Page 29 of The Nanny Goal

Arousal doesn’t mix well with frustration, fatigue, or panic, and I’m maxed out on all three. Irritation rises again.

Fucking hell, I need to leave. I need to sleep, if only for a few hours.

And it doesn’t matter if Emery is surprised that my English is better. That’s a trap, one I could fall into so fucking easily.

I know that—and yet I hear myself making fucking small talk.

“I got my parents lessons. Have to set a good example for them.” I shove my hands in my pockets to keep myself from reaching for her. “How have you been?”

“Fine.” Emery swallows hard. “Great.”

“She’s going to Switzerland this summer,” her mother says, as if that’s on the same level as English lessons. Small talk. “Can you imagine?”

“Switzerland.” I frown. I opened the door to this sledgehammer, swung so casually, as if it’s good news for everyone. And it is. It should be. “For hockey?”

Emery lifts her chin. “Culinary school.”

“You’re a chef now.” I knew that. Forrest had said she’d done some training, but I thought…

Her eyes now. “I’ve been accepted by a very prestigious institute there.”

Of course she has. There’s nothing Emery can’t do if she sets her mind to it. That’s Granger Lore.

I learned that firsthand, just what a fast learner she is?—

No.

Fuck.

I rock back on my heels and just look at her.

Somehow, she looks exactly the same and completely different simultaneously. Her unwavering gaze heats me from the inside out, and I can’t believe I went two years without seeing her. Now that she’s in front of me, I never want to let her go again.

Stay, I want to say.Tell me everything you’ve done since that night.

Even the hard parts. Even the life experiences that matured her, because that’s the part that’s different. Two years ago, Emery was young and innocent. Now she glows with a confidence that takes my breath away.

I’m not that girl, her body language screams.Don’t underestimate me.

Something in my chest goes hard, and my voice takes on an edge that immediately fucks up the conversation. “Good for you. That sounds exciting. Are you leaving behind a job, or a boyfriend?”

She tips her head up and exhales audibly at the ceiling. “Oh, my God.”

“Emery!” Her mother nudges her. “It’s been a long night for us all, but most of all for you and your dad, Alexei. What do you need?”

“Right now? Just some sleep.” I stare at Emery, who is now staring at a poster on the wall. I bet I could wrap myself around her tight, uncooperative little body and sleep for a week.

“Can you drive? Emery drove your mother’s car here. And tomorrow, do you want help with Inessa? We can stay, it’s really not an inconvenience.”

It’s hard to know what tomorrow with bring. Or the next day.

“I need to find a Russian-speaking nanny.” I scrub my hand over my face. “Not sure how?—”

“There are agencies,” Emery says.

I frown. “I know.”

“You said you weren’t sure.” She shrugs, as if she’s indifferent to my plight.

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