Nanny for the Don (Silver Fox Daddies #21)

Chapter 36

Willow

E verything’s a blur as I slowly come to.My head is pounding like someone’s banging a drum inside my skull. Then, the memories hit me all at once—Jack, the gun, the kidnapping.

Panic flares in my chest, but when I open my eyes, I don’t see that grimy, shitty office. Instead, I’m in a calm, well-lit hospital room.

“Thank God—you’re up,” a familiar voice cuts through the haze.

I blink, my vision slowly clearing, and there he is. Nico. Relief washes over me as I see him approach, his expression a mix of worry and relief.

"Is this a dream?"

He gives me a soft smile, reaching out to brush a strand of hair off my forehead. “No, Willow. It’s real. You’re safe.”

I stare at him, trying to process everything. Nico saved me. I’m alive. It feels too good to be true.

I try to piece together what happened, but it’s all fuzzy. My thoughts feel jumbled, and I instinctively glance down at my body, checking for any signs of gunshot wounds or injuries.

Nothing. No blood, no bandages.

But then, it hits me.

“Oh my God… the baby , ” I mutter aloud, my hand flying to cover my mouth as the realization spills out. I just dropped the bomb on Nico. I glance at him, expecting shock, maybe even anger.

But he doesn’t look surprised. In fact, he just smiles, his eyes softening. “The baby’s fine,” he says calmly.

Before I can even process how he knows, a couple of nurses rush in to check me over, asking the usual questions. Are you in pain? How’s your head?

I answer them, but my mind’s somewhere else. All I want is to talk to Nico, to find out how he knew about the baby and what really went down with Jack. Despite the chaos around me, the look on his face—so calm and warm—makes me feel like everything’s going to be okay.

And for the first time in what feels like forever, I believe it.

One of the nurses smiles at me. “You’ve got a minor concussion from the fall, but nothing serious.”

Before I can respond, Nico jumps in with, “Yeah, you need to be more careful when hanging pictures.”

I blink, confused as hell for a second before I realize what he’s doing.“Yeah, definitely should’ve used a step ladder instead of balancing on the end table. Stupid me, huh?”

“We’ll hire a decorator for the nursery, no need to do everything yourself,” Nice says, stunning me into silence.

The nurse smiles at us and tells me to press my call button if I need anything before leaving us alone.

“What happened?” I ask, cutting straight to it. “To Jack? His guys?”

Nico glances away for a second, like he’s debating how much to unload on me. Typical. “Jack’s been taken care of,” he finally says, voice calm but loaded with layers. “There’s not gonna be a war. Everything’s good.”

Nico’s eyes meet mine again, searching for some kind of reaction. But I don’t flinch. Instead, I give a small nod, letting him know I’m cool with whatever went down. I trust him.

And right now, that’s all I need.

I can feel the worry bubbling up, even though everything seems calm now. Nico notices immediately, because of course he does.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, his brows pulling together.

“How did you find out about the baby?”

He chuckles. “I had one of my guys hack into the records system to get a peek at your test results. I saw the blood work that confirmed you were pregnant. I’m sorry for violating your privacy, but I was so damn scared.”

“It’s okay, I forgive you. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I wanted to; I swear. But then everything got insane, and I was trying to find the right time, and—”

Before I can ramble myself into a full-blown apology spiral, Nico leans in and bam —his lips crash against mine. Mid-sentence, no warning, just pure, earth-shattering kiss. It’s like my brain short-circuits; I practically melt into the bed, my body forgetting how to do anything but feel him.

When he finally pulls back, I’m breathless, staring up at him like he just solved world peace.

“It’s alright,” he says, his voice low and soothing. “I’m thrilled about the baby.”

“Really?”

“Of course.” His eyes are soft, and for a second, everything feels perfect.

But his expression shifts. His jaw tightens, and he has a dark look in his eyes that makes my stomach flip. “What’s wrong?” I ask, instantly on edge.

He hesitates for a moment, then looks at me with a weight in his gaze. “Is there any way you can forgive me?”

Nico drops down to one knee, gently taking my hand like he’s about to propose or confess something wild. My heart’s racing, and then he starts talking.

“I’ve kept things from you, Willow. Big things. ,” he says, eyes locked on mine. “From the beginning. I wasn’t open with you about who I really am. About my lifestyle, my criminal background. I never told you the kind of danger you could be in with me.”

I blink, the weight of his words sinking in. He’s got that serious, brooding look that makes my heart skip, but I stay quiet. Let him get it all out.

“And more than that,” he continues, voice thick with guilt, “. I let you get kidnapped. You could’ve been killed.” I squeeze his hand, trying to keep him grounded, but he’s on a roll now. “On top of everything,” he says, almost spitting the words out, “I’ve been a coward.”

I frown. “A coward? Nico, you’re literally anything but a coward.”

He shakes his head, looking down like he’s ashamed. “No. I am. Because I was too scared to tell you how I really feel about you.”

My heart stutters. Oh. Oh .

“I love you, Willow,” Nico says, his voice firm, leaving no room for doubt. “I’ve known it for a while, and I’m a damn fool for not telling you sooner.”

My heart’s doing this crazy little flip, like it’s about to launch out of my chest. He loves me. He loves me.

“I didn’t plan on falling in love or having another child. But I’m damn sure of one thing—I’m ready to be the man you deserve. If you can forgive me.”

And then he just waits, looking up at me like he’s expecting his whole world to come crashing down, like I’m the only person who could break him. I realize that I may be the only person in this city who’s ever seen Nico look this vulnerable, this has me worried about what’s coming next.

I put him out of his misery and tell him, “I love you too!” I’m practically vibrating with excitement.

The relief on his face is instant, and I swear, it’s like a weight has been lifted off both of us. He pulls me into his arms, and in this moment, everything— all the chaos, all the danger—fades away. It’s just us.

I gasp, my hands jumping to my mouth. “Oh my God, the girls. Are they okay?

Nico nods, his expression softening. “Your cousin and the twins made it home fine. Don’t worry. Jack was smart enough not to mess with them—he knew better. He wouldn’t have gotten off with just a quick end if he had.”

I raise an eyebrow at the casual way he mentions Jack’s "quick end" but decide not to dig. Probably better I don’t know the details.

Nico leans back, a smirk playing on his lips. “The twins have been waiting to hear about you. They’re eager to start Christmas shopping.”

I can’t help but laugh, imagining those two ready to tear through a mall. “Well, I’m going to need to get out of this hospital bed if we’re going to start Christmas shopping.”

He takes my hand again, his thumb brushing softly over my knuckles. “I can’t wait to make you a part of my life. For real this time.”

My heart swells. This man, this life—it’s everything I didn’t know I wanted. I lean in, and we kiss, soft and slow, like a promise.

Pulling back, I grin. “We can start by making this the best Christmas ever.”

Nico smiles, eyes full of warmth.

“Deal.”