Page 25 of Chase Our Forever

A squeak of panic falls from my lips when I look at my outfit. I’m wearing leggings and a hoodie to their family function. “Was I supposed to dress up?”

“No. My mom just has a rule about hats at the table no matter the time of day.”

I chew on my lip for a moment, wondering if this is a good idea. I do want to get to know his family in case something happens and I can’t get ahold of Dean, but I’m wondering if I should’ve waited a little bit longer. I technically haven’t even started the job yet. “Ready?” Dean asks. “I bet Clara has asked when you’d be here five thousand times by now.”

I sigh, trying to calm the nerves racing through me. I don’t know why I’m nervous. All that I know is that Iamnervous. Maybe it’s because I’ve never had a family. Nothing about myupbringing is normal. What if I say something wrong and his mom hates me? What if one of them thinks I’m not qualified to be Clara’s nanny?

“Liv?” Dean prods. He reaches across the center console of the truck before he lets his hand drop between us. The sound of it hitting the leather has me looking at him, my heart still racing with nerves.

“I’m nervous your family might hate me and tell you to fire me,” I blurt. The words come from my mouth before I can think better of them. I wish I knew why I was suddenly so nervous. I’m normally a look-on-the-bright-side kind of person. Thinking in worst-case scenarios was something I grew tired of. My life could be sad enough at times. The least I could do for my own mental health was try to be more positive.

But for some reason, as I sit in Dean’s pristine truck, I’m realizing that for the first time in a long time, I have something I want. And the thought of losing it just days after getting it is making me incredibly nervous.

Dean’s silence doesn’t help in the slightest. Neither do the two deep lines between his eyebrows that help make up his deep scowl.

“Here’s where you give me some kind of words of encouragement,” I add, trying to lighten the mood but also trying to have him talk some sense into me.

“There’s no way they’re going to hate you. How could they? Clara loves you, and she’s got every single one of us wrapped around her finger.” He jerks his head toward the door. “Now, let’s go inside so I can prove to you how ridiculous it is for you to think they’d ever hate you.”

I take a deep breath and nod. He understands the cue. Immediately, he opens his door, and before he can even step out of the truck, the giant yellow dog I saw earlier is jumping all over him.

“Hi, Missy,” he says, gently running his hand down her back. His door shuts, and before I can open my own door, he’s pulling it open. The massive golden retriever comes with him, her tail wagging enthusiastically as Dean holds out his hand to help me down.

“I know she’s huge, but she’s like a giant teddy bear. You have to watch out for?—”

“Oh, hi.” I laugh as two massive paws land on my shoulders the moment I step out of the truck. The dog’s tongue swipes along my cheek. Before she can lick me again, Dean reaches out, grabs her collar, and pulls her off me.

“Sorry,” he apologizes, holding tight to her collar even as she tries to jump on me all over again. “She’s still learning her manners.”

“Is she a puppy?” I ask, squatting down to scratch the dog’s ears. She’s adorable. Her tail thrashes in the air excitedly as I move to scratch her chin.

This makes Dean chuckle. It’s a low rumble from deep inside his chest, but I love the sound of it. It’s nice to know that he can laugh and find humor in the world, even after the devastating things that have happened to him. “No, she’s not a puppy. In fact, she’s a mommy of four adorable puppies inside. Mom and Dad have just been soft with her training now that they’re empty nesters. They spoil you, don’t they, Missy?” He uses a slight baby voice when talking to the dog. She revels in it. Her tongue peeks out from the side of her mouth as she basks in the attention from both of us. She rolls over, placing herself right over the toes of his cowboy boots—the same boots I find far too attractive.

“So, there are puppies inside?” I ask, probably more excited than I should be.

Dean picks up a nearby stick and throws it for Missy. She runs after it without any second thought of us. “There are. Iknow some have homes lined up, but it’ll still be a few weeks until then. Do you love puppies?”

I nod. “Doesn’t everyone love puppies?”

“Fair point. Let’s get you inside then, so you can get your puppy fix in. I’m sure that’s where we’ll find Clara,” he adds.

I follow him, suddenly forgetting I was ever nervous about meeting his family in the first place.

16

DEAN

Of course,the moment we walk through the front doors of the house I grew up in, everything goes quiet. My family’s close-knit—and incredibly nosy—so the moment I opened the door, I should’ve known they’d all go quiet in their excitement to meet Liv.

“We’re here,” I call out, knowing full well they all know we’ve walked in the door. I wouldn’t put it past my youngest brother, Reed, or even my mother to have been watching us through the blinds. I’d never brought any of the past nannies to Sunday brunch. I saw no reason to. I knew they weren’t going to last right when they started, just like I know now that I won’t be the reason Liv stops being Clara’s nanny. It’ll be because she’s ready to move on.

“Dean!” My mom rushes out from the living room, a wide smile on her face. I’ll hand it to her; she’s great at pretending not to know we were here until just now. “This must be the Livvy we’ve heard all about.”

Mom doesn’t even reach out to give me a hug. I guess she had just seen me, but it does take me a little by surprise that she immediately pulls Liv into a hug without asking first. “I’m Shirley, Clara’s mimi.”

“And my mom,” I add, pretending to be hurt that she just forgot all about me.

Despite just meeting her, Liv still wraps her arms around my mom’s shoulders and hugs her back. She’s a little stiff, making me wonder if Mom’s hug makes her uncomfortable. I bite my tongue, wanting to tell my mother to let Liv breathe. Mom looks at me from over Liv’s shoulder. “Oh, you know what I mean, honey. Don’t be jealous. I only said it because she’s Clara’s nanny.”

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