Nanny and the Alpha Daddy

#Chapter 128: A Child’s Laughter

Moana

That night, I fell asleep next to Edrick with a full heart. I couldn’t help but wonder if all of this meant that our relationship might go further than simply being a fake relationship, but I didn’t want to spend too much time getting my hopes up in case things didn’t work out as planned. All I knew was that my wolf was happy to be near him, and I was also happy to be near him. Edrick seemed happier than usual as well, and it made me think that maybe things would at least be just a little different after our mini vacation at the mountain estate.

The next morning, I awoke to the feeling of Edrick’s warm arms around me. I was turned toward him with my face buried comfortingly in his chest, so close I could feel his heartbeat. We had fallen asleep the night before with a respectable distance between us as we didn’t want to get too close, but it seemed that we simply couldn’t avoid getting close to one another in our sleep. However, I couldn’t deny that feeling him this close to me gave me a sense of safety and comfort.

Edrick’s eyes opened shortly after mine did; he rarely ever slept any longer after I woke up, as though he needed me to be asleep beside him in order for him to sleep as well. I felt my heart begin to race as his gray eyes looked down at me, expecting him to pull away.

But he didn’t. For several long, quiet minutes we just looked at each other as the sun shined on us and the cool, fragrant mountain air wafted in through the open window. His arms stayed firmly wrapped around me, holding me close to his body and keeping me warm in the chilly morning air. He was so much bigger than me, but our bodies fit perfectly together like two puzzle pieces.

Neither of us pulled away, in fact, until we suddenly heard a knock on the door. I gasped and quickly moved away with the intention of jumping out of bed and hiding in the closet so as not to be seen, but Edrick’s hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist, stopping me before I could.

voice called through the door. “Are you

widened, but

on my wrist as my heart pounded even harder. How was he not panicking? We weren’t together romantically — or at least, we weren’t supposed to be — and therefore we shouldn’t have been sleeping in the same bed. It would have been difficult enough already to admit our sleeping arrangement to the maids, let alone Ella. And yet, Edrick

her stuffed duck under her arm and her hair a mess from sleeping all night. Her tired eyes didn’t catch me at first as she walked up to her father’s

one hand.

Edrick seemed to have it handled already, and what

his daughter, and my heart pounded even harder as I wondered how Ella would react. Would she get the wrong idea and wonder again why we weren’t married? Would she resent me and feel as though I was stealing her daddy away from her? Maybe they had a morning ritual of playing together sometimes and she thought that my

back and forth between Edrick and I as she looked at us both, processing what Edrick said. I feared

merely shrugged and clambered up onto the bed with her stuffed duck in tow. “Okay,” she said with a grunt as she hauled her tiny body up onto the tall bed without any help. She seemed just as nonchalant about the situation as her father; I couldn’t quite tell if Edrick’s own nonchalance made her feel at ease, or if she

on a walk today,” Ella said, nestling herself down between the two of us

said, “but you’ll have to pay the toll

asked, sitting up again