Page 41 of Nanny for the SEALs

19

Stan

I couldn’t believeI was going to do this. I’d thought about it in the past, but the time I spent with Greg had shown me that I should just go for it. Six weeks with him, had made me feel as if I’d changed from being a big baby to the man I always should have been.

“What are you doing here, man?” I asked after seeing Greg come from across the street. I saw him leave for work earlier, and he said he would come, but I told him I had it all in the bag.

“I came to give you moral support.”

I choked, “I told you, there was no need to take the day off work. I could do this. I’ve got it handled.”

He stood and stared at me for a second. Fuck! I really needed to get my temper under control. The guy gave me his daughter’s room and wouldn’t take a penny from me. I’ve been staying with him for weeks, yet here I was, Mr. Ungrateful all over again.

I closed my eyes, but he grabbed my arm. “Take a deep breath.”

I did as I started to sob with all the emotions taking a hold of me. I hated acting this way, but it was clear I was a nervous wreck as I started sweating.

“There, there.”

I broke our embrace as I looked into his dark eyes. “I’m so fucking proud of you, man. You’ve grown and learned so much in the last few weeks.”

“You’re the fucking champ. I’m just a chump.”

It made him laugh.

“Setting up a support group for ex-SEALs and all that. I mean, you have a heart of gold, while working and raising a family. For real, are you sure you’re not the re-incarnation of Florence Nightingale?”

He laughed while adjusting his belt as if he needed to look to see if he was really a woman.

“I told you, I just love helping people. Jane says that’s the reason she fell in love with me. Sorry, I didn’t mean to rub it in.”

“What?”

“It’s just that when I mention being in love, I dunno… you just pull a face.”

Shit, I do? I didn’t even realize I did it.

“Man, I don’t know. You know me. I’m pulling faces, and I don’t even know I’m doing it. Seriously, Jane’s a top girl. I really like her. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. She’s nice. I’m happy for you, and even happier for me that you’ve come to support me. I need to stop being so ungrateful and give Lily her room back.”

He winked. “But you know she doesn’t want it.”

“Yeah, but the plan was to stay with you for a day or two, not six weeks. I should have left a long time ago.”

“How long is the lease on the new place?”

“A year. It should be long enough for me to sort myself out and if I get…”

He shook his head. “When you get in. Then you can figure out your next move. Besides, I told you, even if we’re not living together doesn’t mean you should make yourself a stranger.”

I choked as I hugged him once again. “Nah, you guys couldn’t keep me away if you tried. Besides, I want you to be best man at my wedding. I just need to find a potential bride first.”

“Sounds as if you did the way you talked about Katie.”

“She’s with Pete. Look, I’m going to be late. I need to go.”

He held on tightly to me and then broke away. “You sure you don’t want me to come in with you?”

I took a deep breath as I shook my head, and turned and faced the entrance. I had to go in; this would be a new opportunity for me. I just hope they accepted me and let me through. I knew it was the right place for me. I prayed that they felt the same way about me as I did about them.

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