The Nanny

Chapter 2

The twins were super excited when Archie told them they are going to have a Ella-Benny-daddy day. They love their dad and they're happy when they can spend some quality time with him.

After some cereal for breakfast they decided to go for a little walk and somehow they end up in front of their favorite ice cream store. The kids excitedly jump up and down and convince Archie to go inside.

Ben grabs Archie's hand, Ella confidently walk inside first. "Hello!" she grins and waves to the woman behind the counter.

""Hi" she giggles. The smile on Ella's face brings so much joy and light into the room. "How can I help you?"

"Daddy can I have two scoops of ice cream please?"

"Yeah" Archie chuckles.

"Then I please want chocolate and strawberry in a cone"

"Sure" the woman smiles.

Ella gets on her tiptoes and places her hands on the glass against the counter.

Archie looks down to his son. He's quiet and seems shy. He and Ella are so different. Ella is so open and confident while Ben is more shy.

"Benny do you think you can order your ice cream by yourself today?" Archie asks. The little boy looks up to him with wide eyes. He shakes his head before he wraps his arms tightly around his dad's leg.

Archie squads down to the boy. He takes him into his arms and kisses his head. "Come on buddy. I know you can do it"

"No I can't. I'm too scared daddy"

"What exactly are you scared of honey?" Archie asks as he rubs his son's back.

Ben shrugs "I don't know" he mumbles.

Archie gets up with Ben in his arms. He kisses his cheek again and then whispers into his ear. "We'll do it together, okay buddy?"

"I don't want to"

"I know you can do it. I'm here. Let's try at least"

"You can do it Benny" Ella giggles. She already has chocolate ice cream on her face. It make Archie chuckle. He loves these two more than anything else in the world.

"Hey little man what do you want?" the nice lady behind the counter asks.

Ben's little hand holds on tight to Archie's. He can feel how sweaty it is. "Uhm" the boy mumbles. Tears form in his eyes but having his dad so close to him helps him stay calm. Archie kisses the boys cheek again.

"I— Can I please have a scoop of chocolate ice cream and one scoop of banana ice cream?"

"Sure, do you want that in a cup or a cone?"

"Uhm— a— a cone please"

"A cone, great choice" the lady smiles.

Archie squeezes his son close and kisses his head over and over again. "I'm so proud of you Benny. You did good, very good"

"Thank you" Ben grins. He's clearly proud of himself too. He takes the ice cream form the lady before Archie sets him down. He wrinkles his nose when Ella wraps her arm around him and kisses his cheek, leaving chocolate ice cream on it in the process. "Ewww Ella, that's sticky. No kisses"

"But I love you, you're my favorite little brother" she giggles.

"We're twins!"

"You're five minutes younger than me" Ella teases. She pokes his side with a grin on his face. Ben pushes her hand away and steps closer to Archie, who just took his ice cream and paid. Be takes his dad's free hand and leans against his leg.

"Ella leave your brother alone"

"Okay" she giggles. "Sorry Benny"

"You're a meany!"

"Benny she apologized. It's okay" Archie chuckles. He squeezes the boys hand before he walks out of the store with Ella walking and humming a melody in front of them.

Across the ice cream store is a little park. All three of them love to go to that park and play or eat ice cream, like today. They sit down in the grass and enjoy the warm sun and the sweet ice cream. Both of the twins sit close to their dad. They adore him. They  don't remember their mom and they don't really ask for her. It's normal for them to just have a dad. It has always been like that, just the three of them.

Archie looks at his kids with a smile on his face. The warm summer wind lightly blows through their blond hair, their beautiful blue eyes shine. He loves the light tint of grey in Ella's eyes. They're beautiful. When the twins were babies he looked into their eyes all the time, for hours sometimes. Now they don't let him anymore.

Sometimes he misses the time when they were still babies. When he could hold their tiny bodies in his arms and their small hands held his finger. Their baby-smile and little giggles. He misses it so much sometimes but he also really enjoys the state they are in now. He can have conversations with them, snuggle, play games and just simply show them the world.

"Daddy?" Ella says and interrupts his train of thought.

"Mhm"

"Can we watch a movie tonight, all together?"

Ben gasps and turns to face Archie. "Yes please"

"That's a good idea, sweetie. Any movie ideas?"

"Uhm no but something with a princess"

"No princess" Ben groans and rolls his eyes. "Something cool. We're two boys against one girl. Daddy and I want something cool!"

"Nooo" Ella whines. "That's unfair"

"It's okay Ella" Archie chuckles. "We will find a cool movie with princesses"

"Do you promise?" the girl sniffs, as she places her sticky little hand on his chest.

"I promise my love" he smiles.

"But Daddy it's boys against girls" Ben whispers.

"No buddy. It's the three of us against everyone else. We're a family" he whispers back. He kisses his forehead and smiles softly. "Okay?"

"Okay"

"Can we go play"

"Sure Ella" he smiles "let's go play"

•••

"Can we watch the movie now?" Ella asks annoyed.
She sits next to Archie in her pink jammies with her doll in her lap. Ben sits on the other side of Archie.

"In a second, there is something I have to tell you"

"What is it?" Ben asks as wraps his arms around Archie's.

"You know I'm really busy with work and I'm so so sorry I don't get to spend more time with you but—"

"It's okay daddy. We still love you" Ella interrupts. She looks up to him with a smile on her face before she turns to her brother. "Right Benny?"

"Yeah!" he squeals "you're the best daddy in the world"

"Thank you kids. I love you both so unbelievably much and that's exactly why I will hire a nanny"

"What's a nanny?" Ella asks confused.

"It's a person, most likely a woman, who will take care of you two. She will pick you up from kindergarten and cook lunch and dinner and play with you two and sometimes when I have to work early she will get you ready for kindergarten. I know you love your grandma but she doesn't always have the time to take care of you and with a nanny you would be home. You don't have to stay in kindergarten for hours, you can fall asleep in your own beds and not grandma's couch and you have a new friend"

"That sounds good daddy" Ben says "but she has to be nice and I want her to play pirates with me"

"And she has to be pretty" Ella adds. "I want her to have pretty hair so I can braid it and I want to put makeup on her face"

"Nice and pretty" Archie repeats smiling. "I see what I can do"