Nanny and the Alpha Daddy

#Chapter 93: Regrets

Edrick

I was passing by Ella’s room when I overheard Moana and Ella talking, and my heart sank a little when I heard Ella’s question.

“Um… Do you think that you and my daddy really will get married one day?” she asked, no doubt because of the children at the orphanage thinking that Moana and I were engaged.

There was a long pause; I almost considered going in there and talking to Ella myself as I wasn’t quite sure how well Moana would handle it, especially after how upset she’d been that morning, but it turned out that I didn’t need to.

“Sometimes things just don’t work out that way,” Moana finally replied. Her voice was soft and gentle.

“Well… Why not?” Ella asked. “In all of my fairytales and princess movies, the boy and the girl always fall in love and get married and live happily ever after.”

Another pause.

“Real life just isn’t always like your fairytales or princess movies,” Moana said after several long moments. “But that’s okay. I promise that we’ll all still have our happily ever after… It’ll just be a little bit different.”

I was a bit taken aback by how well Moana handled the situation. It warmed my heart, honestly, to hear how sweetly she spoke to Ella. She could have easily said something sarcastic or backhanded because of how angry she was with me for what happened that morning, but she didn’t tarnish my daughter’s perception of me. Honestly, did I even deserve that? Sometimes I wondered if Ella should know that her father was… Not the man she thought I was. I couldn’t help but wonder, either, if Ella would always feel a little bitter about my relationship with Moana; especially if she ever found out that her mother wasn’t actually dead.

flick off in the room followed by the sound of Moana’s

grim and cold, “I didn’t

just coming to say goodnight,” I

she’s still awake, so now’s your chance.” She then stepped out of my way, avoiding my gaze, and headed toward her room — but

as she opened her bedroom door, “I’d like to talk to

had a right to explain myself. She got some seriously wrong ideas about me that morning that I needed to set straight, and she hadn’t given me a chance all day to explain anything.

followed and closed

push my own angry thoughts down to at least try to

seriously wrong ideas about me this morning

your perfume, then? Or am I not

response to that, but I chose to take the high road instead and took a deep breath before responding. “First of all, I’m sorry that I fell asleep like that on the couch,” I said. “I had a drink at the bar, and then I finished off that whiskey bottle when I got home, but I was only exhausted… Not drunk.” I really wasn’t drunk that night; Moana didn’t seem to believe me, but I kept going anyway. “Furthermore,

glared up at me. As I stood in front of her, even from a bit of a distance, I realized how small she was despite the air of indignant confidence she was trying to put across. She almost seemed to

down at the floor. Admittedly, I

the bar. I

had them hung at her sides, where she was clenching and unclenching her fists. Whether it was

and even-toned before, now sounded small and almost childlike. Even in the dim light of her room, I could see that tears were beginning to