Page 56 of Military Daddies' Nanny

She looks up at Nathan, fear visible in her eyes, and swallows hard. And then—

"I'm pregnant."

For a long, suspended moment, nobody moves. Nobody breathes. The words seem to hang in the air between us, impossible and earth-shattering all at once.Pregnant. Nancy is...we're…

"Are you sure?" The question slips out before I can stop it, earning me a look from the doctor—half amused, half exasperated.

"We ran the blood work twice," she says. "There's no doubt. Ms. Jones is approximately eight weeks along."

Eight weeks. My mind whirs, calculating backward. That would put conception right around…right around the time things got serious between the four of us. When we went from casual hookups to something deeper, more lasting. When “we” became “us” in a way I never could have anticipated.

I meet Nancy's eyes, a thousand unspoken questions swirling in their depths. Because we all know what this means. In eight weeks' time, we've all been with Nancy. Any one of us could be the father.

My gaze darts to Nathan, seeing my own shock and awe mirrored in his expression. And then, unbidden, an image of Drew flashes through my mind. Drew, who just hours ago was ready to cast this all aside. Drew, who might have no idea that he could be…

"Carlos? Nathan?" Nancy's voice snaps me back to the present, small and scared. "Please say something."

But for once in my life, words fail me. Because how do you even begin to wrap your head around something like this? A baby. Our baby.

The only question nowis,how do we fix our failing relationship so we can be a family again?

Chapter 21

Nancy

The doctor's words seem to hang in the air like a lead weight, slowly sinking in. "You're pregnant."

Pregnant. I'm...pregnant?

A dizzying swirl of emotions crashes over me—shock, elation, disbelief. And beneath it all, a persistent thread of fear and uncertainty.

Because as monumental as this news is on its own, one fact looms above the others: I have no idea whose child I'm carrying. I've been intimate with all three men—Carlos, Nathan, and Drew. Any one of them could be the father.

The thought of Drew twists something deep in my gut. It’s an ache I can't quite put voice to. Just this morning, he was ready to discard whatever we have, to turn his back on this beautiful, tangled family we've built for the slim possibility of reuniting with his ex-wife.

Now this. A baby, our baby, will tie us together irrevocably whether he wants it or not.

"Ms. Jones?" The doctor's voice filters through the fog swirling in my mind. "I know this is...well, overwhelming can't begin to cover it. But we should discuss next steps."

Mutely, I nod, hugging my arms around my midsection. Beneath my palms, my belly is still smooth, still soft. There’s no outward sign yet of the profound change taking place within.

A million questions clamor for purchase within me, each more insistent than the last. Is the baby okay? What are my options here, if I even have any? What about the fathers? Should I tell them? Can I...?

I’m still fighting with these questions as I watch the color drain from the faces of the two men. Carlos and Nathan simply...stare at me, twin masks of shock on their faces, leaving them unnaturally still.

I nearly flinch beneath the weight of their shared gazes, the desire to flee fluttering like a trapped bird in my ribcage.

Jamie is the one who breaks the silence. “You’re pregnant…”

Her eyes are wide with shock as she comes to stand in front of me. I nod and look at the guys who still remain still like statues, clearly processing the gravity of the news.

Then, finally, Carlos blinks—once, twice—before jolting back into motion. He closes the distance between us in two long strides until he's looming above me, gently pushing Jamie aside. She moves away without a fuss, understanding clouding her gaze.

What will I do without her?

Carlos reaches out as if to touch me, only to falter at the last second, hands hovering an inch from my shoulders. "You're...mamacita, are you sure?"

I nod numbly, fresh tears stinging my eyes. "I told you, the doctor confirmed it."

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