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

Chapter 23

Carlos

Nathan walks into the living room where I’m seated, my mind running a mile a minute as I think about the situation we’re in.

It’s been a few days since the pregnancy was discovered, and we’ve been staying at Nancy’s house to take care of her. Not that I can tell if we’re doing a good job or not. Nancy seems okay most of the time, but we can tell she’s still sad.

The situation doesn’t quite sit right with me, especially knowing that part of the reason she feels this way is due to an issue we cannot solve.

“What’s got you so lost in thought?” Nathan asks, slumping into the space beside me on the couch.

His eyes are tired, like he hasn’t gotten enough sleep. I don’t think any of us has in the past few days. Perhaps not even Drew has gotten a good rest since he made his decision, although he won’t admit it.

I frown. I can’t stop thinking about him and the terrible mistake he’s making. But how does one get someone so stubborn to admit that they’re making a terrible mistake? How do you make them see they need help to be pulled out of it?

I scoff. It’s such an impossible task. Nathan looks at me quizzically and I remember that I haven’t answered his question in the time that I spent having my internal monologue.

“Just thinking about your brother and how he’s making a terrible mistake, but it’ll be impossible to get him to realize it, except by some divine intervention.”

Nathan’s face tightens, his lips turning down in a grimace like he’s eaten something terribly sour.

“You know how Drew gets. Trying to convince him he’s doing the wrong thing when he’s set on his own idea will only push him further into his mistake. I wish things could be different for Nancy and for the baby’s sake, but I can’t force it.”

He looks at me like he’s suddenly had an idea. “While Drew might seem like a lost cause at the moment, you know who isn’t?”

Confused, I wait for him to speak.

Nathan points in the direction of the room Nancy is in.

“She’s been going through a lot lately, with the pregnancy and all the symptoms that’s been making her sick. If we can’t help her with the Drew situation, the least we can do is try our best to cheer her up and make her feel better.”

I exhale a deep sigh and push to the edge of the couch. “I was just thinking that before you walked in, but what can we do to help?”

I don’t know what’s going through her head with Drew’s absence, but I want her to know that we are here for her and that we have no plans of leaving her for any reason. There is nowhere else I’d rather be in this moment than with her and I need to make sure that she knows that.

“How about a date? We can take her somewhere fancy. It can be a dinner date with the three of us to take her mind off of all the stuff that’s been happening,” Nathan suggests.

I mull the idea over. While a dinner date would be a great idea in an ideal situation, I don’t think this is the best time for one.

“I take it you mean dressing up and going to a nice restaurant to eat,” I say, pointing out the obvious.

Nathan nods slowly, already knowing I’m about to object to the idea by the resigned look in his eyes.

“Is there a problem with the idea?”

“Just one. While it would be good for her to get out of the house and enjoy a night out, I don’t think dinner is the best idea.”

I try to explain as best as I can. “Her stomach is kinda weak right now, judging from how much she’s been throwing up. I think taking her to a restaurant where there will be so many kinds of food will overwhelm her sense of smell and she might not be able to keep anything down.”

Nathan nods, his eyes glazing. I can see the wheels turning in his brain as he pictures the situation and how terrible a night at a restaurant could turn out this early in her pregnancy.

“So, what do you suggest?” he asks, looking at me with curious eyes.

“There is something that we haven’t done and I don’t know how much effect that might have in making her feel better, but it is something I would love to do.”

“What is it?”

His legs jerk in the way they do whenever he’s getting impatient, and I bite back the laughter bubbling in my throat.

“We never had the chance to confess our true feelings to her.”

Nathan’s face contorts into a confused expression. “But we…”

I cut him off before he can continue.

“We promised not to abandon her, but as far as she knows, we could be doing so because we pity her after how things ended with Drew, or because she’s pregnant with our child.”

Nathan jerks up from the couch and looks at me like I’ve lost my marbles.

“That’s preposterous. She can’t think that. Of course, we’re with her because we love her and want her to be happy.”

I nod, patiently waiting for him to calm down. “Ah, hermano. There is one question I would like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Have you ever told her that you loved her?”

Nathan splutters. “W-well no. I never had the chance to before things turned out the way they did.”

“So, how would she know that you love her if she doesn’t hear it from you?”

Nathan plops back down and sighs.

“Okay, what did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking that it’s about time we just tell her our true feelings for her. Perhaps, instead of something that could make her sick, we think of a more reserved activity that won’t have her puking out her guts in an effort to introduce some romance into this dreadful week.”

I grin as a thought comes to me. “Here’s what we should do, hermano.”

………..

“What’s going on, Nathan?” I hear Nancy’s soft voice just as I light the last candle.

Nathan and I have our own roles to play to make sure that today turns out wonderfully. His was making sure he convinced her to wear something pretty, yet casual enough to be comfortable.

Nathan and I are dressed in slacks and button-up shirts to match.

I snuff out the match just as they turn the corner and walk into the living room where the table is covered with some bland dishes and candles.

Nancy gasps, her hands reaching up to cover her open mouth.

