instead of being the nonchalant look Josh was probably going for. He looked vulnerable and lonely and he watched Nick with green eyes that gleamed brightly in the early morning light.

What was it about the man that made Nick's heart skip a beat?

Josh could be aloof and distant, but something about him called to Nick's caretaking instincts. Josh continued to grieve for the loss of his beloved sister and brother-in-law. He'd taken on Daniel without second thought. From what Nick heard from Daniel and by his own observations, Josh was a loving uncle and a genuinely likeable, very nice man.

He's still your employer and Daniel's uncle.

Deliberately ignoring his budding emotions for the gorgeous man, Nick made himself look away from Josh's unguarded expression and walked over to the cabinet for a clear, small glass.

"Don't bother, Nick. I'm tired… worn out actually. I'm going to go shower and lie down for a while and try to take a short nap. Thanks anyway."

Josh's voice sounded tired and almost raw. Nick set the glass on the counter and looked over, but Josh was already headed out of the kitchen. His back hunched over slightly as he walked slowly from the room. It looked like he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, and Nick felt terrible.

He fought the urge to run up behind Josh and wrap him up in his arms; to protect him from past and present hurts. Instead, he made himself look away and started making coffee.

* * * *

Josh yanked off his clothes and threw them in an untidy heap on the floor. He pulled the sliding glass shower door aside and carefully got into the hot, steaming water.

What the hell was the matter with him?

The last thing he should be thinking about was having some sort of relationship with Nick. He was the nanny for Christ's sake! What the fuck was he thinking?

Let it go, Romeo. Think of Daniel. Daniel doesn't need you to complicate his life anymore than it already is. You hook up and then break up with Nick, and Daniel will be the one who loses. Stop thinking with your dick and grow a brain, dumbass!

But, the problem was… Josh wasn't thinking with just his dick, he was thinking with his heart too, and that made the attraction and budding feelings he felt for Nick even worse.

He tried to clear his mind as he poured some of the herbal smelling shampoo into his hand. He set the bottle down and lathered his hair. No matter what he tried, his thoughts returned to the handsome man he'd left standing in his kitchen.