Page 45 of Military Daddies' Nanny

For a moment, I'm rendered speechless. Of all the declarations of love I've received lately, this one might mean the most.Because as much as I adore Drew, Nathan, and Carlos, it's the kids who have truly stolen my heart. To know that Bella feels the same…

I gather her close once more, not bothering to hide the tears now streaming down my face. "Oh, Bella. I love you too. So, so much."

We stay like that for a long moment, lost in our little bubble. Then a throat clears behind us, and I turn to see Drew watching us, something unreadable in his expression.

"Sorry to interrupt," he says softly. "But I think there might be a few other people who'd like to congratulate the star of the show."

Bella's eyes widen comically. "Oh! Sorry, Dad!" And then she's being passed from one set of arms to another. Drew lifts her clear off her feet in a bear hug, Carlos ruffles her hair, and Nathan presents her with a bouquet of roses that seems to appear out of thin air.

I hang back, not wanting to hog her spotlight. But as I observe the scene, this patchwork family showering Bella with the love and praise she so richly deserves, I'm struck by a powerful sense of rightness. Of belonging.

This is where I'm meant to be.

Hours later, after a raucous celebratory dinner and tucking two very overtired kids into bed, I find myself alone with Drew on the back porch.

The unseasonably warm night air carries the scent of jasmine from the sprawling vines that cover the fence. Drew hands me acold beer from the cooler at his feet, and I take a long, grateful sip.

"I've been meaning to thank you," he says after a comfortable silence. "For everything you did with Bella today. This whole week, really. She was a nervous wreck until you jumped in."

I shake my head. "I didn't do anything special. She's the one who put in all the hard work."

"Maybe." Drew takes a pull from his own bottle, eyes distant. "But you gave her the confidence to get up there. I saw how scared she was this morning...and then how she ran to you afterward. You're so good with her, Nancy. With both of them."

There's a wistfulness to his tone that tugs at my heart. Tentatively, I reach out to touch his arm. "Hey. You're a great father, Drew. Jason and Bella adore you."

He sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I try. God knows I try. But sometimes I worry...I was gone so much when they were little, you know? First with deployments, then after Karen left, trying to keep the business afloat as a single dad. I feel like I missed so much."

And there it is; the opening I've been waiting for. In the months I've known Drew, he's been reticent about his past. But tonight, something has shifted. I settle back in my chair, angling toward him. "Tell me about it?"

He's quiet for a long moment, and I wonder if I've overstepped. But then he begins to speak, haltingly at first, then with growing ease as the story pours out of him.

He tells me about enlisting right out of high school, following in his father's footsteps. How he'd thrived in the military due to the discipline, the sense of purpose, and the brotherhood. He'd met Karen on his first leave home. They shared a whirlwind romance that led to marriage just months later.

"We were so young," he says, shaking his head ruefully. "Barely knew each other, really. But when you're facing death every day...I don't know, everything feels more urgent. More real."

I nod, understanding. It's not so different from the way Drew, Nathan, Carlos and I came together—that sense of grasping at something precious before it can slip away.

Drew goes on, recounting years of deployments interspersed with brief, intense periods at home. He mentions Bella's birth, then Jason's. He tells me about the growing tension in his marriage as Karen struggled with the long absences and the constant fear.

"I came back different after my last tour," he admits quietly. "We all did. I got hurt badly—that's how I got that scar on my chest. They all thought...Christ, they really thought they were going to lose me. And Nathan, he was dealing with his own demons. I felt like I had to be the strong one, you know? Hold it all together."

I reach for his hand then, lacing our fingers together. He offers me a small, grateful smile before continuing.

"I couldn't sleep. Kept having these vivid nightmares, waking up in a cold sweat. During the day I was on edge all the time, snapping at Karen and the kids over stupid little things. Looking back now, I can see I was suffering from PTSD. But at the time..." He trails off, jaw clenching. "I didn't want to admit there was a problem. Figured I just needed to man up, push through it."

"Oh, Drew," I breathe, aching for him in his present state of mind and for the stoic, hurting man who had thought he had to carry the weight of the world alone.

He shrugs, but I can see the old pain lingering in his eyes. "Anyway. It was too much for Karen in the end. She stuck it out another year or so, but we were like strangers by then. One day, I came home and she was just...gone. Took off to God knows where, leaving nothing but a note saying she couldn't do it anymore…and papers for the divorce. Her lawyer handled everything while she was gone."

"She left the kids?" I'm unable to keep the shock from my voice. It's not that I can't empathize with Karen's struggle. Being married to someone with PTSD can't have been easy.But to abandon her own children?

Drew nods grimly. "Bella was seven, Jason barely three. He doesn't even remember her, not really. It was hell at first, trying to juggle single parenthood with the business. If it hadn't been for Nathan and Carlos stepping up..." He swallows hard. "I don't know what I would've done."

Acting on instinct, I shift closer, eliminating the space between us. One hand comes up to cradle his cheek, thumb stroking along the stubbled line of his jaw. "You survived," I tell him fiercely. "You kept going, for your kids. And now look at them. They're amazing, Drew. You did that."

He stares at me for a long moment, something raw and vulnerable in his gaze. Then, slowly, he leans in.

The kiss starts soft, an exchange of comfort. But it quickly deepens, mouths opening, tongues seeking. I wind my armsaround Drew's neck as he pulls me into his lap, his large hands spanning my waist.

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