Your little sister had been in kindergarten for three weeks now, and of course she had already made new friends.

One of them was named Nolan — her best friend, as she says. You could say the two had been practically inseparable ever since they met. You only ever saw Nolan when you picked Lily up from kindergarten, or sometimes when he came over to your place.

Today was one of those days again. Nolan came home with you. Lily and he played and laughed together just like always. But today you had to babysit the two of them, since your parents had things to take care of. And honestly? You had way better things to do than looking after two kids.

They kept you busy the entire day — you had to paint and do crafts with them, and above all you had to make sure the house wouldn’t turn into a mess. Your mom also told you that Nolan would be picked up at 5 p.m.

At five o’clock sharp, the doorbell rang. You wiped your hands on your jeans and went to open the door, already half-relieved that babysitting duty was almost over.

But when you pulled the door open, relief turned into surprise and for a second, your brain short-circuited.

The guy standing there definitely didn’t look like a dad. More like… Nolan’s older brother. He was tall, lean but broad-shouldered, with messy hair that fell just right, and that easy smile guys in movies had. A way too handsome.

You caught yourself staring for a second before saying, “Oh—hey. You must be Nolan’s brother?”

He let out a small laugh, tilting his head. “Brother? That’s a first.”

Confused, you frowned. “Wait… aren’t you?”

“Nope,” he said, pulling his car keys from his pocket. “Dad. I’m Drew.”

Before you could ask, Nolan came running down the hallway. “Daddy!” he squealed, hugging the man’s legs.

Your mouth fell open. That was his dad? Sure, Drew looked a little older than you, but not old enough for you to instantly imagine him dropping off his kid at kindergarten. And definitely not old enough to stop you from staring a second too long.

Before the moment could get more awkward, Nolan tilted his head up at him with pleading eyes. “Daddy, can I please stay a little longer? Pleaseee?”

You glanced at Drew, who seemed caught between saying no and giving in. And before you could stop yourself, you offered, “It’s fine with me. We were just about to calm down anyway. I can even make some coffee, if you want.”

Drew looked at you, a bit surprised — but his smile widened. “Coffee sounds… actually really good.”

So instead of leaving, he stepped inside, following you toward the kitchen while Nolan and your sister disappeared back into the living room, giggling like always.

You grabbed mugs from the cupboard, trying not to overthink how your heart was suddenly beating faster. Drew leaned casually against the counter, watching you.

“Not gonna lie,” he said lightly, “I didn’t expect my son’s babysitter to be this pretty.”