Military Daddies’ Nanny (Lucky Women’s Daddies Reverse Harem #1)

Chapter 19

Nathan

The thrum of power tools greets me as I pull into the driveway, signaling that Carlos must already be here working on one of his projects. Gripping my battered briefcase, I head inside, thoughts already drifting to the schematics I'd been poring over earlier. If I can just tweak the—

My mental calculations grind to a halt the second I step through the front door. Because there, sitting on the couch in our living room with the kids, is a familiar blonde head that definitely doesn't belong to Nancy.

My heart stutters as the woman looks up, her hazel eyes—so reminiscent of Bella's—finding mine. It can't be. After all this time.

"Karen," I say flatly, the name falling like a lead weight from my tongue.

Her brow furrows slightly as she studies me, no doubt searching for traces of the gawky kid brother she once knew. I don't make it easy. My expression is as impassive as I can force it to be, betraying none of the roiling unease simmering beneath the surface.

"Nathan," she greets at last, polite if uncertain. "You've…certainly grown up."

I say nothing, my knuckles tightening around the strap of my briefcase. This woman, this stranger, deserted my family without a backward glance. Abandoned Drew and the kids to shoulder the burden alone. As far as I'm concerned, she forfeited any right to casual small talk the day she walked out that door.

An awkward silence stretches between us, the tension growing thicker by the moment. Karen turns to the children.

“Um, kids…can you go upstairs for a bit…mommy needs to talk to your uncle,” she says in a soft voice.

My face scrunches up immediately. Did she say mommy? Mommy?

Bella and Jason do as she says, moving quietly up the stairs toward their rooms, clearly sensing the tension.

I am about to say something very nasty. Thankfully Carlos chooses that moment to wander in.

"Hey Nate, have you had a chance to look over my notes on the…" He breaks off as his gaze lands on Karen, brows shooting upward. "Well, well. If it isn't the prodigal wife."

Karen flinches almost imperceptibly at his biting tone. Good, I think savagely. Let her feel uncomfortable. Out of place.

"Carlos," she murmurs, visibly bracing herself. "It's...been a long time."

Carlos snorts, not bothering to hide the disdain in his expression. "Yeah, I'll say. Though not nearly long enough, if you ask me."

My lips twitch despite myself, a spark of vicious satisfaction igniting low in my belly. As always, Carlos doesn't mince words, a fact for which I'm silently grateful.

I'm not sure I can adequately convey the full depth of my contempt for this woman with studied civility. Better to leave the caustic remarks to someone unafraid to voice them.

Drew chooses that moment to reappear from wherever he'd disappeared to, his weathered features creasing further at the blatant hostility radiating from me and Carlos. With a sigh, he turns to his ex, mouth set in a grim line.

"Karen, you'll have to forgive my brother and Carlos. They're just...surprised to see you again, is all." There's a careful emphasis on the word that doesn't escape my notice. Surprised is certainly one way to put it.

He rakes a hand through his perpetually tousled hair, a clear sign of frustration. "Look, maybe we should all just take a beat here, all right? Karen's back, and she..." His eyes skate over to the kids, watching pensively from the staircase. It seems their curiosity got the better of them as they chose to listen in. "She wants to be part of our lives again. The least we can do is hear her out before writing her off entirely."

I open my mouth—to argue, to rebut, to flatly refuse—but Karen beats me to it, voice tremulous.

"Drew's right," she says softly. "You don't have to welcome me with open arms. Hell, you don't even have to like me. But I'm not asking for that. I'm just...I'm asking for a chance to make things right. With you, Bella, and Jason. That's all."

The naked vulnerability in her plea takes me by surprise, momentarily robbing me of my next retort. Somewhere deep down, beneath all the hurt and anger, I can still remember the gentle, smiling woman who used to braid Bella's hair and kiss scraped knees.

But that Karen, the good one, has been gone a long time, worn away by years of bitter silence and recrimination.

Beside me, Carlos radiates skepticism, jaw clenched. But Drew...Drew just looks heartsick. Lost in that endless internal war between protectiveness and hope that's plagued him since the day Karen walked away.

Finally, I find my voice. It’s rough, but steady. "You really expect us to just...let you waltz back in after everything? Like you didn't completely destroy this family?"

Pain lances across Karen's delicate features, but I don't allow myself to feel guilty. If she wants to make amends, she's going to have face the fallout of her actions head-on. I won't soften the blows.

