Page 33 of Nanny's Mate

Beatriz snickered, admiring the toy fire truck that Matthew had just handed her. They were growing fast and didn’t need constant attention, but Beatriz didn’t realize how much she’d missed being around them. It gave her purpose.

“God, I just missed them, Karla,” she said, smiling ear-to-ear. "I really can’t wait to get back to work. I mean that.”

Karla evaded the confession, which gave Beatriz pause. When the kids were out of earshot, rolling a ball back and forth in the kitchen, Beatriz leaned forward, lowering her voice.

“I don’t want to put the babies in danger. I hope you know that. I know there’s still a lot to figure out with the whole drug thing.”

Karla regarded her and sighed.

“Of course, I know that, Beatriz. I don’t doubt they are beyond safe with you. But it makes me worry, frankly, when I’m around them because of my … disposition.”

Beatriz understood what she was referring to. Karla hadn’t been able to shift into her wolf yet. It was something that happened with shifters for a reason that had yet to be understood.

Beatriz rose from the floor, smoothed out her dress, and sat next to Karla. She hated to see her so crestfallen.

“Karla, I hope you know you can still protect the kids, no matter what. Have you ever thought about doing a self-defense course? I know Ellie has done it with Mike.”

The sad look on her face faded, and she gazed up at Beatriz. They had grown close since the Wolfe family employed her. She didn’t feel like a worker as much as she felt like a sister.

Karla touched her shoulder, and Beatriz kissed her hand. She was glad to see those blue eyes light up again.

“You're right. It’s something I should look into.”

Beatriz agreed, and the kids ran up to them again, requesting their attention.

It was nice for the shifter nanny to have her mind taken from the turmoil of the drug issues and indulge in family time. Her heart glowed at the sight of Mike laughing with his friend and coworker, as well as the way he tended to the children.

It made her all warm and fuzzy inside. Beatriz had always wanted a family, a big family, but it wasn’t until meeting her mate that the urge had grown from a whimper into a beckoning howl.

She desperately wanted to have children with Mike.

NINETEEN

MIKE

Mike was enthralled by the way Beatriz’s eyes beamed around the triplets. Her happiness radiated into him, softening every hard part of him that had been constructed for the sake of duty. The day was far brighter than it had been, only with a slight chill in the air. He happily grilled with Nate, who didn’t mention the drug issue once.

He was glad to have another day of casual interaction, but there was still a part of him that longed to know what was going on. It also pertained to Beatriz, as the wolves who had attacked her got away.

His attempt to inquire with Nate was interrupted by Beatriz and Karla, who asked Nate to keep an eye on the triplets during their nap in the guest bedroom. Beatriz looked exuberant which always, in turn, made him feel the same.

“What’s going on, ladies?” he asked.

Karla spoke about her inability to shift and how it made her feel unable to protect her children. While he tried to reassure her that she not only had Nate but a big family around her, Beatriz laid her hand on his chest. The touch was electric, even in a moment that wasn’t inherently intimate.

“We wanted to ask you about combat fighting,” she asked with a little glint in her eye. “Karla wants to learn what you taught Ellie. I think it’ll give her more confidence, right?"

She regarded Karla, who was never one to go silent. Karla nodded in agreement, taking a long, cautious pause before making her voice heard.

“I think it will. I really should have sought it out sooner, to be honest.”

Mike was happy to grant Karla’s request. He showed her, along with Beatriz, some basic defense moves they could use in hand-to-hand combat. All that he had shown Ellie came back to him, and his movements flowed with ease. The women were laughing soon enough … while also absorbing some incredibly helpful maneuvers.

Afternoon turned into evening, and dinner was set on the porch looking over the lake. The triplets were woken from their slumber and ready to eat, sitting in the three separate high chairs that Nate brought with them. They were a perfect blend of their parents … the boys with the sublime blue eyes of their mother and dark hair of their father, while Madison had the opposite of the two.

Mike enjoyed seeing Beatriz tend to the children with natural, innate maternal instincts. It stirred the wolf inside him, encouraging a hand to slip just under the fabric of her sundress. Her thigh was smooth and cool as they ate and chatted, exchanging naughty looks when Nate and Karla were preoccupied.

When they were almost finished eating, Nate received a call. He glanced at his phone, grimacing, then excused himself.

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