Page 31 of Nanny and the Beast

I run toward the back of the house.

When I burst through the patio doors, I find my nephew crying by the pool. His sister is trying to console him.

“What happened?” I ask,storming toward the kids.

Rosalie takes a protective stance in front of James.

“He saw a spider in the pool,” she answers for him. There are splotches of red on her cheeks. She’s lying.

“James, are you okay?” I ask.

He fists his hands in front of his eyes, trying to soothe himself. He takes deep, shuddering breaths until he stops crying. When he looks up at me, I see raw fear in his eyes.

“I saw something.” He speaks so quietly that I almost don’t catch his words.

“What did you see?” I ask him.

“I already told you. He saw a big spider,” Rosalie butts in. James looks up at his older sister and flinches at the way she’s glaring at him.

She’s clearly lying about the spider.

I scan the surroundings, looking for any potential threats.

My eyes lock with Emma’s—she’s been standing behind me this whole time.I soak her in for the first time today—the way her eyes sparkle in the sunlight, the soft intake of her breath, the way there seems to be a soft glow around her. My memory didn’t do any justice to her beauty.

I rip my gaze away from her and focus on my nephew.

“James, are you hurt?” I ask him.

He shakes his head rapidly. Fat tears splatter down his cheeks.

“Then why are you crying?” I ask him.

He’s as white as a sheet. He barely even meets my gaze.

I clench my fists by my sides. He needs someone to hug him and tell him that it’s all right. But I can’t be the one to do it.

“Talk to me, buddy. I’m right here.”

He peeks up at me through wet lashes.

“Don’t cry,” I say. “You’re not a little boy.”

My words come out harsher than I intended, making his tears fall even faster.He hides behind his older sister, refusing to meet my gaze now.

Rosalie narrows her eyes at me.

She’s the spitting image of her mother. And when she’s staring me down like this, I’m taken right back to the past. Back when the world made a little more sense.

“Can I?” There’s a soft whisper behind me.

Her voice feels like a caress against my skin.

Grudgingly, I step out of the way. As the nanny steps forward, her arm lightly brushes against mine. I wait for the revulsion to hit me. I wait for the pain to consume me from the inside out.

But it doesn’t come.

All I feel is a strange...warmth.

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