Page 41 of Military Daddies' Nanny

"He seems so happy," Nancy remarks, a soft smile playing across her lips. "It's wonderful to see him coming out of his shell."

I nod in agreement, warmth blooming in my chest at her words. "You've been amazing with both kids. The change in them since you came into our lives...it's like night and day."

A faint blush colors her cheeks as she tucks a stray curl behind her ear. "I'm just glad I can help. They're such great kids—they just needed someone to see that."

We start walking back toward my car, a comfortable silence settling between us. Being with Nancy is easy like that. We don't always need words to fill the space.

"So," I say as we reach the vehicle, "since we've got some free time before Jason needs to be picked up, what do you say to grabbing lunch? There's a great little diner not far from here."

Her eyes light up. "Ooh, that sounds perfect. I'm starving."

Twenty minutes later, we're settled into a cozy booth at Rosie's, mugs of steaming coffee in front of us as we peruse the menu. It's a quaint place, all checkered tablecloths and photos of smilingpatrons lining the walls. This kind of hidden gem locals keep coming back for decades.

After we place our orders—a Reuben for me, chicken salad for Nancy—she props her elbows on the table and fixes me with a curious look. "So, Nathan Johnson. Tell me something I don't know about you."

I chuckle, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose. "Hmm. Well, did you know I once built a fully functional robot out of spare parts I found in a junkyard?"

Her eyebrows shoot up. "Seriously? How old were you?"

"Fifteen," I reply with a grin. "Drew thought I was insane, tinkering away in the garage at all hours. But three months later, I had this little guy who could fetch the newspaper and make toast."

Nancy shakes her head, laughing. "I shouldn't even be surprised. You're kind of a genius, you know that?"

I feel heat creep up my neck at the compliment. Even after all these years, I'm still not great at accepting praise. "I just...like figuring out how things work. How to make them better."

Our food arrives then, and for a few minutes, we're quiet, savoring the first bites. But I can see the wheels turning behind Nancy's hazel eyes. There's a question forming there.

Finally, she sets down her fork and meets my gaze. "Is that what drew you to military engineering? Getting to work on cutting-edge technology, pushing the boundaries of what's possible?"

And there it is. The ghost that's haunted me for years, even now that I'm out. I take a long sip of coffee, buying myself a moment to gather my thoughts.

"Partly," I admit. "The resources, the brilliant minds you get to collaborate with…it was incredible. For a while, I really thought I'd found my calling."

I fall silent, staring down at my half-eaten sandwich. Nancy reaches across the table to lay her hand over mine. "What changed?"

I draw in a deep breath, steeling myself. I've never talked about this with anyone outside my brother and Carlos. But Nancy...she has a way of making me want to let her in.

"About four years ago, I was part of a team developing new equipment for our battalion," I begin quietly. "We'd created this device that could detonate bombs from a safe distance, minimizing risk to our troops. It worked beautifully in all the tests. I was so proud..."

I trail off, swallowing hard against the lump forming in my throat. Nancy squeezes my hand gently. "You don't have to tell me if it's too difficult."

But I shake my head. She deserves to know this part of me. "No, I...I want you to understand. See, what I didn't consider was that the enemy would be willing to throw themselves on top of bomb after bomb, all because of an idea they believed in. And then, one day, they caught us in a trap, and used one of those devices on us.”

I close my eyes, and for a moment I'm back there, ears ringing from the explosion, choking on dust and smoke."The first timethey used that tactic, an entire squad was wiped out. Eighteen men and women, gone in an instant. Because of something I created."

"Oh, Nathan." Nancy's voice is barely above a whisper. When I look up, her eyes are shining with unshed tears. "That's...I can't even imagine how devastating that must have been."

I nod jerkily. "I couldn't sleep for weeks. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw their faces. Started having panic attacks in the lab. Finally, I just...I couldn't do it anymore. I got an honorable discharge and came home."

For a long moment, we're both quiet. Then Nancy speaks, her tone gentle but firm. "Nathan, listen to me. What happened to those soldiers was a tragedy. But it wasn't your fault." I start to protest, but she holds up a hand. "No, hear me out. You created a tool to save lives. The fact that it was misused, that's on the people who chose violence. Not you."

"But if I hadn't—"

"If you hadn't, someone else would have," she interjects. "And maybe they wouldn't have cared as much as you did. You have such a good heart, Nathan. It's not a weakness to want to minimize harm."

I blink rapidly, feeling the sting of tears. "Drew and Carlos, they've tried to tell me the same thing. But somehow...hearing it from you, I almost believe it."

Nancy smiles softly. "Well, get used to it. Because I'm going to keep reminding you until it sinks in. You're not responsible for the actions of others. All you can do is try to put more good intothe world than bad. And from where I'm sitting? You're doing a damn fine job of that."

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