Page 46 of Nanny for the Firefighter

“I don’t know, man. After last night…I guess we’ll see how it all plays out. Maybe it’s just not meant to be.”

Xaden scoffs. “Mason, nothing is meant to be if you don’t work for it. You can’t just expect the universe to do everything for you.”

He pushes back from the table, getting up so that we can collect the girls and work on getting Mia back home.

“But that’s your choice. Just be sure to make one. No one should be living in limbo.”

Shaking my head, I give Xaden a smile. “Not sure I love how insightful you’re becoming. It’s actually pretty annoying.”

He laughs. “Ahh, just old age getting to me. It’s not like I’ve had any luck in the couples department, so you can take it all with a grain of salt.”

Xaden gets a quick hug, and I meet his eyes as I say, “Well, thank you. For everything.”

“Any time, bro. And keep me posted. If you figure out how to make this all work, maybe you can be the insightful one.”

I just shake my head, and we start for the living room so I can take Mia home. I know she’s going to go kicking and screaming, and I am endlessly grateful the aspirin has kicked in.

If only relationships were that simple.

THIRTEEN

Bridget

Sleep didn’t come easy last night, and I wake up in my bed dry, still groggy, and ready to go right back to sleep. I can’t, though, because there’s still so much to do around the house for Mom.

So much worse, however, is knowing Hudson and Meredith are downstairs. They brought me home last night and crashed here instead of going to their own place.

It was clear that I was upset last night, and I know that this morning, they’ll havequestions.

Mason kissed you. Mason fucking kissed you.

I can’t get the thoughts out of my head, so I stand up out of bed and head to the bathroom. If I’m going to be awake, I can at least get a shower in.

I ditch the pajamas I somehow managed to find last night, and reach inside the shower to get the hot water going.

It always takes a few moments for it to be warm, and I use the time to run a brush through my hair.

He doesn’t like the brown. You don’t either.

My stomach is twirling in knots, and I know I’m going to need some Tylenol and breakfast to feel more normal.

If normal is an option at this point. Whenever I’m with Mason…it’s just so hard. I know it’s way too dangerous for me to get involved with him with Jai still out there.

Images of that waiter come up in my mind. How sure I was that he was Jai.

Embarrassment and anger rage through me, working with the remnants of alcohol to make my nausea worse.

Thankfully, the lukewarm water helps my body to regulate my temperature, and it backs off. Still, thoughts of Jai and what he would do if he were here tangle up in my mind, refusing to leave me alone.

I make quick work of the shower, scrubbing down and washing my hair in a matter of a few minutes.

When I step out, I wrap a towel around myself and twist one over my hair. I’m not doing much today, so I decide that a T-shirt and jean shorts are plenty good for the day, and get dressed quickly.

Once I’m set, I head downstairs, fully expecting to see everyone crowded around the kitchen table or hanging out in the living room.

There’s no one.

As I look at the time on my phone, I see how early it is, and I’m not surprised that I’m the only one up.

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