Page 2 of Nanny for the SEAL

And they all live in the house to my right.

Glancing across the expansive lawns that separate us, I take note of Mason’s house, the two cars parked in the driveway now, and the way it’s decorated for fall like it never was before Bridget moved in…

Pretty damn cozy over there, aren’t you?

I sigh, knowing I’m just jealous—exceptionally so, in fact. I had this chance at happiness, my future mapped out in golden threads, and I tore it to shreds because I’ve been a fucking wreck since leaving the SEALs.

“Ugh. Okay, I need a drink now.”

Hauling myself around, I start to head back inside when I notice movement out of the corner of my eye. Freezing, confusion ripples through me because the house on my other side has been vacant for ages.

“What the?—”

But it’s not a ghost or a squatter, which would actually be preferable. No, it’s a woman. A woman standing on the porch of the old Miller place with a cardboard box in her arms.

And she’s staring at me with her eyes as big as saucers.

Fuck.

My brain is a chaotic swirl of thoughts. The woman is stunning, absolutely gorgeous, and we lock eyes for a moment . All I can do is lose myself in her lovely features.

Waves of strawberry blonde locks tumble down from a messy bun that’s been piled on top of her head and is coming loose from everywhere. Her hair shifts in the breeze, revealing more of her startling green eyes that pierce right through me.

They’re so damn bright and remind me of too many things.

Still, it’s the softness of her expression, the way she looks like she’s made from silk, that pulls me in. Warm tan freckles cover every inch of her skin, from her sweet face to the bit of her chest that I can see poking out from behind her knit sweater.

She has luscious full lips and a sweet button nose, and she’s staring at me like I’ve lost my goddamn mind.

“Shit,” I mumble under my breath, yanking my head down and stooping like I need to tie my shoe.

Because I’ve been reduced to teenage antics at this point.

Worse, I realize that with the way she was looking at me, there’s no way my new neighbor missed Laura’s dramatic exit. Lord knows what the woman is thinking about all that, but I doubt it’s, “Oh, how unfortunate that he had to fire his nanny.”

Sneaking a glance in her direction, I watch as she raises her brows and stares down at the ground before shaking her head and going inside.

Excellent. Great first impression, Xaden.

With another protracted sigh, I stand up and go back inside to find Daisy. I know she had the joy of hearing all that with Laura, too, and I need to be sure she’s okay.

Still, I couldn’t help but be hung up on the fact that someone was actually moving into that house. It’s been empty for years, and it’s not like I’ve seen the woman around town.

She moved here from somewhere and chose that house of all places? Why? This isn’t exactly a popular destination.

I shut the door behind me, lock up, and try to remind myself that it doesn’t matter why a stranger moves anywhere. It’s none of my business, and I need to stay away—for everyone’s sake.

But the vibrant green of her eyes, like a backlit peridot, sticks in my mind, and I’m immediately overwhelmed with guilt.

I’m a single dad, for Christ’s sake, and have no business ogling someone who’s probably just out of their twenties, if that.

The weight that steadily rests on my shoulders every day pulls harder for a moment, and then I look up to see Daisy standing at the top of the staircase, her eyes wide and glassy.

“Oh, honey.”

I rush up the stairs, forgetting my own bullshit, and wrap my arms around her. She melts into me, her tiny frame dwarfed by my shoulders.

Picking her up, I carry her downstairs to the living room, setting her on the couch and sitting next to her.

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