Page 26 of Military Daddies' Nanny

The front door opens and Drew strides in, looking ruggedly sexy in his well-worn Carhartt jacket and boots. There are a few streaks of grease on his cheek, no doubt from working on cars at the shop all day.

"Something smells good," he comments, shrugging out of the jacket. His brows furrow as he takes in the pile of shopping bags. "Did you two go ham at the mall or what?"

Bella nods and offers up one of the bags from her fashion haul. "Nancy took us shopping and let us get all kinds of new stuff,” her voice is calm, filled with hesitation, like she's being compelled to answer.

“Oh yeah?” He grins. “Can I see?”

She shoots a look in my direction, and I nod subtly. Bella exhales and holds up one of the floral skirts, giving it a little twirl to show off the flirty hemline. Drew visibly pales, his eyes bugging almost comically.

"You…you got her that?" he asks, sounding strangled.

I bite my lip to smother a laugh at his stricken expression. Bella may be maturing into a beautiful young lady, but she'll always be his little girl in Drew's eyes. Time to set some boundaries.

"Bella is thirteen years old, Drew, not a toddler," I point out evenly. "She's begun to develop her own sense of personal style and image. As her parent, you should be encouraging that growth and self-expression, not stifling it."

It's quiet for a long beat, tension humming between us. Then Drew closes his eyes and lets out a resigned sigh. When he opens them again, his expression is more controlled, if a bit strained.

To my surprise he grunts and walks out of the room without another word, leaving me confused and curious. This is a victory, regardless. At least we didn’t dissolve into a shouting match this time.

Bella beams at me gratefully before tentatively moving to the other room to show her dad the rest of her outfits. Drew grimaces a few times but manages to keep his composure admirably.

The rest of the evening is spent laughing and joking over a delicious taco dinner. Bella seems engrossed in a quiet conversation with Nathan about starting at her new high school in the fall and how excited she is to finally get to pick her own clothes.

Even quiet Jason seems happier than usual as he regales us all with breathless descriptions of his new video game.

Drew remains fairly reserved, shooting me veiled glances throughout the meal. But for the most part, he seems to have accepted his little girl's journey toward womanhood, if a bit grudgingly.

I'm honestly just grateful he didn't make more of a fuss or totally shut down my attempts to give Bella a self-confidence boost. Baby steps.

That’s all that matters, really. As for how I feel about the three gorgeous men, well, I guess I have to figure out what to do about that sooner rather than later. It feels almost as if I’m sitting on akeg of gunpowder, waiting for the faintest spark to blow things sky-high.

Chapter 10

Carlos

The table's finally cleared and the Johnson clan has dispersed after another one of my home-cooked feasts. Drew's back in his den working, Nathan's holed up in the garage tinkering with some engine project, and the kids are off doing their own thing.

Which just leaves me and Nancy alone in the kitchen as I start tackling the mountain of dirty dishes and cookware left over from my carne asada efforts.

I don't mind doing this part solo, though. There's something soothing about the simple, methodical act of cleaning up after cooking a hearty meal for my makeshiftfamilia.

With the Black Crowes album I threw on as background music, and the warm, sudsy water sloshing soothingly in the wide ceramic sink, I find myself getting into an easy rhythm - scrubbing, rinsing, drying, then stacking everything neatly on the counter to put away later.

I'm so zoned out in the tranquil ritual that the sound of footsteps approaching makes me nearly jump out of my skin.

"Need some help?" Nancy's soft voice pipes up from behind me.

I glance over my shoulder, my breath catching in my throat like it always does whenever this woman is around. Her green eyes are warm and inviting, her plump lips quirked in a friendly smile as she tucks a loose strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.

She's changed into an oversized sweater and a pair of ridiculously short cotton shorts that shouldn't be legal considering the way they frame every luscious curve of her thighs and ass. The girl has no clue how lethally sexy she is, I swear.

"Nah, it's all good,mamacita," I reply, aiming for a casual tone as I return my focus to the dishes. "I got a whole system going on here. But you're welcome to join me if you'd like."

Nancy doesn't hesitate before rolling up the sleeves of her chunky sweater and stepping up beside me at the sink.

We work together in a comfortable silence, her slender arms brushing against mine whenever she reaches across me for another dish to dry. The closeness of her body sends tingles racing through me, heightening my already raging arousal for her.

We just met, and already this woman is all I can seem to think about. Everything about her fogs over my usually hyper-focused brain with a thick haze of raw lust and gotta-have-her hunger.

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