His Nanny Mate By Eve Above Story

Chapter 21: The Secret Brother
Moana

“Uncle Ethan!” Ella jumped up and ran over to Ethan. Smiling, he picked her up and twirled her around in a circle. The quiet air of the garden became briefly filled with the sweet sound of the little girl’s giggles before he sat her back down and patted her on the head.

“I think your grandma is looking for you,” he said, to which Ella immediately perked up and took off to find Verona.

I was still sitting on the bench, utterly shocked by Ethan’s presence. “Fancy seeing you here,” he said, walking up to me and standing in front of me so that his tall body blocked the light.

“Fancy seeing you here, too,” I said, standing. “I had no idea you were related to the Morgan family.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said, running a hand through his hair. Even now, dressed in his formal attire, I could see a small smudge of paint on the artist’s left pinky. “The whole ‘Bradley’ last name is just a pseudonym. Well, sort of; it was my mother’s maiden name. I use it now to protect my true identity.”

I nodded, not sure of what to say. Ethan turned and walked over to the fountain, gesturing for me to follow, which I did.

“So… You’re Ella’s au pair, right?” Ethan asked as we slowly walked together around the garden. The summer air was still and humid, but the feeling of the cool spray coming off of the fountain was refreshing.

where Ella had just gone. “I have been for a

a small grove of orange trees, their branches heavy and laden with ripe fruit. From where we stood, I could smell the citrus in the air. As we passed underneath the trees, Ethan casually reached up and plucked one. I watched as he expertly peeled the

better to be Ella’s nanny. I know how much the kids at the orphanage love

I replied. “I love

around the garden, then passed through one side of the large colonnade, where the feeling of the cold marble permeated through my sandals and cooled my feet. The arched ceilings

of one side

did,” Ethan replied, sounding almost a little embarrassed by it. “I still live here now, part of the time, whenever I need to have some peace and

music now, and the sound of laughter. Through one of the large draped windows that led to the banquet hall, I could see the silhouettes of people ballroom dancing. I was a bit glad that I

bit for a few moments before turning toward me and

“Care for a dance?”

felt my face

don’t know how,” I admitted, staring down at my

me away from the railing. “It’s easy. Besides, no one

my other hand and placed it on his shoulder, then placed his other hand on my waist. I felt him firmly pull me in a

“It’s like this…”

was easy to move along with him. Soon enough, we were spinning around the colonnade to the faint music and the sound of the crickets, laughing along

with a final spin, Ethan dipped me. He hesitated at the bottom of the dip, our breathless faces hovering close enough to one another that I could smell the citrus on his breath. I felt my heart rate quicken and my face flush red again as his

me back on my feet and stepped away with a

dancer,” he said. “Some might even call you a

smirked and curtsied, feeling utterly ridiculous and enamored at the same time. My heart still pounded from our near-kiss, but I knew that it would never happen; not only was I just a human, but it would also be wildly inappropriate for me to get romantically involved with