Page 23 of Worthy

“Then make her fall in love with you and then ask her to stay forever! It’s easy. I love her already! If I can do it, so can you!”

Ah, the innocence of a child. I leaned over and kissed her one more time. “I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises. Goodnight, my precocious daughter. I love you.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

My dad grabbed a book from the shelf and sat in the rocking chair to read to Penny while my mom took the spot on the bed that I had just vacated. Before I left, I turned to them both and let them know that I’d like to talk to them when they’re done.

I walked slowly down the hall, digesting Penny and my mom’s words about how selfless Anna had been. I couldn’t comprehend why none of the bodyguards nor Anna had mentioned her actions when I had been thanking the men for their dedicated service.

Penny was right about one thing. Anna’s actions weren’t typical of a nanny, but more in line with what a mother would do to protect her child. Unbidden images of Anna flooded my mind; thoughts like Anna teaching Penny to wear make-up or her holding our little boy with my dark hair and her gorgeous green eyes. I tried to shake them off, but they kept coming like a freight train; one after the other. The last one of Anna sitting in the front row of the church as I walk Penny down the aisle is the one that sent me over the edge into temporary insanity. At least, that’s the story I planned to go with and why I do the unthinkable.

I intend to simply thank Anna for what she has done and offer her a bonus, but when I notice her on the phone and making tea, all rational thoughts disappear. She may be beautiful on the outside, but that’s not what I see at that moment. Nope. Her inner beauty shines like a beacon, drawing me to her.

Unable to express my gratitude in words, I kiss her like she is the air I need to breathe. What astonishes me even more is that she returns the kiss for a brief moment. Overwhelmed, it takes me a second to feel the push instead of the pull of her hands against my chest.

“Aiden, stop!” she says loudly, waking me out of my Anna-induced haze. “What are you doing?”

Before I can answer, I hear a tinny voice emanating from the phone on the floor, “Savannah, what’s going on? Are you all right? Talk to me!”

I give her the space to talk to some guy named Ethan—according to the name on the screen—and get lost in my thoughts. I flashback to the conversation with Deacon in the locker room when he mentioned that Anna looked like Savannah Jones and now, I have to wonder if there was any validity to his statement. I wait patiently for Anna to finish up her call.

She turns away from me and speaks in low tones, but I can still understand snippets of the conversation. “I’m fine…nothing I can’t handle…I’ll explain later…Ethan, I have to go…mess I need to clean up.” I can’t say I appreciate being called a “mess,” but I’ve clearly created one with my actions and deserve it.

As soon as she’s off the phone and faces me to tell me how badly I screwed up, I open my big mouth and go on the offensive. “I’m sorry for kissing you. I shouldn’t have done that. I didn’t know you had a boyfriend, Anna. Or is it really Savannah?”

The kettle whistling interrupts us and gives her a bit of reprieve. She makes four mugs of tea and sets them on the table. “Have a seat, Aiden.” Her ominous tone does nothing to calm the doubt and questions swirling around in my brain. I sit in the closest chair but don’t reach for the tea she has set in front of me. I watch her like a hawk as she goes to the opposite side of the table, putting as much distance between us as possible.

“Do you plan to answer my question?” I ask, my tone defensive.

“I do, but after your parents come down. They should be here for this conversation.”

Crossing my arms, I lean back as far as I can in my chair. “Are you implying that my mom and dad are involved in whatever scheme you’ve cooked up? They would never do something like that!”

“Actually, we would,” my mom says as she and my dad come down the stairs. “You left us with no choice when you refused to listen to our concerns about having around-the-clock protection for Penny.”

I take a few seconds to formulate my words to respond to my mom’s declaration, but she isn’t done yet. “It’s a good thing we hired Anna because she was the one who sent David and Jeremy to watch over you. If Anna hadn’t done that, then who knows if you would even be here right now to condemn us for our actions. That’s what you’re about to do, isn’t it? Condemn us for caring about you and Penny?”

Mom’s statement gives me pause, and the guilt trip works as she had anticipated. I shake out my hands and legs, trying to get the frustration and angst out of my body so that I can calm down enough to speak respectfully. After a few raised eyebrows, and once I feel I’ve achieved a more relaxed state, I take a deep breath and address my parents.

“I wish you had told me the truth, and I’m hurt that you felt the need to go behind my back to get your way. Ultimately, Penny is my daughter, and what goes on in this house is up to me. Moving forward, I need to know what is going on and will have the final say. I'm partly to blame, and I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you or take your concerns to heart. If I had, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.”

Turning to face Anna, who has remained quiet until now, I ask, “Is Anna your real name?”

I expect Anna to hem and haw, sputtering out an excuse. Instead, she looks to my mom for permission to answer me, and her shoulders sag in relief when it’s granted. “No, my name is not Anna Blackwood. It’s Savannah Jones. It’s the only lie I have told you, but that was more for my protection than yours, Aiden.”

“What do you mean ‘for your protection?’ Are you in some kind of danger?” I ask her, concerned not only for her well-being but also for that of my daughter.

“The only danger is getting caught up in my past. I grew up here in Savannah and there are people I would like to keep my presence hidden from. No one is after me or poses a threat to your family, but that’s all you need to know for now. I assure you, there is no added danger because I’m here.”

“Savannah…”

“Anna, please. For now, I would like to keep my identity a secret,” she says to us all.

I laugh mirthlessly, “It might be a little late for that. One of my teammates already recognized you, and Swank looked you up on his phone.”

She gives me a lop-sided smile. “Until there is confirmation, it’s only speculation. Just continue to deny that my name is Savannah to anyone who asks, Aiden. All people need to know is that I’m Anna Blackwood and Penny’s new nanny.”

“Are you really a nanny?” I ask.

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