Page 7 of Knot Just Their Nanny
I roll onto my side, facing the crib, watching Mia sleep. Maybe tomorrow I’ll figure out how to handle all this—how to deal with Zara, work, and being a solo parent.
For now, though, I let the rhythm of Mia’s breathing lull me into a restless sleep.
Chapter 5
Zara
Staring at the ceiling, it’s impossible to fall back asleep. Trying to earn Benjamin’s trust is like beating my head against a brick wall, but I’ve been here two minutes, so I have to be patient. I’m usually well-liked, though, and don’t have conflict with anyone, Eddie notwithstanding, of course. It’s starting to give me an ache and not in a good way. The omega designation in my DNA is desperate for him, an alpha, to accept me. I know I’m a people pleaser, but this is different. This is… his scent captivating me in ways that I need to push aside and forget about.
Groaning, I roll over on the small double bed.
Thud.
“Ah!”
My face is on the carpet from falling off the bed, and the sheets are still tangled around my legs. I’m glad Benjamin didn’t see me face plant. He wouldn’t trust me with his baby if he had. It’s weird, though. Holding a baby and dealing with children is when I’m at my most confident and capable, so he needn’t worry.
“Shower,” I mumble, untangling my legs and standing up. I sort out the covers on the bed and then gather up my towel andtoiletries, slinging my dressing gown around my shoulders so I’m not sneaking back to my room in just a towel.
I slide out of my room, sneaking down the hallway to the bathroom.
The bathroom is cool and inviting, and as I strip down for the shower, I let the frustrations of the past day fade away with each layer of clothing. The hot spray of water soothes away the stiffness from sleeping in the armchair next to Mia. She had been niggly and fractious, and I didn’t want her disturbing Benjamin, who I could hear snoring all the way down the hall. The poor man must’ve been exhausted. So I stayed, and it calmed her, and I’d do it again. This isn’t a 9-5 job where I can clock in and clock out. I’m here for all the hours, and I hope Benjamin gets it through his thick alpha skull sooner rather than later.
The water rushes over me, drowning out everything but the beating pulse against my skin. It’s a cleansing ritual that helps clear my head.
Once I’m done, I dry myself quickly and slip on my dressing gown to head back to my room. Making it there without incident, luckily, I dress in white leggings and oversized tee. Today, I have to make more progress with getting Benjamin on my side.
Today’s the day I make us a team, for Mia’s sake.
I head to the kitchen to start breakfast, hoping the smell of coffee and toast might lure out one grumpy alpha.
Halfway through popping bread into the toaster, there’s a small squeal from the baby monitor clipped to my waistband.
I snatch it up to see Benjamin returning to the nursery with Mia. He is a totally different man than the brooding asshole he shows to me. Chuckling and tickling her, rocking her and dancing around as she flaps her arms. It’s beautiful.
So his bad attitude is reserved just for me. But I understand. I have to. He feels guilty for needing help, and he thinks I’m goingto leave like his mate did. I watch as he settles her in her cot, and then I go back to making toast as I hear him come down the stairs.
“Morning,” I say brightly as he comes into the kitchen with bedhead, tartan pyjama bottoms, and nothing else.
Don’t look. Don’t look…My gaze lingers on his abs before being drawn back up to his face by the intensity of his stare.
He glares at me as if he had forgotten I was even here. “Oh, you.”
It takes a second of epic face control, but I don’t grimace at him. I smile. An over-the-top cheesy grin that he seems to recoil from, like it’s going to melt him or something. “Coffee?” I chirp.
“Tea.”
Of course.If I’d offered the other way around, he’d be just as obtuse.
“I’ll make it. I like it a certain way.”
“Doesn’t everyone?” I ask brightly, reaching for a mug anyway and handing it to him.
He looks at it for a moment and then leans past me to replace it and pick up another one. It’s fair. Everyone has their favourite mug. But now it’s my turn to recoil as his pinecone scent hits my nostrils and makes my heart beat a bit quicker. I stumble back and he looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, so I busy myself wiping down an already spotless counter.
“So, what are your plans for today?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder at him.
Benjamin doesn’t respond immediately. His focus is on the task at hand as he meticulously stirs tea around in the mug. The way his fingers deftly work the spoon is almost mesmerising.