"You left," I spit at her, all the years of pent-up resentment and confusion spilling forth in a torrent. "You just...gave up on them. On your kids. You remember Bella, right? Your own daughter, the one who cried herself to sleep every night for months because she didn't understand what she did wrong? Because she was convinced it was somehow her fault that her mommy didn't love her anymore?

"And Jason. He withdrew so far into himself that there were days we honestly thought he might never speak again. Do you know what it's like, watching a little boy shut down like that? All that light, that joy...snuffed out like a candle, because you couldn't be bothered to stick around?

“And then Drew…you fucking destroyed him. Turned him into a robot. A bottled-up, reserved shell of the man he used to be. A man too afraid to live a little.”

I only realize I'm shaking when Carlos grips my shoulder, a silent anchor in the storm of my fury. Karen's head is bowed, tears streaking down those porcelain cheeks, but I'm too far gone to care about her distress.

"They made do without you, Karen," I continue harshly. "Drew did more than just make dos. He rebuilt an entire world for those kids to feel safe in, one brick of stability at a time."

I gesture vaguely to Carlos, chest heaving. "Me and him? Yeah, we helped where we could. But the truth is, Drew did the heavy lifting all on his own after you abandoned ship. So you'll excuse me if I'm not exactly jumping for joy at the sight of you, let alone enthusiastic about giving you another shot to let us all down."

My tirade leaves a ringing silence in its wake, punctuated only by Karen's hitching breaths. I don't look at Drew. I can't bear to see either gratitude or reproach in his eyes right now. This moment has been too long in coming.

“I-I just couldn’t do it anymore. You don’t understand how it was for me, dealing with a husband who didn’t want my help,” she says stiffly.

“I don’t understand?” I scoff. “Who do you think dealt with him after you left? It was the children, Carlos and I.”

I sigh when she blinks repeatedly.

“Look. I understand that he came back a mess and he was a handful. I know you tried to help and he rebuffed you, but you weren’t just leaving him when you made that decision. You were leaving your children as well. Did you think it was a great idea to leave them with him when you couldn’t stay yourself?”

Her gaze falters and she folds her arms against her chest.

“In any case, your absence was what he needed to be stronger for what was left of his family, and we are better without you.”

Finally, Carlos breaks the stillness. "We built a good life after you left, Karen." His deep voice is low, bereft of judgment now. Simply stating the facts. "A good home, a good family. Do you really think barging back in is gonna make things better? Or is it just gonna tear the ground out from under us all over again?"

Karen doesn't respond, her shoulders hunched inward like she's physically bracing against our onslaught. Fine by me. If this is what it takes to drive her back to whatever rock she crawled out from under, then I'll double down without compunction.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flicker of movement. It’s Bella, creeping down the last stair with Jason in tow. Both kids look tense, eyes darting between the adults with uncomprehending gazes.

Another upswing of anger licks at the back of my throat. They shouldn't have to witness this kind of ugliness . Not after everything we've done to keep their worlds as stable as possible.

"Mom?" Bella whispers tremulously, and my hands fist of their own accord.

Drew kneels, beckoning her into his arms. Jason hovers behind his sister, his small face pinched with anxiety.

"It's okay, baby girl," Drew soothes, his tone a careful neutral. "I know this is a lot to take in. But your mom...she's here now, and she wants to be part of our lives again. It's up to you and your brother to decide if you're ready for that."

Bella blinks up at him, throat working convulsively as she struggles to process what she's seeing and hearing. Karen, to her credit, stays put, just observing, giving Bella time and space to take this in.

It's Jason who breaks the fragile silence, his small voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "Are you gonna leave again?"

The quiet accusation hangs in the air, sparking a fresh wave of moisture in Karen's eyes. She draws a shuddering breath before meeting her son's wary stare head-on.

"No, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere this time, I promise." Her gaze flicks momentarily to Drew, something unreadable flickering across her delicate features. "I made a terrible mistake walking out on you and your sister before. But I'm here now, and I want...I want to make it up to you, if you'll let me."

Jason considers this, shoulders bunched almost up to his ears. He's always been the more reticent of the two kids—the thinker, carefully weighing every angle before committing to a course of action. He’s a miniature version of Drew in that regard.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, he offers the tiniest of nods. An acceptance, if not an embrace of this change.

Bella, however, stays rooted to the spot, lips pressed into a tight line as she scrutinizes her mother through narrowed eyes. There's a wariness there and a maturity far beyond her tender years. It’s a sign of the misplaced responsibility of a child forced to grow up too fast in the wake of abandonment.

