"Wait until you see the girl your mum is interviewing. She's fit."

Those were the first words out of Louis' mouth as soon as I walked through the door.

Darcy, my little angel, flung her small body out of his arms and into mine placing wet kisses all over my face. It was the best greeting to come home to.

I smiled at my daughter before looking at my friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Mate she is beautiful. Niall already fancies her. He's eavesdropping on them now."

That alone gave me reason to worry. Granted I had a bit of a reputation as a playboy, but I had a strict rule of not displaying that side of myself around my daughter. I didn't know how I felt about an attractive woman living in my home.

When I had asked my mother to interview for a nanny I had a vision of a matronly older woman with a kind smile... or Mary Poppins.

"Oh. Well we'll just see what mum thinks of her." I looked over at Darcy who was smiling sweetly at me. "And how is my princess?"

She giggled, a sound I loved to hear. "Daddy, uncle Niall and uncle Lou helped me make cupcakes."

Louis laughed at her words. "More like we helped you make a mess, doll."

I had to laugh as she flashed her gap toothed grin and nodded her head vigorously making her light curls bounce.

"Oh," Louis said suddenly looking over my shoulder. "There she is."

I smirked at the hushed tone my friend used and turned around to see Niall and my mum walk into the hall followed by a very familiar female.

Flashes of last night flew through my mind. Dancing with the hot girl who looked so lonely, being rejected, kissing her, getting bitten, getting.... A sharp pain shot through my loins at that memory causing me to flinch and Louis to look at me curiously.

Suddenly, the shame and humiliation of my drunken night flooded back to me and turned into resentment aimed right at the tiny girl who was mirroring my narrowed eyed glare right back at me.

"You!"

I watched as her arms crossed over her ample chest and her very full lips thinned. There was no doubt she was beautiful, even smashed out of my mind I had noticed that, but I had to remind myself that she was the bitch who humiliated me in front of my friends and had caused the new embarrassing photos of me to even be in existence. It was all her fault.

"You two know each other?" My mum asked looking from me to the she-devil while I kept my glare zeroed in on her. Louis and Niall looking at me like I had grown two extra heads, obviously not understanding my tone.

As I looked down at Darcy, she looked back up at me with confused eyes.

I couldn't exactly tell my mum I met her at a club with Darcy resting on my hip. I worked very hard to keep that part of my life out of my home and away from my daughter. No woman besides a select few family members of myself and the boys, and of course Eleanor, had been invited into this part of my life. Aside from the fact that I didn't want my daughter to witness what the tabloids had labeled as my conquest, which to be fair were far less then they made them out to be, Darcy was apprehensive around woman she didn't know. There were very little, if any, new females that she wouldn't run screaming and crying from. Essentially if they hadn't been there from the beginning, Darcy wanted nothing to do with them, and that suited me just fine. She was a daddy's girl anyway and her mother was out of the picture.

The tension in the room was thick and as I kept my eyes on my daughter, I realized this must be uncomfortable for a four year old, especially one with Darcy's anxieties.

"Why are you here?" I said between my clenched teeth, holding Darcy a bit closer to let her know she was okay, that I was here.

The look on my face must have been a bit too intense as I could see Niall and Louis flinch out of the corner of my eyes and my mum step in front of the woman, I realized, I still didn't know the name of.

"Harry maybe we should go into the kitchen to talk and let Louis take Darcy outside." My mum said sending me a pointed look and nodding to my daughter.

Darcy still stared up at me.

I understood what my mum was saying. We shouldn't be having this discussion in front of her but honestly all I wanted was that woman out of my house.

Louis ducked his head to catch my eyes; reluctantly I handed my little girl over to him and kissed her trying to remind myself to not lose my temper if for nothing else then so she wouldn't see her daddy angry.

I waited in the kitchen for my mother and that woman, both of whom weren't far behind.

Mum looked from me to her and back again. "Well is one of you going to say something?"

