Page 50 of The Nanny Tenure (Single Dads Club)

“Dinosaur attack!” someone shouted.

Liam and I hit the steps in time to see Finn launch himself at Jude, who caught him in a tight hold.

“Hey.” Liam greeted Jude’s two children with a shoulder pat for the little girl in a unicorn costume and a high five for the boy in some kind of light-up skeleton jumpsuit. Then he towed Finn off Jude and gestured to me. “Kennedy, I’m assuming you remember Jude.”

“Yeah, hi.” I smiled, and Jude held his arms out for a hug, which I happily obliged, though it was tough around the slice of pizza he wore.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

Jude, with his sun-kissed hair and rosy cheeks, seemed perpetually happy, though from the very little bit Liam had told me about his friends, I knew Jude’s wife had passed away suddenly a few years ago.

“You seem like you’re right at home here,” he said.

I tried not to let my eyes flicker to Liam, tried not to think about this house beingmy home. But I lost to my stupid imagination running away again, and I blinked back to Jude. “I am. Finn and I are getting along great, and Liam’s a terrific boss.”

“Terrific, huh?” Some look passed between the two men, which had Liam’s jaw ticking and Jude laughing. Then he turned back to me. “These are my kids, Amelia and Sebastian.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. Can I be the first to give you some candy?”

Amelia hopped around while her brother merely offered me a nod and small smile.

I rushed upstairs to the kitchen for the candy and filled up the tumblers with the pumpkin beer Liam had bought a few days ago. By the time I returned to the living room, Dylan, dressed as a vampire, had arrived with his two kids in tow. I was introduced to Scarlett and Tucker, who were Ariel and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

“If any kids want candy, they have to keep their weapons and teeth to themselves,” I said in a singsong, holding out the bowl. Finn and Tucker immediately stopped play fighting and scurried over to me, so I could put candy in their bags and pumpkins, along with the others.

“And for the big kids…” I held out the tumblers to the dads. “It’s pumpkin beer. I have some snacks for later when you come back.”

Dylan acknowledged me with a salute of hisvampire puns suckcup. “Thank you.”

Jude held up his mug, his lips moving as he silently readWhat happens when pumpkins drink alcohol? They get smashed.Then he snorted a laugh. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble for us.”

“That’s what I told her,” Liam said, his attention hot on my face, even if I did my best not to look at him. Because if I looked at him, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to hide exactly what I was thinking.

That I would go through a lot of trouble to make him happy.

Special-ordering some stupid personalized drink tumblers was nothing.

The five kids started getting antsy, and Dylan pointed to the door. “We should get going before we lose one.”

“Real quick!” I scooted around by the door, holding up my cell phone. “Let’s get some pictures.”

They all bunched in together, and I snapped a few then told Liam and Finn to move over by the pumpkin clings Finn and I had slapped on the wall. “We can send these to Tessa. Finn, look at me. Smile!” I took a dozen photos, because why not? “So cute.”

Jude tapped my shoulder. “You get in there, and I’ll take some.”

“Oh no, that?—”

“Go ahead,” Dylan said in a weirdly stiff tone at Jude’s side, while jutting his chin at Liam and Finn.

Liam’s only reaction was another tick of his jaw. I swiveled my head back and forth, failing to translate the silent conversation going on between the three men. But I marched over to Liam and Finn anyway.

“Move in together,” Jude directed as Dylan held his hands up, pushing them together, motioning for us to squeeze in.

Liam grumbled behind me but pulled me into him, his hand at my waist, so my whole right side was against his torso. I didn’t think I’d be able to feel anything under the dinosaur costume, but I was wrong. I felt every sinewy inch of him. I put my hands on Finn’s shoulders and smiled.

“Everybody say boo!”

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