Page 71 of Single Dad's Hot Nanny

Mia wrapped her arms around herself. Her body language was a tad confusing and so was the random topic of Olivia’s friend. “She made you laugh… a lot.”

“She’s a funny gal…” I hadn’t had many run-ins with the journalist, but she was hilarious.

“And beautiful too,” Mia murmured.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Sure…”

To my shock and confusion, Mia’s expression crumbled. She gave a curt, “Good night, Michael,” before she whirled around and marched away.

“Wait… Mia. We didn’t…”Really talk. I took off after her, but she was already out the door. “Mia, get back?—”

The door closed with a bang, and I stopped to stare at it. What the fuck just happened? Just then I remembered why I’d avoided relationships all these years. Still, I wanted to dive into one with Mia because she had me hooked.

I gave Alex a congratulatory clap on the shoulder as the marriage officiant pronounced him and Olivia man and wife. He glanced back at me with the goofiest, happiest grin I’d ever seen before he swept Olivia into his arms and gave her another kiss.

This one went on for too long and seemed to be getting a bit too heated, considering that there was a church full of guests. There was a murmur of amused sounds coming from the audience.

Jamie, who stood behind me, sighed and whispered, “Jesus.”

“Ahem.”I gave Alex a subtle nudge which seemed to bring him back from the world he and his wife seemed to have gotten lost in. He released her and glanced at me with a sheepish grin, while Olivia blushed profusely.

This was why Alex named me the best man. According to him, I’d been keeping him in line since we met… like anold, grumpy grandfather,always there to rein him in when he got carried away. He was such an asshole for that, but I was honored.

I was happy for him and Olivia… and maybe a little envious that they seemed to have found their perfect match in each other. For so long, I was convinced that the idea of a perfect partner was bullshit. People changed, and it all crumbled eventually. That was my experience, and I’d never tried to have a relationship again.

However, Alex, a former playboy extraordinaire of all people, showed me that maybe the whole committed relationship thing wasn’t so bad after all. I watched the happy couple walk down the aisle of the church hand in hand. They practically floated on their cloud of happiness. Then there were Charlotte and Jamie,who seemed more in love than ever after marriage. Was that kind of happiness in the cards for me? I glanced at Mia, sitting amongst the guests. She had a snoozing Poppy in her arms. The picture they made…

My heart skipped a beat. They looked so natural together. I remained frozen as the emotions I’d spent years avoiding swamped me. Maybe—just maybe—Mia and I belonged together, and because of that, our relationship wouldn’t end in a shitstorm of lies and resentment. Still, that skeptical monster surfaced to whisper doubt into my mind.

Jamie nudged me from behind, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Hey, get a move on, man.”

I blinked and realized that the bride and groom were almost out the door and I was supposed to have followed them. I took a step forward and offered an arm to my counterpart, the maid of honor. Elena looped her arm through mine.

“Hey.” She smiled. “Look at us, the best man and the maid of honor. I think this is a sign.”

“Mmm-hmm.” I had no idea what she was talking about. It was hard to care when I was still reeling from my apparent emotional awakening. No, actually that happened some time ago when it hit me that I wanted more thanjust casualwith Mia. This was like the emotional dam being completely obliterated, flooding me with things I had been afraid of feeling for a long time.

“Are you alright?” she asked. “You seemed far away a moment ago.”

“I’m fine.” I didn’t look at her because I was busy staring at Mia. God, she was beautiful. Not just in that dress that hugged her curves and her silky mane framing her face. She was beautiful to her very soul, and it was like my six-year-old perceived it long before I did and…choseher.

“I hear you’re sticking around for a few more days,” Elena said.

“Yeah…”

“What if you and I hung out sometime? Like say… for dinner?”

“Hmm?” I craned my neck to keep Mia in my sight, and Elena followed my gaze.

When I glanced at her, she let out a soft chuckle and said, “I see.”

“See what? Did you say something about dinner?”

Sighing, she patted my arm. “Never mind, Michael. Never mind…”

My eyebrows furrowed, but I didn’t get to press about what she saw because we stepped outside, and she pulled out of my hold to help Olivia with her dress as she got into the limo. I turned back to wait for Mia and Poppy. They emerged in the middle of the throng, and I hurried back up the stairs to relieve Mia of her load.

She smiled. “Hey. This one is knocked out. Somebody had too much fun prancing down the aisle.”

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