Page 228 of Nanny and the Beast

“And before I forget, I wanted to give these to you,” I say, handing him Adam’s phone and wallet. “They belonged to Emma’s stalker.”

He takes the phone and wallet from me, his face growing serious.

“Emma gave them to me a few hours ago,” I say. “I meant to give them to you earlier, but I kind of passed out after the?—”

“Oh God, don’t remind me,” he groans.

I grin as I stand up. “I’ll let Emma know that her friends are coming.”

He gets to work on the phone, trying to hack into it himself. I make my way down to the garden.

I find all of them there, including Helena and Emma’s grandmother. The kids are playing with the golden retriever puppy, looking like they don’t have a care in the world. That’s how it should be.

Instead of joining them, I stare at them for a moment.

They’re my whole heart.

When I first learned that I was going to be the kids’ primary guardian, I felt like I would never be enough for them. It was easy for me to provide for them financially, but I didn’t thinkI would be able to meet their emotional needs. But I realize now that I didn’t have to do everything on my own.

That’s what family is for.

And all this time, the kids always had multiple people in their lives who adored them. We werenever alone.

Emma’s grandmother is the first to spot me. I walk toward her because I’ve been meaning to speak with her.

“May I have a word with you, ma’am?” I ask.

She smiles at me. “Of course.”

I pull her away from the group. My heart is beating so hard in my throat. I’ve never done this before. I didn’t think it would be so intimidating when the moment came.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” I say.

The sparkle in her eye tells me she knows exactly what I have to say.

“Yes?” she says.

“It’s about your granddaughter,” I say. “I know you’re the most important person in her life, so it would mean everything if you’d give me your blessing to marry her. I adore Emma and want to spend the rest of my life loving her.”

She studies me for a moment.

“One thing you should know about my granddaughter is that she’s a very sensitive girl,” she says. “She only lets her guard down in front of the people she truly loves. This also means that you'll break her heart if you ever do her wrong.”

“She’s been through enough already,” I say softly. “I would never add to her pain. I promise to love and protect and cherish her for as long as I’m alive.”

“Keep going,” she says, tipping her chin up.

She’s a fierce little woman, and I love her for being so protective of Emma.

“She’s the center of my universe,” I say. “I owe everything to her. She taught me what it means to love with my whole heart. She taught me how to be a good role model for the children. I’ll be the best man I can be for her and the baby.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “What did you just say?”

I blink. I forgot that we haven’t told everyone about Emma’s pregnancy yet.

“She’s expecting,” I say. “We just found out at the hospital this morning.”

“This is the best news of my life.” She wraps her arms around my middle.

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