Page 64 of Nanny for the SEAL

He’s given me three, after all. The guy deserves at least one.

The frenzy calms, and when I turn around, Xaden looks like he’s run a marathon.

“Ha, oh, hun. You should probably get downstairs, though. I still have a bit ofcleaning upto do now.”

Xade smirks, leaning down for a kiss before rinsing off in the spray and stepping out of the shower.

“I’ll see you down there.”

Smiling and shaking my head, I sit on the bench to catch my breath. “Sounds good, babe.”

Well, that’s one way to start a morning. Today is going to be great.

A rare warmmorning greets us as I take Daisy across the street to the park. When I saw how nice the forecast was, I knew that today would be the perfect chance to get in a little more outside time before it gets too cold.

Daisy was more than happy to have a chance to play on the swings and jungle gym, and I’m happy to help Xaden by getting her out of the house for a little while.

Something tells me that he’s a littlebehindthis morning.

“Slide! Come on, Ivy!”

Smiling, I nod at her. “All right! I’m right behind you!”

Daisy runs off toward the park’s tall playground structure, and I hurry along after the exuberant ball of energy. As I stand at the end of the slide, waiting to catch her, I get that feeling like someone is standing behind me, and I glance over my shoulder.

“Oh, hi, Amy.”

I’m immediately tense. What are the odds of running into her here? Still, I see that she has a kid with her, a little boy, and I have to assume it’s her son.

“You sure look cozy over at Xaden’s. Doing your due diligence to scope out the joint?”

Amy’s tone is biting, and I shake my head, trying to understand what the hell she’s getting at.

“I’m sorry, what? I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

She glares at me, sending her son to play up in the jungle gym. “You know exactly what I’m getting at. You’ve been awfully chummy with Xaden. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how much time you’ve spent in the house. If anything goes missing, I’ll knowexactlywho to search."

My jaw drops, and I’m just able to catch Daisy on time, having heard her come down. I scoop her up, giving her my best smile, and then encourage her to go play some more.

“I’ll be right there, Daisy. I just need to talk with your dad’s friend, Amy.”

Daisy’s eyes are wide as she nods, offering a half-hearted wave to my combatant for the day before she runs off.

“I apologize if something might have given you the wrong impression, but I’m not trying to steal from Xaden. I care about Daisy and respect him far too much to ever try something like that.”

Amy scoffs, folding her arms over her chest. “Sure. That’s what the last nanny said. Look, Xaden has been my friend for years. I’ll do whatever I can to protect him.”

Blinking slowly as I let out a rough exhale, my head drops before I meet Amy’s glare again.

“Your concern for him is very sweet. I know what it’s like to care about someone so much that you worry about them all the time. I do the same with my sister. But I promise you, I’m not looking to hurt Xaden. He’s an amazing father and a good man.”

Eyeing me, Amy doesn’t look like she’s relenting any time soon. I don’t understand why she feels so strongly or what I could have done to piss her off so much.

But then it hits me.

The way Amy is acting doesn’t quite line up with a platonic concern, and I remember the conversation I heard her have with Xaden.

She likes him. Amy’s…jealous.

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