Page 34 of The Nanny and the Don
Apparently, he found that amusing, because he chuckled. “I’m afraid not.”
“I bet you can beat Batman up though. He doesn’t have powers either. He just has the cool suit. That’s what my mommy says.”
“I have a bunch of cool suits too,” Mr. Gray noted.
“Not like church clothes like you got. I mean with a cape. You don’t need a cool suit. You’re really strong anyway. You can pick up me and Evie at the same time. Remember when you saved us when we got taken away from our mommy? You got a cool name like a hero too.”
“Right,” Mr. Gray muttered as he finally dug into his own meal.
King commanded the rest of the conversation letting his uncle know that he had learned how to write his first and last name and was working on all the letters and numbers. Occasionally he would ask me to verify something that he said, and I would chime in. Even Evie tossed in her own little statements or gibberish as she saw fit.
I loved and hated how much this felt like a real family dinner. I hadn’t been privy to a whole lot of family time, but in this intimate setting with these precious kids that loved their uncle dearly, I felt like part of a family. They were a family for sure. I was actually an outlier intruding on something personal. I was invited though. This time I didn’t feel as bad as I felt when I was the new girl in a home trying to fit in with a family I would only know for a few weeks before they sent me back. Shaking those thoughts off, I picked over my food until the kids were done eating.
“All done, Evie?” I asked as I stood and took her plate.
“Yes!” she cheered.
“I’m done too, Ms. Devy,” King mentioned.
“Good job. Now what do we do?” I asked him.
“Wash our hands and face and brush our teeth,” King recited.
“Get your step stool and wash your hands. Call me if you need help before I get there. I’m coming with Evie.”
“OK,” he sang as he hopped down from his chair.
I stood and picked Evie up knowing that she probably had food all down her shirt. It didn’t matter. Miguel told me how neither of the kids would eat the first day he and Sicily cared for them. I was just grateful that she was eating at all at this point.
“Thank you for having dinner with us,” I told Mr. Gray, walking over to remove the empty plate from in front of him.
“What are you doing?” he asked, looking up at me with a grimace.
“I was taking your plate. I’m going to wash dishes when I get the kids cleaned up.”
“I already have a housekeeper, Devlan. I might not have superpowers but I’m perfectly capable of clearing my own plate from the table. You’re not a servant here,” Mr. Gray mentioned.
See why this was so confusing? I had no idea how to respond to that. Still, I found something.
“I just want to carry my weight.”
“You’re carrying both my weight and my sister’s by taking care of the kids. That’s all I require of you,” he stated.
“How long are they going to be here?”
“I don’t know yet,” he snapped.
I knew I was venturing into forbidden territory, so I kept it moving until I reached the bathroom where King was putting a dab of toothpaste on his toothbrush like we practiced. After making sure they both had clean faces and hands, I put them in their room to play then headed back to the kitchen. I was surprised to find Mr. Gray clearing the plates and putting them in the dishwasher.
“I told you, I was going to handle that,” I said as I walked further into the kitchen.
“And I said my princess is nobody’s servant, not even mine. Plus, I have to do something to pitch in after you slaved over a stove and made sure both me and the kids had something to eat.”
Did he just refer to me as a princess? Not just a princess,hisprincess. It wasn’t the first time he’d used the word. The first couple of times I almost took it as an insult due to being locked away in a tower like another more popular princess. I wasn’t even sure about his knowledge of fairy tales, but I hadn’t taken the moniker to heart. Him adding the word my in front of it made it seem as if he was taking ownership. Then again, I guess he’d done that when he ripped me out of Brendan’s. He did say I belonged to him now. Deciding not to think too much into it, I ignored that part of his statement and focused on something more important.
“I hope that you will make a habit of having dinner with us as long as the three of us are here. The kids need you. King thinks you hung the moon,” I told him.
He shrugged. “Kids are easily impressed.”
