Page 90 of Nanny for the SEAL

A pained sob leaves her, and she struggles to breathe against it. Having the woman you love in so much distress and being able to do so little is nearly too much to take.

I have to force myself to follow my own advice.Breathe, Xaden. It’s not that day. It’s not. And Ivy needs you.

After a moment, she looks up at me, and I can see this mess of tangled emotions painted over her face.

“He…he just got out of prison…for…facilitating…” I can see that this is taking everything to say out loud, and I squeeze her, not about to rush her.

“You take your time. There’s no hurry. I’m not going anywhere.”

The reminder seems to help, and she smiles through the tears with a nod. “Okay.”

Her head goes back down to my chest, but she breathes as deeply as the tears will let her. I have a feeling they’re not going anywhere, either—at least not for a while.

“S-sex trafficking.”

My stomach drops, and everything comes to a screeching halt. “W-What?”

“He, my, umm, father…and my mother…they were drug addicts, dealers, and whatever else I didn’t understand as a kid. They were…they were ina lotof debt to their suppliers and…”

Ivy’s words trail off and I can finish the sentence in my head. As much as I want to say that she doesn’t have to continue, I think sheneedsto.

I’ve had similar situations in therapy.

“They, umm, agreed to…to sell me to pay it off. Jasmine was still a ‘little young.’ I was seventeen. Make that make sense, huh?”

Disgust roars through me so profoundly, and I actually worry I might be sick for a moment. That wouldn’t help Ivy, though. It wouldn’t make the situation better, so I hold all that shit back.

I’m here for her, and I’ll protect her and listen to her. If that means compartmentalizing my own shock and horror over her past, I can definitely do that.

“We were always poor, and they even tried to get my sister and me to steal for them. But we were never good at it. Got caught and dragged back home a lot. That…that didn’t go over well.”

Ivy’s stare goes down to the floor, and her shaking stops. I use this opportunity to get her into the chair in front of my desk, kneeling in front of her.

“I always tried to keep the worst of it from Jasmine. I think it worked,” she says with a sarcastic chuckle, “because she’s better adjusted than I am.”

“Why…I’m sorry. I don’t mean to butt in or ask anything of you. I’m just…why isn’t Jasmine with you?”

Ivy nods gently. “She was put in foster care. I was old enough to be emancipated. I, umm, I escaped from the van before anything could happen, and I got to a pay phone. I called the police, and then…you know, trial and prison and separation. They were found guilty of multiple felonies, including the string of gas station robberies they tried to get my sister and me to do. I was still under eighteen, so they didn’t include my name in the documents. I think that was the only way I was able to get a job.”

I squeeze Ivy’s hands as she starts to fidget. “Hey, you are not your parents. No one would have held their actions against you. Like you said, you were a child.”

“I know, it’s just…I was supposed to be an adult, too. I worked my ass off to afford an apartment in the city. But when I heard that my father was going to be released—I think they had to tell me—I got out of there. I had to.”

Taking it all in, I nod as I let the information absorb into my brain. “So, you’re scared because he’s been texting you?”

“And calling. Dad wants money, of all things. Which would be hilarious if it weren’t also super fucked up and terrifying. I don’t have anything after relocating. If it weren’t you and the ‘job,’ I’d be broke.”

I can’t fathom having a parent who’s so vile. I have a daughter, and the thought of doinganyof that to her makes me sick. She’s my whole world. How could someone be so cruel?

“Not that I’m unhappy you did, but why did you decide to tell me now?”

Sucking in a deep breath again, Ivy lets it out slowly, the air coming out shaky and slow.

“I got a message from my mother, too. I was sure they were in league with each other, and I wanted to just call her and tell her off. Which I did, but she made it sound like she was just as mistrusting and scared of my father as I am. I’m not looking to see or speak to her ever again, but something about what she said…”

I’ve learned a lot in the past few minutes, and I’m feeling a might overwhelmed by the info dump. Not that it wasn’t warranted.

“Okay, hang on. You called your mother, too?”

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