Page 51 of Bad Nanny

Gabriel’s brothers were great at supporting him, but also seemed to know when to push, and that’s exactly what Gabriel needed right now.

“I promise you, Delaney will be okay,” I assured him. “This will be good for her, and it might help that I’m the one taking her out, so she doesn’t pick up on your anxiety.”

“I’m not anxious.” I could almost see him running his hand through his hair. “You can take her, but go straight there, eat, and come home. Nothing else. If she shows any sign of being upset, get the food to go.”

I smiled, even though he couldn’t see me. “I promise, straight there and back. Though, I can’t control how long it takes for our food to come out. You could probably call the restaurant and pay them extra to be quick.”

“Are you teasing me?” He lowered his voice. “Because it certainly sounds like you are.”

I gasped. “I would never tease you.”

“Someone needs a spanking.”

Noah groaned. “Bro, I’m sittingrighthere.”

My cheeks heated. “Maybe you’re the one who needs a spanking.”

“A spanking?” I jumped, not realizing that Delaney had gotten up from the couch and come into the kitchen. “Is that Daddy?”

“Uh...yeah.” My phone started ringing with a video call from Gabriel. “Oh, look. He’s calling you!”

I pressedconnectand handed Delaney my phone. Her face lit up as Gabriel’s face filled the screen.

His expression softened immediately when he saw her. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Hi, Daddy! You need a spanking!” Delaney’s proclamation had me cringing and covering my mouth to stifle a laugh.

Noah was laughing in the background, and Gabriel’s eyes flicked to me before returning to Delaney. “I know I told you I’d be home by now, but I’m stuck in traffic.”

“Oh.” Delaney tilted her head as her smile faltered. “What’s traffic?”

“When all the cars stop, and we can’t drive.”

Her eyes suddenly looked panicked, and she glanced up at me, then back at the phone. “You aren’t coming home?”

“I am, sweetie. It’s just going to take me a little longer because the freeway is blocked. I wish I could fly or teleport, so I could be there right now.” Gabriel was careful to keep his tone neutral, but judging by the pinch of his brows, he was struggling.

I smoothed my hand over Delaney’s ponytail. “Why don’t you tell your dad about what we did today?”

That seemed to distract her from whatever was going through her head, and she excitedly launched into a description of our day. I leaned against the kitchen counter, watching them interact.

“Wow, you pretended to water the olive tree; that sounds like it was fun.” Gabriel’s lips quirked. “So, since I’m not going to be home until after dinner, Josie was thinking itmight be fun to take you to Nora’s going-away dinner at a restaurant.”

“Like a date?” Delaney made a little squeal of excitement.

“Not quite, but kind of like that. You’re okay with going?” Gabriel’s worry made me want to reach through the phone and hug him.

“Can I have soda? Please, please, please! Oh, and dessert!”

“I suppose that will be fine, since it’s a special occasion.” Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, and I knew he couldn’t hold in his worry any longer. “If you feel overwhelmed or anxious at any time, you tell Josie, okay?”

Delaney’s face turned serious as she nodded. “I will, I promise.”

“We’ll have a great time, and I’ll keep you updated, so don’t worry.” Knowing he would worry until he had Delaney in his arms, I wanted to reassure him. Hopefully, frequent updates and pictures of her having a good time would help.

“I’ll try not to. You girls have fun, okay?” He blew a kiss to Delaney, who mimicked the action back to him. “I love you.”

“Bye, Daddy! I love you!” Delaney handed me the phone and skipped back to the living room.

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