Page 86 of Nanny for the SEAL

She glares at me, her mouth still open, but I put a hand on her shoulder and gently push her forward so we can talk with out upsetting Ivy even more.

Stress is the enemy, right? Well, Amy’s not making this worse for the mother of my child.

We rush through the front door, and the moment we’re around the corner and out of the vestibule, Amy spins around and jabs a finger at Ivy through the diner window.

“What the hell happened?! Did she do this to you?!”

Amy is way too loud right now, and I glance at the diner as I clench my jaw.

“Lower your voice.” I raise my brows at her. “No, Ivy did not ‘do this to me.’ I’ll admit it wasn’t planned, but I’m happy about this. We both are.”

“Have you lost your mind?!” Amy keeps gesturing at where Ivy is sitting, who’s doing her best to ignore us. “She’s using you. This is all a trap so that she can cash in on the rich dad’s sympathies. That woman is going to take you for all that you’re worth and leave you with nothing. She probably won’t even keep the baby.”

There have been few times in my life when I was angry enough to do something physical. I’ve never followed through with it, and I’ve always walked away before I did something I regretted.

But right now, that’s fucking hard as hell.

I force myself to suck in a deep breath, my hands balling into fists as I call on every ounce of self-control I have. Regardless, I won’t stand for anyone talking about Ivy like that.

“Don’t ever speak that way about Ivy again.” I level Amy with a glare, my voice low and sharp. “You have exactly one chance to come to your senses, but you need to back offnow. Ivy doesn’t need your bullshit, especially when she’s pregnant.”

I’m greeted with a scoff—like I’m the one being irrational. Amy ducks her chin, looking back at me with obvious disgust.

“You’re being stupid, Xaden. That girl doesn’t care about you. She hasn’t been with you through the toughest years of your life.” Amy tightens her jaw, folding her arms over her chest. “It’s me or her.”

I regret that it’s come to this, but some part of me knew there was no getting out of this situation without angering Amy. I didn’t foresee ending our friendship, but the truth is I have no problem with it when she’s acting like a spoiled brat.

“Then it’s Ivy.” I raise my brow, staring at her matter-of-factly. “You can drop this vendetta whenever you want, but if you’re going to force me to choose between you and the woman I’ve fallen in love with, it’s going to be Ivy every time.”

Amy’s eyes flare, and she screeches as she throws her hands down toward the ground.

“You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Xaden Ledger.” Amy hisses out the words before glaring into the restaurant one final time and then back at me. “You’re going to regret this.”

She spins on her heel and storms off. When Amy is around the corner, I let out a sigh. That’s definitely now how I saw the afternoon going.

But I don’t regret this. Ivy is my future and one that I’ll protect at all costs.

THIRTY

Ivy

My phone is open to the same message that I’ve been going back to for three days now. I’m getting my rest, but the content of that text has been haunting me.

Aside from the wild argument with Amy that severed her friendship with Xaden, this has been the big news around these parts that’s keeping me up at night.

My mom. My mom wants to talk.

And I don’t know if I should hear her out. I’m not about to forgive her. The things she’s guilty of are too great for me to just bury the hatchet, but I also feel like I need to close that door fully—on my terms.

She wants to reconnect, and I’ll hear what she has to say if only to come back at her with the truth. She abused and neglected me in favor of her drugs and schemes.

My mother made those choices with my father, trying to pay for their debts by…

You don’t do that to people you love. You just don’t.

But I’m still on the fence. Do I really need to drag all this up again? She’s been in prison, and—like my father—she doesn’t have a way to find me.

I can just leave them both in the past and ensure any ties have been cut. It’s that closure thing, though. Part of me wants to say all this to her face.

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