Page 71 of Knot Just Their Nanny
Liam steps in behind me, his smile tentative but warm. “Hey,” he says as he closes the door behind him, as I settle Mia in her cot.
“Hey,” I whisper, biting my lip slightly.
“You okay? How are you feeling with the heat that has backtracked.”
I giggle. “Okay, I guess. Pre-heat is simmering, so something went totally out of whack there for a while.”
“I told you earlier, it’s fate.”
“Yeah. About that…”
“Uh-oh.”
“No, it’s good, I promise. I just need a hot minute to take all this in. Ben and I kissed earlier, and I don’t know what that means. He bolted before we could say anything. Well, Mia needed him, so that’s unfair, but we still left things hanging.”
“So why are you sitting here and not with him talking about it?”
“I don’t know if he wants to talk about it.”
“He does.”
“How do you know?”
“He’s confused, he needs to know what’s going on.”
“Yeah, that makes two of us. Also, he’s sleeping, I’ll leave him.”
“He’s awake. The smell of soup woke him.” Liam’s hand finds mine, just as Henry’s had earlier, and he gives it a reassuring squeeze. “Zara,” he says, his voice laced with that gentle certainty that always seems to help me find my footing. “You’ve got to be honest with him – with all of us. You can’t leave things unsaid; it’ll only make the confusion worse.”
I nod, knowing he’s right. Honesty is the cornerstone of this, whatever it is.
“Besides,” Liam continues, “Ben wants you. He might not have said it out loud yet, but it’s obvious. He wouldn’t have kissed you if he didn’t feel something strong.”
My heart does a little flip at his words, and I wonder about the possibilities. “It’s just hard to believe that all of this is happening.”
Liam chuckles softly, his thumb stroking over my knuckles in a comforting rhythm. “Yeah, I know. But believe it, because we’re all feeling it.”
We exchange a soft smile as I lead him out of the nursery. We’re far from figuring everything out, but there’s a sense of unity between us that feels like the strongest foundation we could hope for.
“Come on then,” he says decisively. “Let’s go find Ben and sort this out. No more hiding or running away.”
I nod. The air feels different now, charged with a nervous energy that’s not entirely unpleasant. It’s the feeling of standing on the edge of something new, something that could be brilliant if we just have the courage to jump in together.
As we walk down the stairs towards the living room, I can feel my pulse racing.
We reach the living room, where Ben and Henry are waiting for us. Ben’s eyes lock onto mine as soon as we enter, and there’s a silent question in them that makes everything else fade away.
“Zara,” he starts, his voice steady but with an undercurrent of something I can’t quite place. “We need to talk about what happened earlier.”
I take a deep breath and step forward. “We do,” I agree, holding his gaze.
“We’ll leave you to it. Come and find us and soup when you’re ready,” Henry murmurs as he and Liam leave us alone.
Ben runs a hand through his hair. “What did that kiss mean to you?” he asks bluntly.
My stomach churns with butterflies—the good kind—but it’s time for honesty. “It meant that there’s something between us, something I can’t ignore any longer. I like you, Ben, more than I’ve admitted until now.”
His eyes soften, and he takes a step closer, closing the distance between us. “I like you too, Zara. A lot. That kiss was impulsive, but it felt right. It still does.”