"Bella?" Drew prompts gently when the silence stretches on. "What are you thinking, sweetheart?"

For a heartbeat, I think she might not respond at all. Then, dropping her gaze, she mumbles, "I dunno. I'm...happy you're back, I guess." She swallows hard, wrestling with some internal quandary. "But...how do I know you won't just leave again?"

The naked vulnerability in her tone cleaves something inside me. Because what she's really asking is, How can I trust you? How can I open myself up to this pain a second time?

Karen seems to understand the unspoken query lingering beneath her daughter's words. Slowly, carefully, she drops into a crouch, putting herself at Bella's eye level.

"I can't take back what I did before, honey. I can't undo that hurt, no matter how much I wish I could." She blinks rapidly, swiping at the dampness on her cheeks. "All I can do now is promise you—swear to you—that I'm not going anywhere this time. And I'll spend every day proving to you and your brother that I mean it."

Her sincerity is palpable, almost a physical force in the room. Beside me, Carlos folds his arms across his chest, lips pressed into a grim line. From the set of his jaw, I can tell he's still deeply skeptical, anger at Karen's return simmering just beneath the surface.

I can't exactly blame him. My own feelings remain a tangled knot, every rational thought warring with the emotional riptide still dragging me under. Does she truly mean it this time? Hell, does it even matter at this point, after the damage has been done?

“All right, all right,” Carlos says. “Mommy can’t stay, and you two rascals have homework to finish. Come on. Let’s go.”

Drew meets Carlos’ eyes across the room and nods at him in silent thanks. The children follow Carlos mutely, and I feel so bad that such a huge shake-up is happening in their lives when they finally have some balance.

“Listen, Nate,” Drew finally says after a long pause. “The kids have a right to get to know their mother. You saw them, didn’t you? I can’t kick her back outside now. So please…I need you—both of you—to be nice, because I intend to put everything that happened behind me for now.”

I gape at him with disbelief then turn to look at Karen, wondering if the world has turned on her head. I grab Drew’s arm, earning a snarl from him but he watches me silently with a raised brow.

“A word in private, Drew,” I spit out through a clenched jaw.

We walk outside together, and I catch the look in Karen’s eyes as I walk past. I snap my head back at her, but the expression is gone, replaced by one of worry. There’s something cunning and intelligent about her, and I can’t see myself ever trusting her.

We’re barely outside the house before I launch into Drew. “What the hell, man?” I say, shoving him off balance.

He stumbles but catches himself in time, his eyes wide with shock, and then dissolving into an angry expression. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Cut that out now!”

“I should be asking you, Drew! You’ve been talking crazy all evening. We have something fucking beautiful with Nancy. Look at the three of us. Look at them freaking kids. We have never been this strong as a unit before. She’s Michael Jordan, bro. And you’re about to throw all of that away, championships and all, for Karen…a first-pick bust. Drew…she’s been missing for the last six years! Don’t you fucking get it?”

I feel like I’ve been shouting the same damned thing over and over, and no one seems to be listening. What Karen did—ghosting her husband and little kids, disappearing off the face of the earth without a care for the people she left behind—there’s just no coming back from that.

“And where is Nancy?” I ask in a clipped tone. “What did you say to her and how did she react to all this?”

“I don’t know where she is,” he says, having the decency to be ashamed and avoid meeting my eyes. “She’s met Karen, Nathan. She was…upset.”

“You think?” my voice is sarcastic.

Drew sighs in exasperation. “I can’t do this now, Nathan. Look, none of this is what I wanted. I just need some time to smooth things out. Heck, I don’t even know why Karen suddenly showed up out of nowhere. She was already on the way to the house when she called me. I just need time.”

I don’t recognize the person I’m looking at. He should be angry, not deflated and resigned to everything happening around him. “Fuck you, Drew. You better hope to God that nothing has happened to Nancy, man. If she gets hurt, I’m blaming you.”

The blood rushing through my veins has me seeing red and it takes every bit of control I have to turn away from Drew. Just before I head back into the house, I stop and look at him.

“How long? How long do you plan to run away from your feelings for her? You’re making the wrong decision, and I hope it’s not too late when you eventually figure it out.”

Leaving Drew on the porch, I return to the house in search of Carlos. If any two men can find her in this city, it’s the two of us. That doesn’t stop me from having a really bad feeling in my gut that I’m trying and failing to ignore.