Page 16 of Rejected Nanny Mate
“No worries. Let's get this meeting over with. I've got better things to do with my time than sit here and chat. I need a fucking beer and a shower.
“Yeah, me too,” Jayce agreed.
Wiping my tears away with the sleeve of my sweater, I turned the stroller around and rushed away, being careful not to jostle Rose. There was no way I was going to stay and try to have lunch with Joe after what I'd just heard. My heart felt like it was broken all over again, and I didn't want to look a single one of the Alphas in the eye.
I had a few more errands to run anyway, and with no other plans on the horizon, I took my time, enjoying myself. At least as much as I could, considering how hurt I was. Rose, oblivious to the wound her father had just dealt to me, was happy and babbling the entire time, and I spent half of my time out letting other people come up and say hello to her. Rose was the most popular person in town, and she didn't even know it.
Once I was done with all of my running around, there was still significant daylight to burn, and I was in no mood to go home and be around Joe. Not yet. We lived under the same roof, so there was no escaping him, and the last thing I needed was an awkward, stilted conversation, or, worse, a confrontation about why I was upset.
So, instead of going home, I grabbed a pastry from the local bakery and looked for a place to start reading that I'd bought at the bookshop earlier. Rose fell asleep on the way, and I found myself a cozy spot underneath an old oak tree. The shadewas perfect, and a cool breeze blew. I had a book and a bottle of water, and the time to myself was just what I needed.
I was about thirty minutes into the novel when a shadow crossed my legs. Looking up, I saw that Joe was standing in front of me. He was holding two paper bags and looked annoyed, but his expression softened slightly when our eyes met.
“Hey.” I smiled and closed the book, not wanting him to suspect that anything was wrong. How in the world would I explain that I'd eavesdropped on him earlier and knew all about his feelings, or lack thereof, for me?
“Gwen.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, then gestured to the sleeping baby. “Did you follow me?”
“Of course.” He looked irritated and sat down beside me. “You shouldn't have gone out today on your own. According to the security system, you've been gone from the house for hours, putting my daughter in danger.”
“Excuse me?” I set the book aside and folded my arms.
“It's not safe out here,” he explained. “Anything can happen to you and Rose, and no one would know.”
“Nothing happened, and nothing is going to happen,” I replied, baffled. “This is downtown! I work here, and we're both here all the time. It's totally safe.”
“Gwen—”
“We've walked down Main Street a million times, and not once have either of us ever had a problem.”
“Because I'm always around, or someone else from my pack is watching over you and making sure everything is okay.”
I shook my head. “I'm not a child. You can't tell me where to go, Joe.”
“When it comes to my daughter, yes, I can. And, if you're with her, I can tell you. Do you have any idea how dangerous it would be if someone were to take her and kidnap her while you were alone with her?”
“You're overreacting, Joe. I'd never let anything happen to her. I love Rose. Don't talk about me like that.”
“You're her nanny,” he shot back, his nostrils flaring. “Your job is to take care of her and make sure nothing happens to her.”
I stood, the hurt from earlier mixing with the anger from how he was speaking to me. How dare he insinuate that I'd ever put Rose at risk? “And I'm also a wolf, just like you!” I let some growl slip into my voice, and Joe's eyebrows rose. “I'm not helpless. Give me some credit here.”
“This isn't a fight, Gwen,” he sighed, looking frustrated. “This is a discussion. I'm worried. You have a cell phone, right? Why didn't you call or text me before taking her out?”
“I don't need to. If anything were to happen, I'd be able to handle it. No one's going to try and steal a baby from her stroller.”
“No,” he snapped, standing as well, “you can't. Do you expect me to believe Samson trained his Omegas to fight? You might have teeth and claws, Gwen, but you'd be in trouble against anyone with any real battle training.”
I had more arguments in me, and a million more things to say to him, but all of a sudden, I was simply exhausted. The idea of continuing the fight, just feet away from the sidewalk where anyone could see us, zapped me of any energy I'd been holdingon to. If Joe wanted to win so badly, I was going to let him. All I wanted was to go home.
“You know what? Fine. You're right, and I'm wrong.” I grabbed the stroller and pointed up the road. “I'm parked right over there. Since I'm so vulnerable and helpless, why don't you watch as I get in the car and leave? That way, I'll be all tucked away in the house like you want.”
“Gwen—”“
“No,” I said simply, waving a hand in the air. “You're the boss. I shouldn't have argued in the first place. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get the hell out of here.”
Joe opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and he looked so surprised and confused that it almost made me laugh. I wasn't the type to argue with him, and even though we'd had disagreements, they were mild and mostly about the baby. This was a different level.
