Page 27 of Nanny for the Firefighter

Jai doesn’t know where I am. He just…he can’t.

But I don’t move off the porch as I wait for Hudson to answer, and I know I’m not about to move from that spot until he’s here, either.

EIGHT

Bridget

People are mingling throughout the party. Old friends, new acquaintances, and, for some reason, my heart is pounding itself up out of my ribcage and into my throat.

There is no logical reason to be this upset. There are cocktails aplenty, hors d’oeuvres being devoured by happy guests, and I’ve even taken care of ensuring safe travels.

No one likes a drunk driver.

But I’m spiraling. Nothing will be good enough becauseI’mnot good enough. I stuff another of the delicious appetizers into my mouth, hoping against hope that it’ll make me feel better.

It doesn’t.

I can’t blame the tiny quiche, either. It’s phenomenal, like all the other things the caterer has brought in, but that’s just the thing isn’t it.

I couldn’t arrange this party the way I wanted because it’s not my party.

It’s Jai’s.

Right on cue, he comes into the kitchen where I’m hiding, and I quickly wipe the crumbs from my mouth with a clothnapkin. A cloth napkin that I’m renting because the ones I bought for tonight are—say it with me—not good enough.

“There you are. We need someone to start another bottle of red.”

Jai walks over, and I instinctively pull into myself, my shoulders slumping.

“Oh, okay. Isn’t there a server who can?—”

“I’m sorry. Is doing something for your fiance’s party too much for you?”

I shake my head, that horrible, drilling nausea starting low in my belly as my temples throb.

I could pull my hair out right now, and you know, if Jai wasn’t here, I would’ve, but I can’t let him see that.

“Of course not. I’m sorry. I’ll get right to it, Jai.”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. It never does, though. As I walk over to the pantry, where there are dozens of bottles of wine on standby, I run into one of the servers.

The guy makes a move to help me, but I quickly shake my head, mouthing, “No. Don’t.”

My hand is on the next bottle of Cabernet when I feel Jai come up behind me, standing over me and blocking out all the light from the hallway on the other side of him.

“And don’t think I didn’t notice your little snack, babe. I told you that you need to lay off those. You’ve already put on what? Five pounds. Come on. Have some self-restraint.”

The air leaves my lungs in a whoosh, the words landing just the way he wants them to.

I’m not overweight or unhealthy. I have curves. I always have, and I don’t think I’ve gained anything lately. Shit, I guess I could’ve…

The thoughts trail off as I realize Jai’s right back in my head again like always.

Another fault has presented itself to him, a familiar one at that, and of course, Jai needed to dig his claws into it.

We had a talk a few weeks ago about the teasing. I told Jai how much it hurt me. He said he would stop.

He didn’t.

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