“What’s going on?” she asks, looking between the two of us.

I reach out a hand for her to take and rub my thumb over the back of her hand when she places it in mine.

“You look as beautiful as always, querida. ”

I kiss her hand and lead her to a seat at the table before Nathan and I also sit down.

“What’s happening?” she questions again, this time with eyes brimming with unshed tears.

“Well…Nathan and I wanted to spend time with you, but we figured a date at an actual restaurant would be a bad idea because of your nausea, so we decided to bring the date to you instead.”

“Yes,” Nathan chips in. “Don’t worry, we did our research to search for recipes that would be easy for you to eat right now. However, if there’s anything that still doesn’t sit right with you, let us know and we’ll take it away immediately.”

She sniffles, looking between the two of us in stunned silence.

“You didn’t have to do all of this,” she says when she finds her voice, pointing at the food scattered across the table.

“Nonsense, querida. We should apologize for not doing this sooner or putting in more effort to make this even more memorable for you,” I say, pouring her a drink.

“And you don’t have to worry about the drink either, it’s sparkling apple juice,” Nathan says when she eyes the glass suspiciously.

I grin sheepishly. I should have known she would be cautious about drinking, especially when I’m pouring it out of a pitcher and she can’t be certain what it is.

“Thank you,” she smiles, bringing the glass to her lips.

I return her smile and fill my own and Nathan’s glasses from the same pitcher.

“Now, what would you like to have?” I ask, pointing at each bowl. “There’s ginger-infused chicken soup, some baked salmon with a side of spinach salad in a bed of brown rice, and some baked potatoes with black beans and salsa. The choice is yours, querida. ”

She licks her lips as her eyes glaze over the different dishes on the table.

“I think I want to try a little bit of each, maybe starting with the baked salmon. I’m actually pretty hungry and it looks so delicious.”

Her soft voice and the glint in her eyes sends a jolt of emotion straight to my heart, and judging from the look in Nathan’s eyes, it does the same to him. I couldn’t love her more in this moment even if I tried.

“What is it? Do I have something on my face?” she asks when she sees that we are staring silently at her, neither of us moving to fill her plate.

Her question jolts us to life, and Nathan jumps to his feet, helping her with a serving of the salmon, brown rice, and spinach salad.

“No, Nancy. You just look so beautiful,” he says as he places it in front of her and I grin when her cheeks burn with a blush that’s visible even in the poor lighting the candles offer.

She takes a sip of her drink as Nathan returns to his seat and serves himself. I help myself to the same food, content to simply be in this moment with her.

The rest of dinner goes by smoothly, filled with the faint scraping of utensils on plates, and the sounds of laughter our unending flow of conversation.

Nancy runs her spoon over the edges of her bowl, spooning the last of the chicken soup into her mouth. She sets the bowl aside and stares at us in wonder.

“That was lovely. I don’t know why you suddenly chose to do this but I’m glad that we did. This has been the highlight of my week,” she says softly, the emotions flooding her voice.

Nathan and I exchange a look which she picks up on and she stares at us in confusion.

“Is there something else?”

Nathan clears his throat and nods. “Well, yes, there is. We hope that this will only make the night an even better memory for all of us.”

“ Querida, we know that this week has been hectic for you and we wish there was more we could do to make it less painful. Unfortunately, there is only so much we can do in regard to the situation we’ve been forced into. However, I hope you know that there is nowhere else we would rather be than with you right now.”

“It is not because you’re carrying our child either, Nancy. In the months since you’ve been with us, you have become our home, and we cannot imagine life without you. You’re like…the missing piece in a machine that takes it from prototype to finished product, you know? Once it’s in, everything just runs smoother, and all the kinks are worked out. That’s how it felt when you came into our lives. I don’t know if I’m making any sense,” Nathan says.

I can’t help my chuckle. Of course he would relate this to building some machine. Still, Nancy nods, love and understanding in her eyes.

I press my lips together for a moment. “You don’t know how much you mean to me. I have always wanted a family. As a kid, I never knew what it meant to have one, so when I met Nathan and Drew, and they accepted me with open arms, I considered them my brothers. I just wanted to be the best uncle I could be, waiting until I got the chance to find love, and maybe start my own family. You have given me that. You have completed my family.”

Nancy whimpers, her lips quivering as she looks between us, unable to utter a single word. I reach forward, kneeling by her seat, and wipe the single tear that rolls down her cheek.

My palm rests on her slightly warm cheek, and I stare adoringly into her eyes.

“I love you, querida. ” My other hand caresses her stomach. “And I love our baby too.”

Nathan kneels at her other side and takes her hand in his. He kisses her fingers one after the other.

“I need you to know that having this baby with you is one of the best things that could ever have happened to us. There is no one else that we would love to share this moment with than the woman that we love with all of our beings. I love you, Nancy. We love you.”

Nancy stares down at the two of us kneeling beside her and with a choked sob, she lowers her head until it’s pressed against ours.

“I love you too. All of you.” she caresses her womb. “And this baby too.”