Page 76 of Curvy Nanny for the Cougar
Magic, it turns out, has officially entered the 21st century.
And maybe that’s how it should be.
Evolution doesn’t stop with humans.
Even the supernatural world needs a little digital upgrade now and then.
“Dane? You ready?” Tamare’s voice floats down the hall, warm and sweet like sunlight through kitchen curtains.
My lips curve as I shut my laptop and stand, stretching. “Yeah, Baby. I’m ready.”
The second I step out of my office, I get ambushed—by sixty pounds of joy and sticky fingers.
Alex launches himself at my knees with the force of a freight train.
“Tackle hug!” he bellows.
I catch him laughing as Tamare shakes her head with a mock-serious glare that only makes her more beautiful.
“Hey, Dad? Why do you call Tam baby?” Alex demands, peering up at me with his wide, golden eyes. “She’s a lady. A wife. My—hey. Tam?” He turns to her, hopeful, uncertain. “Can I call you Mom?”
Silence.
My breath catches in my throat as Tamare kneels down, her hand reaching gently for his.
Her voice trembles, but her words are solid steel wrapped in velvet.
“Alex,” she says, smiling through tears, “it would be my honor if you called me that. No pressure, okay? You just do what feels right in your heart.”
He grins so big it practically splits his face in half.
“Okay then. Let’s go Mom!” he cheers, already darting toward the elevator like the world just handed him a brand new superpower.
I shift my gaze back to Tamare, her soft eyes shining.
Her shoulders shake once.
I step close, pressing a hand to her back as she rises.
“You okay?” I whisper.
She nods. “I think I just became a mom.”
The wonder in her voice? The raw, open ache of joy? It shreds me—in the best way.
“Is that okay?”
“It’s perfect. Thank you, Dane.”
“For what?”
“For loving me. For giving me this. Him. You.”
I wrap my arms around her, steadying her, holding her, knowing that even now, I’ll never hold her enough.
“It’s easy as breathing, Pretty Girl,” I murmur against her temple. “You belong here. With us.”
Then I kiss her—slow and sweet and full of everything that doesn’t need to be said out loud.
