Page 99 of Marrying the Nanny

Reid had expected to host a party and was glad the organizing had been done for them. Logan had procured fresh seafood. Glenda was here with her husband and stepchildren to cook it. Sophie’s son, Biyen, came running up to Emma with a gift bag, excited to offer it to her.

“I didn’t expect you to come all this way again,” Reid told Glenda as he greeted her. He kept Storm on his shoulder while Emma followed Biyen to chat with Sophie.

“Reid.” Glenda was affronted. “Of course I came to your wedding reception.”

If he could have invited her to the ceremony, he would have, but such was his life. The very best thing about Glenda was that she understood without him having to explain it.

“How was your mom?” she asked, smiling at Storm.

“Okay.” He injected some positivity into it, so she would know it had been on the better side by the end.

She studied him a long moment, then smiled reflectively. “I was surprised to hear you made this decision, but I’m happy for you. Emma has a big heart. You deserve someone like her. Family life will suit you.”

“You think?” he asked noncommittally, looking for his wife.

He didn’t want Glenda to detect his concern for Emma. She did have a big heart. It was also tender as a new shoot. He was worried he would trample it. He had pictured a comfortable friendship with his wife, not this depth of passion and the spike of deeper, sharper emotions that weren’t easily ignored or controlled. Ones that made him feel so powerless and unguarded, he instinctively locked himself off from it.

Which he feared might hurt her in the long run. No other woman in his life had put up with that stonewalling of his for long. Emma had signed on for a lifetime of it.

“I do think so,” Glenda confirmed. “It already does.” She chuckled as Storm grabbed his ear and tried to pull it into her mouth.

*

“Hey, sis,” Logan opened his arms when he saw Emma.

“Bro.” She gave the word some heavy, Kiwi inflection, more like the brew that Canadians thought they heard when she said it. She stepped into his hug, but he drew back almost immediately and gave her a look that held dismay.

“What?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It’s different now. You’ll feel loyal to Reid. I liked it better when you thought we were equally a pain in the ass.”

“I have always thought you were the biggest pain, Logan. I promise you that won’t change.”

He grinned and tugged a tendril of her hair. “It’ll be good for Storm. And maybe Reid will unwind a little if he’s got a woman in his life. But you tell me if it’s not working, okay? I don’t have a clue what I’ll do, but I’ll do something.”

She was so surprised, so moved, she welled up.

“Don’t cry. Oh my God, Em.”

She couldn’t help it. She threw her arms around his waist again and his arms went up as though he was being mugged.

“Hey,” Reid growled, suddenly behind her.

“I swear I was trying to be nice,” Logan protested.

“What have you done now?” Trystan demanded, appearing beside them just as quickly.

Emma switched to hugging him.

Trystan stilled in shock, then gently closed his arms around her, asking with concern, “What’s going on, Em?”

She drew back, wiping her eyes, and went to Reid, who was still holding Storm. She hugged him, too. The hardest.

“Thank you for giving me brothers who actually care about me,” she said to him.

Understanding eased his scowl and he kept her tucked under his arm. “Here I thought they were a character flaw you were kindly overlooking.”

“They’re really not.” She sniffled and dragged her composure back into place. These big, gorgeous knotheads were as precious to her as Storm.

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