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Chapter 24

Author: EstherJames62327
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-03 23:11:53

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO

She wished someone had fought to keep her too.

The thought curled in her chest like smoke hot and aching. She turned her face away from the window and crossed the hall, footsteps soft over worn floorboards. The nursery was dimly lit, a single lamp casting a pale orange halo against the far wall.

She hadn’t planned to stop. Not really—but her steps slowed as she passed the crib where baby Louis slept.

It was so quiet inside.

The baby had stopped crying a while ago. Now he lay nestled in a pale blue blanket, his mouth slightly open, a soft wheezing breath rising and falling. His lashes were long and dark, fists curled near his chin like he was still holding onto something.

Monet stared.

That ache deepened. It hadn’t been mere coincidence that she’d been the one to see his mother fighting to leave him behind that cold December morning.

She crouched slowly, hesitant—like one wrong move might wake him or, worse, reveal just how badl
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  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 32

    The sound of the front door closing echoed faintly through the marble hallway. Richard glanced up from the tray of hot cocoa he was pouring only to see a tall, broad figure stride in like he owned the place. Tattoos peeked from under the cuff of his rolled-up sleeves, and his grin was already halfway to trouble.“Maxwell,” Richard said flatly, putting the marshmallows in the two mugs he'd poured. “You could have called.”“And miss the look on your face right now?” Maxwell slung his bag onto the nearest armchair. “Not a chance.”From the staircase came the pounding of small feet, followed by Meredith’s excited squeal. “Uncle Max!” She practically launched herself at him.Maxwell caught her easily, hoisting her onto his hip. “There’s my favorite niece—”“I’m your only niece,” Meredith said, but she beamed anyway.From behind her, Carter appeared with Florence, his little legs pumping to keep up. “Up!” he demanded, reaching for Maxwell.“Alright, alright, you can both have turns.” Maxwel

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 31

    The envelope lay on the corner of his desk like something that didn’t belong there. Richard had ignored it for a week, shuffling it beneath contracts, correspondence, and two unopened bank statements until Florence appeared in his study, picked it up, and dropped it in front of him.“You haven’t RSVP’d,” she said.He didn’t look up from the spreadsheet glowing on his monitor. “I’m not in the mood for tuxedos and polite lies.”“It’s tradition,” she countered, smoothing the lapel of her navy coat. “The Elmsworth Winter Gala is one of the only things holding our family foundation’s reputation together. You’re expected.”Richard tapped the end of his pen against the desk, a steady, muted click. “You could go without me. You and the children, it'll be good for them.”“Perhaps,” Florence said evenly. “But people will notice. People always notice when the Abbotts are fractured.”He glanced at her then, sharp enough to sting. “We’re not fractured.” “Maxwell hasn't been in town since

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 30

    The first snow came early that year. Elmsworth was awash in gray skies and frost-kissed rooftops by the fourth week of November. The chill sank into everything—bones, breaths, and silences.Richard stirred the fireplace in the study, watching the orange glow fight the cold shadows creeping through the corners of the room. Carter lay curled on the couch, fast asleep with one of his toy soldiers on his chest. Meredith sat by the window, knees to her chest, doodling absently in her sketchpad.Florence stepped in with a folded shawl, placing it gently over Carter’s shoulders.“He’s been sleeping more,” she murmured.“It’s the weather,” Richard replied, though they both knew better. The cold wasn’t just outside.There was an absence in the house that not even firewood could warm.Florence cleared her throat. “I’ve arranged for someone to help in the afternoons. Just for a few hours. A nanny—retired teacher. Good woman.”Richard looked up, expression guarded.“She’s not replacing anyone,” F

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 29

    The sun had started to dip below the horizon by the time Richard parked outside the convent in Boston. The cool air of early evening rolled in through his partially opened window, but he didn’t feel it. He’d been sitting in the car for over ten minutes. Watching. Waiting. And there she was. Monet stood in the center of the small garden, her journal clutched to her chest. Her braids caught the fading light like threads of gold. She looked... lighter. Still tired, maybe, but not broken. Not in the way he felt. Richard’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. Then Kyle appeared. The gate creaked open, and there he was—clean-shaven, tailored coat, too perfect stance. Richard tensed. His first instinct was to step out of the car, to interrupt. To what? Stake a claim? He had no claim. He watched as Monet turned toward Kyle, her shoulders stiffening. They talked. Not loud enough for him to hear, but their body language spoke volumes. Her arms crossed, her jaw tense. Kyle sto

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 28

    TEN YEARS AGO “I want to be a mother,” Monet said softly. “I want to hold my own child, rock them to sleep, console them when they're sad, go to their games and cook them lunch and breakfast, bake cookies and all the works.” She rushed the words out. The fear that the thought alone might be too big, too impossible, made her say it quickly, as if she slowed down, it would crumble before it left her lips.She was eighteen, seated in the quiet convent library, her hands fisted tightly on her thighs atop her soft white habit. Outside, snow clung to the windowsill in thick, white clumps. But inside, everything felt smaller. Safer. Except for the dream she had just spoken aloud.Sister Margaret looked up from her embroidery, her forehead crinkling with gentle curiosity. “Why does that scare you?” Monet shrugged, eyes still on the steam curling from her cup. “Because it feels selfish. Because wanting something doesn’t mean you get it. And maybe I don’t deserve it.

  • Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM)   Chapter 27

    The morning light poured in through the tall windows of the Elmsworth manor, stretching long shadows across the tiled floors. Richard stood in the kitchen, his hand clenched around a chipped mug of black coffee he hadn’t touched. The silence in the house was louder than it had been in years.Not since Hannah died.Not since Monet arrived.Now she was gone too.Florence sat at the kitchen island, her newspaper folded neatly in front of her, untouched like his drink. She watched her grandson with the same calculating, tender eyes she’d used since he was a boy. Richard had always been difficult to read, his emotions caged behind a glass wall. But not today.Today, the cracks were all too visible."You haven't told them yet," she said, not a question.He didn't answer."They're children, Richard. But they're not fools. Meredith knows. Carter too, in his own quiet way."He gritted his teeth, the mug finally meeting the counter with a sharp thud. "What do you want me to say, grandma? That s

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