Page 232 of Nanny and the Beast

All of the people I love are here. We had dinner a few hours ago, and it’s a little after midnight now. The kids are asleep in their beds. Most of the guests left, and it’s just the girls, Klaus, Alaric, and I in the sitting room now.

Everyone is drunk on wine. I have a sugar rush from the Nutella cheesecake we had for dessert.

Everything is warm and fuzzy and beautiful.

It’s the kind of night I wish would never end.

Gigi walks over to acovered piano and pulls aside the cover.

“It’s a shame to keep a Steinway covered,” she says, glancing at Alaric.

The smile freezes on his lips. “It was my mother’s.”

“Do you play?” she asks him.

“I haven’t played since she...” He takes a deep breath to compose himself.

“Play something for us now,” Gigi says.

Alaric’s face is pale. He tries to brush it off, but I can tell he’s caught off guard.

“Gigi’s a singer,” I say. “She’llsing along if you play something.”

Now, it’s Gigi’s turn to look flustered.

“Never mind. Let’s keep the pretty piano safe underneath the cover,” she says, zipping it back up.

Alaric stands. “I’ll do it.”

“Oh, you really don’t have to,” Gigi says.

He sits in front of the piano and takes a deep breath.

“What song do you want me to play?” he asks her.

She blinks. “I’m not used to singing in front of an audience.”

He raises his eyebrows.

I share a smile with Olivia and Ophelia. We all know that Gigi likes to sing, but I’ve never heard her voice before.

The two of them decide on the song ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’by Elvis Presley.

A hush falls over the room as the notes of the piano float through the air. I feel the music caressing my skin. The song itself is simple, but it still gives me goosebumps.

And then Gigi starts to sing.

Her voice is soft, otherworldly. It wraps itself around my heart, making it ache a little.

Klaus’s arms tighten around mine. He drops his head to my shoulder and kisses my bare skin.

“Dance with me,” he says against my ear.

“Right now?” I whisper.

“Yes, right now,” he says, guiding me to the back of the room.

We stop in front of a moonlit window. He tugs me closer, holding me against his body. His big hand issplayed protectively over my back, and his chin comes to rest on top of my head.

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