Page 32 of The Wolf's Plus-Size Nanny

I want to go after Sonya, to beg her to stay, to tell her that I’m sorry, that I didn’t mean it, that I need her here. But I can’t. I’m frozen in place, paralyzed by the weight of my own guilt and fear.

The minutes tick by, each one dragging out longer than the last, and I’m left with nothing but my thoughts and the empty silence of the house. I think about everything that led up to this moment—every mistake I made, every word I didn’t say.

Chapter 17 - Sonya

The bar is alive tonight, but I’m too wrapped up in my own thoughts to enjoy it. I take a sip of my drink, something fruity and way too strong, hoping it’ll drown out the mess swirling in my head. Jane and Piper are on either side of me, chatting and trying to pull me into their conversation, but it’s like I’m stuck in my own bubble, replaying every word of the argument with Jack.

“I can’t believe you let him get under your skin like that,” Jane says, nudging me with her elbow as she leans closer. “It’s Jack. Mr. Thick-Skinned, Playboy Extraordinaire. Since when do you let a guy like him get to you?”

I back out a laugh, but it sounds forced even to me. “Yeah, well, I guess I’m just stupid like that,” I mutter, swirling the ice in my glass. “I should’ve known better.”

Piper raises an eyebrow, sipping her cocktail with a knowing look that makes me squirm. “Oh, come on, Sonya. There’s more to this than just some argument. Spill it.”

I glance between the two of them. Their expectant faces are illuminated by the neon bar lights. I’ve been holding this in for too long, and the weight of it is pressing down on my chest like a heavy stone. But now, with their eyes on me, waiting, I feel the dam start to crack.

“We kissed,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. “And it wasn’t just some casual kiss. It was… more.”

Jane’s eyes widen, and she nearly chokes on her drink. “Wait, what? When did this happen?”

I shrug, staring down at the table. “A few nights ago. We didn’t have sex, but we did… do things. The way he looked at me,the way he touched me… I thought maybe—” I cut myself off, swallowing the rest of the sentence. “I thought maybe he wanted me, too.”

Piper leans back in her seat, and her expression shifts to something softer, more understanding. “And you think he doesn’t?”

“I don’t know,” I admit with a groan. “I mean, look at me—I’m not his type. I’m not the kind of girl Jack Thomas falls for.”

Jane rolls her eyes, setting her glass down with a thud. “Oh, please. You’re telling me you don’t see the way he looks at you? Like he’s a starving man and you’re a four-course meal?”

I laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “Yeah, right. Jack’s never looked at me like that. He’s just… he’s Jack. He’s a flirt. A playboy, like you just said. He’s probably just being nice.”

Piper shakes her head, and her eyes practically bug out of her head. “You’re blind, Sonya. I’ve known Jack a long time, and I’ve never seen him act like this with anyone. Yes, he was all of those things Jane just mentioned, but he’s not messing around with you. If he was, he would’ve slept with you and moved on by now. That’s how he’s always been. And I haven’t even seen him look at another woman since you came along, for whatever that’s worth.”

I stare at her, trying to process what she’s saying. The Jack I know is confident, charming, always with a sly grin and a quick comeback. But the Jack they’re describing—the one who’s been avoiding other women and looking at me like I’m something special—is a stranger.

“That doesn’t make sense,” I say, shaking my head. “He’s… he’s Jack. If he wanted me, he would’ve said something. He would’ve done something.”

Jane snorts, crossing her arms. “Maybe he has. Maybe you’re just too caught up in your own head to see it.”

I blink a few times. I’ve been so focused on everything I think I’m not that I never stopped to consider what Jack might actually see in me. Maybe he does care. Maybe he’s just as scared as I am, and neither of us knows how to take that leap.

Piper leans forward, her eyes locked on mine. “You’re enough, Sonya. You’ve always been enough. Jack’s an idiot sometimes, but he’s not blind. He sees you, the real you, and he cares. And if you can’t see that, maybe you need to stop looking at all the ways you think you’re lacking and start seeing what everyone else already does.”

Her words hang in the air, heavy with truth, and for the first time, I feel a crack in the wall I’ve built around myself. Maybe I’ve been wrong. Maybe I’ve been so afraid of getting hurt again that I’ve been pushing Jack away without even realizing it. But now, with Jane and Piper’s words echoing in my ears, I feel something shift.

I take a deep breath, setting my drink down and meeting their eyes. “I don’t know what to do. I’m scared. I’ve been hurt before, and I don’t want to go through that again.”

Jane reaches out, her hand squeezing mine. “You don’t have to figure it all out tonight. But don’t shut Jack out just because you’re scared. Give him a chance to prove you wrong.”

I nod, swallowing back the lump in my throat. I don’t have all the answers, and I’m still terrified of what might happen if I let myself fall for Jack. But maybe, just maybe, it’s time to stop letting fear dictate every decision I make.

Piper raises her glass with a grin spreading across her face. “To taking chances,” she declares, clinking her glass against mine. “And to finally seeing what’s right in front of you.”

I smile, a real one this time, and take a sip of my drink. The alcohol burns on the way down, but it’s nothing compared to the fire that’s starting to light in my chest. Maybe I’ve been wrong about Jack. Maybe I’ve been wrong about a lot of things. But if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that I can’t keep running from this.

For the first time in a long time, I feel a spark of hope. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I think I’m ready to find out.

I’m still reeling from what Jane and Piper said, though. Jack cares about me? Actually cares? It’s almost too much to believe, and yet, when I replay the way he looks at me, the way he’s held back when things could have gone further, it starts to make a twisted kind of sense. My head’s spinning, and not just from the drinks we’ve been throwing back like they’re water.

Jane nudges me before she asks, “So, what are you gonna do about it?”

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