Page 85 of Nanny for the SEAL

“Good enough for me.”

We sitat a table inside one of our favorite little diners, Deville’s, and I sit back in my chair, taking a sip of my water.

“I think this constitutes your first pregnancy craving.” Xaden grins, reaching for his beer, which I glare at.

“It sounded good.” I shrug, excited about the delivery of my truffle fries and fruit salad. “As does that.”

I point at his beer, still narrowing my eyes on the fiendish bottle that taunts me.

“Sorry, hun. Do you want me to avoid drinking around you? I don’t mind.”

Shaking my head, I sigh. “No, no. It’s fine. Just promise me that you’ll have a drink ready for me the moment this little thing is out of me.”

He laughs. “Can do.”

“So,” I lean over the table, taking his hands, “what do we do now? Tell Daisy?”

Xaden squeezes my fingers, that comforting gesture, and I smile back at him. “It’s on the to-do list for sure. As is getting you fully moved in. I’m not letting you stay in that other house again.”

“Hey, I just got a new carpet inthathouse.” I playfully pull away, but Xaden doesn’t let my hands slip from him.

“Oh, no. You’re staying right here. I’m going to do whatever I need to do to keep you happy and healthy. We’ve got thirty-six weeks, which I’m now remembering doesn’t add up to nine months, to go, and I promise to make it as good as possible.”

Now, I’m all laughs because Xaden is too charming for words. He’s been a rock these past few days, and the man has earned a certification in holding my hair back while I empty my guts.

“Thank you. And no, it doesn’t. I mean, if the standard month is four weeks, that makes ten months.”

“Yeah, I remember Maeve being pissed about that.” There’s a moment where the memory threatens to pull down the mood, but I’m impressed when Xaden looks back up at me with a smile. “God, there are so many cool things to look forward to. The baby moving, seeing you get all round.”

I swat at him. “You can look forward to that all you want. I am not here for looking like a blimp.”

Xaden laughs and then gestures with his head toward my purse. “Can I see it again? I want to admire our little speck.”

I shake my head, laughing right back at him, and pull out the sonogram image. “It really does look like a bean or something. Even though the app says that baby is the size of a poppy seed right now.”

We hold the picture between our hands, and a comfortable silence washes over us as we stare down at the image. After a bit, Xaden reaches across the table to wrap his arm around me as best he can.

“Little bean.” He smiles, his voice soft. “I think we’ve come up with a pretty good nickname there. Until we find out what it is, of course.”

I shake my head. “Oh no, this baby is going to be Little Bean forever. And I don’t want to find out. I like surprises—most of the time.”

“What the…” A voice sounds over my shoulder, and my stomach drops. “She’s…pregnant!”

Oh, shit.

TWENTY-NINE

Xaden

My entire body goes stiff as I hear Amy’s voice from behind Ivy. I drop my head down, my mouth falling open before I can finally pull my gaze up and meet Amy’s eyes.

The shock is obvious, and her stare goes back and forth between the sonogram image and me. She hasn’t looked at more than Ivy’s hands.

Jesus, are you kidding me? Amy’s already screamed, and now people are staring at her.

I swallow, looking at Ivy for silent approval as I gesture at the door with my head. She nods, her brows pinched together in a clear “yes, please get her out of here.”

Standing up, I take a step toward Amy, holding out my hand toward the exit. “Amy, why don’t we take this outside.”

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