Page 14 of Nanny for the SEAL

I can’t hold his eye contact, my stare falling to the floor as I pull my sleeves down over my hands. After a moment, I take a long blink and then look back up at Xaden.

“What happened? God, I’m sure Daisy was so confused. She’s still so little.”

Xaden swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, and he nods in a repetitive, likely soothing gesture.

“Yeah, it’s been…well, it’s stupid to say hard. That’s pretty obvious. Daisy does okay. But it’s not like a four-year-old understands death.”

“No, I can’t imagine she does.”

There’s a tense silence that spreads between us like fog. I can see how rigid Xaden is, his jaw muscles standing out in his face. He’s not really saying more, and I can’t blame him.

I’m basically a stranger, and it’s not a fun topic to discuss. As much as I want to understand what happened—morbid curiosity and an inquiry that might help me work with Daisy—I’m not about to push him, either.

Opening up about the past, particularly an unpleasant one, can be pretty challenging. And I know that from personal experience.

“I really am sorry, Xaden. That’s terrible. I’m here if you ever want to talk or if you have questions about how Daisy seems to be handling it. She really is a wonderful little girl. You should be really proud.”

He perks up slightly at that, meeting my eyes after focusing solely on the floor for several moments.

“Thank you. So, umm, she’s been good today?” He furrows his brow, looking at me like he’s in desperate need of a subject change.

I smile, happy to help move the conversation somewhere more pleasant. “She’s been an angel. Truly. We’ve had the best day, and she went down without a fuss.”

His eyes widen as he smiles. “That’s amazing. She’s known to fight naps.”

“Well, we ran around a lot. I imagine she was actually tired.”

Xaden grins, and I lose myself in that little dimple in his right cheek. My pulse flutters close to the surface, and as the silence threatens to be awkward, the hiss of water hitting the stove interrupts the quiet.

“Oops. I was making pasta. Just a second.”

I hurry over to the stove, turning it down and adding the noodles. As I do, Xaden walks over to the island, leaning against the counter.

“I forgot I had that. I don’t think I have sauce, though.”

With a wave of the wooden spatula, I just smile, making sure to keep the pot in my peripheral vision.

“Eh, no worries. You have butter and Italian seasoning. It’ll be all good.”

He turns the corners of his mouth down, his blue,blueeyes gleaming with amusement. “Huh, I wouldn’t have thought of that. Good idea.”

I pluck my collar like I’m showing off, and we both giggle. It’s a dumb move, but the tension that was crowding around seems to have broken. As I reach into the fridge for the butter, I pull out a bottle of apple juice I’ve been giving to Daisy.

“Care for a drink?”

Xaden laughs again, but when he nods, my phone buzzes in my pocket, interrupting me when I need to grab a glass from the cupboard.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I see the icon for another new text message, and my stomach drops.

It hasn’t even been a full twenty-four hours. Is it really another text from him?

The question is answered quickly, and I don’t like it one bit.

There’s a single text from that same unknown contact. Even though I promptly deleted the other message, I can recognize the number.

And again, because I’m a glutton for punishment, I open the text.

You can run, but you can’t hide from me, Vivi.

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