Page 50 of Architect's Christmas Nanny

The light, fruity scent of her shampoo was almost dazzling.

“Arms around her,” the elf said briskly.

“You can sit back and relax,” he murmured into her hair as he wrapped his arms around her as respectfully as possible. “You’re light as a feather.”

She scooted back a little and let him have a little more of her weight as she snuggled into his arms.

Josie leaned sideways to get her head on Jillian’s shoulder and suddenly, Brad was fully surrounded by the people he loved most in the world.

“SayMerry Christmas,” the elf yelled.

Josie did as she was told, but Brad just smiled, wishing this silly, heart-wrenching moment would never end.

A few hours later,the mall trip was behind them and he was pulling the SUV up the driveway into the Williams Homestead and heading down the gravel road to the cottage. There was still snow on the ground, and the frosted tree branches and warm glow of the windows of the big house, where his parents were probably fixing their pot of after-supper tea, all made him feel like he was living in an old-fashioned Christmas card.

Jillian had a peaceful, happy expression on her faceas she gazed out the window. And in the back, it looked like Josie was about to doze off.

“Almost home,” he said, figuring that if she napped it would be cozier for her on the big, lumpy sofa, where he could keep an eye on her.

Or better yet, up in her room, so he could talk to Jillian alone.

His heart thundered at the thought. But he had never been a man to back down from what he wanted once he set his mind to it.

“Okay,” Josie said, yawning and stretching a little.

“Maybe you can curl up with a book when we get home,” he suggested.

“Yes,” she sighed contentedly. “I love our picture.”

She was clutching it to her chest in a way that made him worry it might be getting a little crumpled. But Brad didn’t even care. He loved the image of them all together too. And he secretly hoped that there might be plenty more where that came from.

Beside him, Jillian smiled, and it was such a beautiful, bittersweet look that he knew she didn’t want to leave them any more than he wanted her to go.

He felt the familiar clench of guilt in his gut.

I fired her,he reminded himself.She doesn’t really work for me now. It’s okay for me to feel this way about her. I don’t have to fight it anymore.

When they got in, Josie headed right upstairs.

“I’m going to get her set and then maybe you and I can chat for a sec?” he asked Jillian as lightly as he could.

“Yes,” she said, smiling up at him. “Of course. I’m not going anywhere.”

That’s exactly what I’m hoping.

His heart felt like it was about to burst.

“I’ll be quick,” he told her.

He took the stairs two at a time, like he was a teenager again.

“Dad?” Josie said sleepily from her bed.

He glanced around the room, smiling at Josie’s side, which was overflowing with stuffed animals, and Jillian’s neat and tidy bed, with a stack of kids’ books on the nightstand, like she had been reading to Josie every night before bed, which he suspected was probably exactly what had been happening.

“I’m just going to chat with Jillian for a minute or two downstairs,” he told her. “Boring grown-up stuff, but stay up here long enough to read at least one chapter, okay?”

“Okay,” Josie said, paging through her book.

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