Page 223 of Nanny and the Beast

“No,” he says. “I’m just surprised because I felt the same way about you.”

I suck in a breath.

Even now, as I look at him, I feel like we’ve done this before. It feels like we’ve fought and made up a hundred times.

It’s not supposed to make sense, but it does.

“I’m glad I found you, Klaus,” I say, tilting my head up to kiss his throat.

He cups my face, holding me close. “You’re the miracle I didn’t know I needed. You’re my redemption, Emma. My saving grace.”

He buries his face in my hair and holds me like I’m his most prized possession.

“You saved me in so many ways too,” I say, pressing another kiss against his skin.

My mind takes me back to last night.

I thought I would die in the fire. And my final thought before I closed my eyes was about Klaus. In that moment, I was happy that I got to experience a love like that, even if things hadn’t worked out between us.

So much had happened.

I think about thegirl in the wedding dress with the hollow eyes. It feels like she was a figment of my imagination, but I know she wasn’t.

And right before thechandelier killed my stalker, I felt something. I felt a presence all around me.

“Can I say something that might sound a little crazy?” I say.

He hums, running his fingers down my spine in a soothing motion.

“Last night, when the house was up in flames, I didn’t feel like I was alone,” I say. “It felt like there was someone with me the whole time.”

His hand stills over my skin. My ear is pressed against his chest, so I can hear the way his heart starts to beat a little harder.

“I felt my mother’s presence in Sinclair mansion, Klaus,” I say, taking a deep breath. “It felt like she was there with me, watching over me.”

I don’t feel silly saying this out loud. I know that with Klaus, I can speak whatever is on my mind.

“And when that chandelier fell, I moved out of the way just in time,” I say. “I don’t think I did it on my own, Klaus.”

“She must have loved you so much,” Klaus says.

“She really did,” I say. “It was pure, unconditional love. And I felt that love all around me last night. Even as I was surrounded by flames with no way out.”

I close my eyes.

There are still so many things for us to talk about, but for now, this is enough. Everything else can wait.

“I love you, baby,” Klaus whispers as I drift off into a deep sleep.

48

KLAUS

She talks about angels like she isn’t one herself.

I place my hand over her belly. She’s carrying my child. It feels a little surreal every time I think about it.

Emma is giving me a chance at a new life, and I won’t take a single day for granted now. I’ll be a man who’s worthy of her love.

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