Page 7 of Rejected Nanny Mate
I was suddenly in shadow from the massive body behind me, and with my heart in my throat, I slowly turned.
“Going somewhere?” Joe Longwood asked. “Hopefully, to my place. I've already got your room made up for you.”
Chapter 3 - Joe
“What do you mean she just left? I thought you said she'd be happy to do it!”
Kiera bit her lip and twisted the fabric of her shirt around her fingers. “I don't know, Joe. She just said she couldn't do it and took off—”
“But what did you say to her before that?” My voice was harsher than I meant it to be, which caused Samson to step between me and his mate.
“Easy,” Samson growled. “It's not Kiera's fault that you did something to piss Gwen off that we didn't know about.”
I dragged my hand through my hair and took a few steps back, sighing. Rose was asleep in the other room, tucked into the pack-and-play, and I had to drag around with me everywhere, and I was glad I wasn't losing my cool in front of my daughter. Doing it in front of my ally and his mate was bad enough. “I know that. I just thought this was a done deal, and I know Gwen. I trust her. So when you said she'd be the perfect match, I was relieved, and now—”'
“There might still be a chance she changes her mind,” Kiera pointed out. “She didn't tell me why she couldn't do it, but she did agree before she found out it was you. So, we know the job isn't the issue...”
“Yeah. It's me.”
“We can find someone else,” Kiera offered. “There has to be another person—”
“No.” I cut her off, shaking my head. “No, Gwen has to do it.”
Samson's brow lifted. “Care to share why?”
I shook my head, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. “You guys have enough on your plates, and I'll figure it out.”
“Joe—”
“I'll go talk to her,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. I'd stupidly thought all the shit that happened between me and Gwen in the past was water under the bridge, but apparently, it bothered her enough that she balked at the idea of watching Rose for me. There was an odd ache in my chest when I thought about her and the single kiss we shared, but I'd left what I felt for Gwen in the past. “Can you watch Rose for a few hours?”
Or at least I thought I did. Dammit.
“Absolutely. Good luck,” Kiera called as I made my way out. “Call if you need anything!”
I nodded, not turning back, and jogged down the porch steps. It was getting late, and the sky was streaked with pink and gold. Gwen lived in a small, old apartment building on the outskirts of the city, and while she didn't own her place, the rent was dirt cheap. If it weren't for the fact that Gwen had always been so skittish, I would have offered her a nicer place myself, but ever since that afternoon behind the coffee shop, I hadn't spoken a word to her.
Sure, I'd considered approaching her dozens of times. I wasn’t used to having someone so upset with me, especially a woman that I was undeniably interested in. But I'd also never had a woman confess her love, so Gwen was a study in firsts for me.
I'd been so damned relieved when Kiera had mentioned Gwen as a nanny for Rose. She was perfect for the job in every way, and we'd already proven that we could get along, even ifit had ended terribly the first time around. I didn't mind being in the same space as Gwen. Hell, I enjoyed it even when she wasn't hellbent on making things between us the polar opposite of casual.
I'd been even happier when Kiera first told me that Gwen had accepted, only for my mood to make a nosedive when she texted back within minutes, saying that Gwen had changed her mind and taken off. Kiera and Samson were of the mind that I should leave Gwen alone, and it was obvious they were both dying to know what sort of history there was between us, but I wasn't the type of man to just leave things hanging. Not when I needed Gwen so badly, and not when she was maybe the one person I'd trust with my daughter implicitly.
I'd almost made it to my motorcycle when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It said a lot that I didn't whip around and immediately try to tear the throat out of the Alpha behind me. I guess I'd learned to trust Samson, too.
“Hey man,” Samson started, shoulders squared. He was wearing the air of the Saltfang Alpha right now, and not my friend. “I'm not going to push to try and figure out what the hell is going on between you and Gwen, but remember that she's my wolf before anything else. Gwen is a member of my pack, and I don't want to hear anything about you trying to force her into something. Got it?”
“Yeah, I've got it. No worries.”
“Good.”
“But can I ask you something?”
Samson nodded.
“If Gwen says no, can you make her do it?”
His expression darkened. “No. If she has a valid reason for not wanting the job, and her refusal doesn't cause problems within our pack, then I won't force her. She's free to live her life.”