I glared down at the floor. I never imagined I would have to tell my mum about my nights out at clubs. It was something she knew I did but we never discussed.

"Oh please let me." The girl said, her tone laced with sarcasm and for the first time I realized she had an American accent. That just figured. The cocky American stereotype suited her.

My eyes shot up to her. "Why, so you can twist it all around and lie about what happened?"

I was sure her eyes were going to bug out of her head. "Lie! What's there to lie about or twist around, the truth is enough for anyone to realize you were in the wrong." She finished by narrowing her eyes and pointing at me.

I laughed out loud. That was rich. "I wasn't the one teasing the whole club in a dress that barley covered your bum. If you're not going to follow through you shouldn't be offering it up."

Now it was my mum who looked about ready to pop out eyeballs. "HARRY!"

"Sorry mum." I mumbled in her direction.

"I raised you better than that." She carried on.

The more she spoke the more I felt like an out of line child.

What was worse was the smug look on the little witch's face. She was just eating this up.

"Aria, can I speak to my son alone for a moment." Mum said, her eyes never leaving mine.

And finally I could place a name to my nemesis.

Aria.

It was actually a very pretty name.

Looking over my mum's shoulder, I could now see a hint of fear that flashed in Aria's green eyes and the uncertainty while she looked at my mother's back.

If I didn't already know what a arrogant littler imp she was, I would almost feel bad for her. That is, until her eyes narrowed into a glare when she caught me staring.

"Um..." She looked back to my mum. "Should I just go then?" Again vulnerability entered her tone and a look of defeat took over her face that slightly intrigued me.

Mum quickly turned away from the stare down she had been maintaining to look at Aria with a softened expression. "No. Of course not, dear." There seemed to be a silent understanding between the two women that I didn't get. Aria relaxed at her words but still looked uncertain. "Why don't you go outside with Louis and Niall and get acquainted with Darcy a bit."

I tensed at the idea but my mother's stern look my way as I began to open my mouth to protested stopped me.

Aria nodded hesitantly and slowly left the room. I watched her the whole time.

As soon as she was visible through the kitchen window walking towards my mates, who both looked pleased at her presence, my mum was back to glaring at me.

"What is wrong with you Harry Edward Styles?"

I hated the disappointment I heard in her voice. No matter how old I was I would always hate that tone from my mum.

"Mum you don't even know..." And I really had no desire to explain it to her.

She had other ideas in mind. "Enlighten me Harry, because all I can gather is you were disrespectful and she stood up for herself."

I slumped into one of the stools lining the worktop.

In reality, she was right. I knew, even though I hated to admit it, that I had originally been in the wrong last night, but Aria had humiliated me in front of photographers and, damn it, my pride was hurt a little at her rejection.

I hadn't been rejected in a very long time and the thought of the hottest woman in the club last night practically laughing in my face frustrated as well as infuriated me.

And now the reminder of that was plastered all over the papers this morning, causing me to have an impromptu meeting with management and our PR representative. As if the scolding I had received from them wasn't enough, I come home to find the very source of my irritation smiling away and making nice with my friends and mum.

I wanted to throw her out of my house the second I saw her, and my mum thought that I could live with her? She must be mental.

"I was a bit drunk last night and I may have come on to her... a bit strong."

I didn't look my mum directly in the face but I could see out of the corner of my eye as she raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips willing me to continue.

"I um... there may have been some grabbing on my part and I may have kissed her without consent, but she didn't need to assault my manhood in the middle of a horde of paps. I nearly made Nick take me to the hospital."

By now I was looking her in the eye and I could tell she was trying to hold back some reaction as she bit her lip. "When you say assault, you mean she...?"

"She kneed me in the balls... very hard." Even to me the last few words sounded like a whine.
And then my mother laughed at me. It only made me despise the girl outside even more.

"I'm sorry." Mum said as she composed herself. "Harry, it sounds to me like you might have deserved it. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't." I said raking my hands through my hair. "I was completely smashed."

"That's not an excuse."

