Page 74 of Protecting My Nanny

I give Nicole and Giovanni some space to catch up once we're home. Jaime and I head into the kitchen to prepare dinner. He watches intently as I slide the pan of mac and cheese into the oven, closing the door with a soft click.

"What's next?" Jaime asks, looking around the kitchen.

I grin. "Next, we make the burger patties."

"Yep," Jaime echoes enthusiastically.

Just then, Nicole and Giovanni walk in, laughter trailing behind them.

"Hey Jaime, I heard you've got Ridge Road Racer 5," Giovanni says with a smile.

Jaime's eyes light up, and he's practically bouncing on his feet. "Yeah! I'm the best at Ridge Road Racer. Wanna play?"

Jaime looks at me for approval. I smile, waving them off. "Go on."

Jaime grabs Giovanni's hand and pulls him toward the living room, their voices fading as they disappear through the door.

Nicole stays behind, her eyes soft as she walks over and wraps her arms around me. She leans in, kissing me gently. "You need some help?"

I shake my head. "Nah, I've got it."

She sits down at the counter, watching me work. There's a quiet between us, the kind that feels peaceful after so much chaos.

"Oh, you wanted to talk to me about something?" Nicole says, noticing the envelope on the counter.

"Yeah, it's in there," I reply.

She picks it up, her eyes widening as she pulls out the paperwork inside. "Shane… is this...?"

I nod, smiling. "After you got cleared, the green card came through."

"Shane…" She's speechless for a moment, then rushes to kiss me. "Thank you," she whispers against my lips.

I kiss her back and return to cooking, my mind drifting. I think back to the Velvet Mirage, to that moment when everything could have gone wrong. Something's been eating at me since that night.

"Hey," Nicole says, noticing my distant expression. "What's up? You okay?"

I hesitate, stirring the pot absentmindedly. "Yeah, it's just… something I saw that's been bothering me."

She stands, walking over to me, her hand resting on my shoulder. "Shane, I'm here. We can talk about what happened. I'm safe now. Whatever it is, I'll be okay."

I exhale, grateful for her strength. "Do you remember when I bumped into you and…" I trail off, hesitant to say his name.

"Raffaele," she finishes for me. "Yeah, what about it?"

"The man who stopped him, the one who saved us… He looked familiar. Like… Robert."

Nicole's eyes widen slightly. "Robert? You said his name when you saw him."

I nod, feeling foolish even saying it. "I don't know, it just seems impossible. But I can't shake the feeling."

Nicole thinks for a moment. "You know, Dino told me I had friends I didn't even know about. Friends who knew a lot about you, too."

"That would mean Robert's been working for Le Ombre this whole time? Right here in the city?" I scoff, the idea almost too far-fetched to believe.

Nicole smiles, resting her forehead against mine. "Does it matter? Is he worth finding?"

I don't even hesitate. "No. He isn't. You and Jaime are my only priorities."

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