Page 20 of Knot The Nanny We Planned

"See? Big dog."

Deklan watches from behind his laptop. His expression is neutral, but his eyes keep drifting, to Lily, to Knox, to me. Assessing. Cataloguing. The Beta strategist, always thinking three moves ahead.

I wonder what he sees when he looks at me. I wonder if he sees the way my body reacts to all three of them, the constant thrum of arousal I can't suppress. I wonder if he knows I spent the night dreaming about his mouth on mine, his hands on my face, his controlled exterior cracking open to reveal the hunger underneath.

He pushes his glasses up his nose and looks back at his screen.

But not before I see his pulse jump in his throat.

After breakfast, JD and Knox disappear to get ready for work. Deklan remains at the island, typing steadily, and Lily toddles around the living room, arranging stuffed animals with the solemn focus of a surgeon.

"Mr. Kros?" I say.

He doesn't look up. "Deklan."

"Deklan." I swallow. "I wanted to ask about Lily's routine. Her schedule, her preferences, anything I should know."

He stops typing. For a long moment, he just stares at his screen. Then he closes the laptop, removes his glasses, and rubs the bridge of his nose.

When he looks at me, the grumpy mask is there, but it's thinner in the morning light. More transparent. I can see the exhaustion underneath it, the grief, the weight of a man holding too many things together with nothing but willpower.

"Her schedule," he says, voice flat. "She wakes at seven. Breakfast by seven-thirty. Playtime until ten. Snack. Nap at eleven. Lunch at one. Playtime until three. Nap if she'll take one. Dinner at five. Bath at six. Bed by seven-thirty."

"She doesn't like sweet potato," I say.

He blinks. "What?"

"I noticed last night, there was baby food in the fridge. Sweet potato. Her face when I checked the labels, " I smile slightly. "My cousin was the same way. Sweet potato made her gag. But she'd eat butternut squash like it was candy."

Deklan stares at me. The silence stretches long enough that I start to fidget.

"You checked the baby food labels," he says finally.

"Yes?"

"And you remembered what she might not like based on what? Instinct?"

"Based on her expression when I held up the jar. She didn't say anything, but her mouth did this thing." I scrunch my face, mimicking the disgusted expression Lily had made. "Same face my cousin made. Sweet potato aversion."

Something shifts in Deklan's expression. So subtle I almost miss it. The grumpy mask cracks, just a hairline fracture, and underneath, his dark eyes soften.

"You're observant," he says.

"I'm a nanny. It's kind of the job."

"You're more than a nanny." The words come out rough, almost reluctant. Like he's admitting something he doesn't want to. "The agency said…" He stops. Clears his throat. "Never mind."

"The agency said what?"

He puts his glasses back on. The mask slides back into place. "Nothing. Take Lily to the park this morning. She likes the one on Eastwood, the one with the fountain. Be back by eleven for her nap."

He opens his laptop. Conversation over.

I sit there for a moment, watching him type, and I wonder what the agency said about me. I wonder what was in my profile that made three billionaires request me by name. And I wonder what Deklan almost said before he caught himself.

You're more than a nanny.

What does that mean?