I sighed. She was right after all.

"Regardless." I pointed towards the window looking out into the garden. "I don't want her living here. I don't want her looking after Darcy."

My mum sighed while taking a few steps towards me and placing her hand on my cheek. "Harry she is the most suitable for the job. I really like her and I think if you gave her a chance you would too."

She looked out the window and smiled at something she saw there. "She's seemed to win Niall and Louis over."

"She's a pretty girl, they aren't that hard to win over mum." I countered.

"When it comes to Darcy they are." She turned to look at me and nodding towards the scene outside. "Besides, when was the last time you saw Darcy get on so well with a stranger."

My eyes shot up to the window to find Niall and Louis running around chasing Darcy, a normal scenario around here, what wasn't normal was watching Darcy run straight into Aria's arms, giggling as she hid from my friends behind the woman.

As I watched her hug Aria's legs and smile an odd feeling simmered in the pit of my stomach, it was something familiar and unrecognizable all at once.

As quickly as it appeared I forced it away, looking back at my mother in slight defeat.
"Are you sure one of the others wouldn't be better suited?"

"Harry, one of the woman looked like she was running a military regime and the other was more interested in you then anything else. Aria is perfect for this and she needs it, besides I think you two have a lot more in common then you might think."

I was interested to hear what my mother thought I would have in common with someone as cocky and obnoxious as Aria but I never got the chance to ask.

"Um..." Leave it to the petite demon to ruin an opportunity for me to get information on her. "Anne, I really ought to leave, my babysitter has to go to work."

My mother's whole face softened as she looked over my shoulder to where the voice was coming from.

I turned as well and nearly froze. Darcy sat happily resting on her hip, head resting on the woman's shoulder as they both looked at us. Behind the two stood Louis and Niall, both of whom looked rather pleased with the turn of events.

Again the feeling stirred in me and again I knocked it back, wanting instead to make some sort of snappy comment but finding myself unable to.

"Of course dear." Mum said stepping around me and towards her. "I see you two are getting on now."

Aria smiled widely and looked down at Darcy. "Yea, we bonded over Tinkerbell." Aria said with a giggle.

It was an irritatingly wonderful sound. I hated it and loved it all at once.

"Ah yes Darcy loves Tinkerbelle." At my mums words Darcy nodded enthusiastically as if to reiterate her statement. Aria, again laughed before handing my daughter over to my mum.

"Well, I'll just be going now. It was nice meeting you, and you sweetheart." Aria said first to my mum and then to Darcy before turning on her heel and waving slightly at Louis and Niall.

"Thanks for the laughs, you guys are great." Both boys refused her handshake and pulled her in for a hug.

As she turned to me I could see the defeat in her stance as she forced a smile. "Bye." She said towards me rather than to me.

"We'll see you on Monday then? I'm sure the boys wouldn't mind helping you move in." Mum said just as Aria began to leave.

She slowly turned back, I watched as she first looked at Niall and Louis to make sure she had heard my mum correct. They beamed at her in approval. Her green eyes then swept towards my mum. "Does that mean-"

"You're hired." I cut in, begrudgingly and finding myself wanting for her to look at me. "I'm not happy about it but everyone else seems to like you." I spat out.

From the corner of my eyes I saw Darcy's smile fall and her eyes zero in one me, I didn't want to be this person in front of my daughter and the fact that Aria brought it out in me made me dislike her that much more.

Aria's gaze fell to the floor as she nodded. "Oh. Well, thank you. I appreciate it." And it actually sounded like she meant it. The first words she had said directed at me that didn't sound condescending and I kind of liked it. "So Monday then?" She asked after a few moments.
"Yes dear. We'll see you both on Monday."

She nodded once more before flashing her eyes at me one last time and leaving.

As soon as she left all eyes were back on me, but I didn't acknowledge them because something she had said suddenly struck me.

"Did she say her babysitter had to go to work?"

Notes

I hope you guys like it.

Let me know what you think <3