Page 86 of Marrying the Nanny

Emma turned and suffered a fresh jolt at the sight of a man who was so out of place, she didn’t immediately recognize him. He was carrying a bit more paunch since she’d last seen him, but his hair was in its usual swept-left style. His steel-rimmed glasses were exactly as she remembered, and his one-sided smile was the same one he’d given her his whole life.

“Oh my God. Eddie.”

“G’day, Squirt.” Her brother gave her a loose hug when she hurried across. He offered a strained smile at Storm, who grew fussy at having a stranger crowd so close.

“I’ll take her for her nap.” Reid took Storm back.

“Thanks. Um, you two met?”

“We did.” Reid nodded, more remote than ever. “He came into the office to ask where to find you. I was coming up so it was good timing.” Reid had barricaded himself somewhere behind a mask of impenetrable armor leaving Emma floundering, suspecting he was angry, but not knowing why.

“I’ll make coffee. Join us after you put her down,” she invited.

“I have to get back to the office. You two talk. I’ll catch up with you later.” He exchanged a cryptic glance with Eddie and disappeared up the stairs.

Emma turned back to her brother, palms in the air, a little embarrassed at how frosty Reid had been, but filled with buoyant excitement at seeing family for the first time in months.

“I’m stunned. Did you bring the kids?” To surprise her for the wedding?

“No,” he scoffed. “Do you know how expensive it is? I had to use all my points.”

“So it didn’t cost you anything,” she joked.

Her humor died as he retorted, “Time,” and sounded annoyed.

Wow. Absolutely nothing had changed, then.

“I won’t ask you to waste anymore of it, then.” She folded her arms. “Why are you here?”

“That’s my question for you. What the hell are you doing here, Em?”

It wasn’t a cheeky tease at living so remotely. It was a real question, soaked in irritation. Her brief rush of familial warmth drained into a messy stain of old grievances.

“I asked you first,” she said as she moved into the kitchen to start the coffee.

He snorted as though the answer was obvious. “I’m here to bring you home.”

“Really?” The most poignant ache settled through her, all the way to the marrow of her bones. She shakily dropped the filter into the coffee basket and turned, truly conflicted because she had convinced herself they didn’t even know she was gone.

“Yes, really. What the hell, Em? If you needed to go off and Eat, Pray, Love to get out of your funk, fine. But it’s time to quit sulking.”

“Sulking.” Her head reeled back as she took that on the chin. “Is that what I’m doing?”

“You’re not being rational. How long have you known this guy? A month? Six weeks? If you’re so keen to look after someone else’s kids, you have mine.”

“That’s why you’re here.” She choked out a humorless laugh. “Sheryl is tired of picking up the kids after school and not getting her ‘me’ time every weekend.”

His cheek ticked in his poker tell, but he took a scathingly patronizing tone. “The kids miss you.”

“Then why didn’t you bring them?”

“I’d rather deal with one child at a time. You’re being silly and selfish, Em.”

“Making a new life for myself is selfish?” She filled the coffee maker with water. “You’re the one who traveled special around the globe to tell me I can’t have one.”

“You don’t need a new life. You got a divorce, Em. That’s not the end of the world.”

“I got a divorce from the entire family, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

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