Page 58 of Bad Nanny

It was such an innocent question and held so much hope that pressure built behind my eyes. “Kind of.” I would leave it at that before I got myself into trouble. “Does your dad let you sleep in here?”

“Sometimes, and sometimes he doesn’t know I’m here until morning.” She smirked. “Uncle Lex says he sleeps like a koala.”

“Oh, koalas are precious. We should take your dad to the zoo one day, so he can visit his animal family.” I booped her nose and she giggled.

“Laney?” Gabriel, sounding half asleep, sat up and looked around.

“Daddy, can we go to the zoo?” Delaney was barely able to ask the question she was giggling so hard.

“What? The zoo?” His confusion made me lose it just as bad as Delaney.

I rolled onto my back, needing to see his facial expressions as the giggling refused to stop. It was the unhinged kindof laughing that was only achieved while exhausted and when self-regulation had left the building.

“We can make him koala ears to make sure they recognize him.” I nudged Delaney playfully and wiped tears from the corners of my eyes.

Delaney’s laughter hit a new octave, and even Gabriel’s lips twitched into a reluctant smile before he flopped back onto his pillow with a huff. “You two are conspiring against me.”

Finally, we managed to calm down, and Gabriel propped himself on his elbow to see Delaney again. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

Delaney nodded vigorously. “I’m good, Daddy. Can I sleep in here tonight?” Her voice was hopeful, and her blue eyes glazed like she might cry if he said no.

Gabriel looked over at me briefly before nodding. “Of course, you can. Just for tonight, though.”

We rearranged ourselves so that Delaney was snuggled in the middle. Emotion clogged my throat as I watched Gabriel smooth her hair back and her eyes flutter closed.

I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling. This was everything I didn’t know I wanted. It all happened so fast that I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when I’d started falling hard for this little family.

Gabriel reached across a now sleeping Delaney and stroked my cheek with his knuckle. As I closed my eyes, I felt this overwhelming sense of contentment I had never experienced before.

A blinding light pulled me from sleep, and I rolled over to get away from it before opening my eyes. I was disoriented for a second, my mind still processing where I was at, before realizing the bed was empty.

My cheeks heated as I remembered last night and the vulnerability Gabriel had shown. This thing between us was getting more real every day, and now I was sleeping in his bed.

And Delaney.

The mere thought of her brought a smile to my face.

Stretching, I rolled onto my back and groaned as the light hit my face again. Since Gabriel was always up with the sun, it made sense he’d have curtains that didn’t completely block out all of the light.

I grabbed my phone—a bad morning habit that I couldn’t seem to break—and groaned at all the notifications. With everything that had gone on last night, I had let them pile up. The video I’d posted at noon the day before had over a million views, which seemed to be my new norm.

Since meeting with a lawyer, accountant, and agent the week before, a lot had started to happen. I’d signed a partnership deal with Ravishing Whispers, a woman owned adult product company, and they were not only sending me a bunch of products, but I would be paid for my content and get affiliate marketing earnings.

My next step was to hire a full-time business manager, but I wanted to make sure I had a nice chunk of money saved before committing to something so expensive. Everything was happening at lightning speed, and I was woefully unprepared for it.

A sane person would have quit their job and focused on building their brand and business, but I was in too deep now. I still found pockets of time to work on business things while nannying, but it was never consistent or for long.

My stomach growled, and I forced myself out of the comfortable bed and went into the en suite. Gabriel’s bathroom was immaculate, with black-veined white marble and gold accents. I’d expected nothing less from the man who liked every shade of beige in his living room.

On the counter, there was a new hairbrush and toothbrush with a sticky note next to them. My stomach fluttered as I peeled the note off the counter to read it.

Picked these up for you earlier this week.For a man who didn’t date, he sure knew how to woo a woman.

“Or is he telling me my breath stinks and my hair is a mess?” I muttered, ripping open the toothbrush package.

“Both.”

I let out a squeal and turned to see Gabriel leaning against the doorframe, an amused smirk on his face. “Jesus. You and Delaney could star in a father-daughter horror movie together.”

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