Lahat ng Kabanata ng Lawfully Wedded Nanny (BWWM): Kabanata 151 - Kabanata 160

Monet didn’t hear him come in.She was standing at the counter in her soft, oversized sweater, hair pulled back loosely, warming milk for Carter’s oat and Meredith's cereal. Her movements were gentle and deliberate, those of someone trying not to disturb anything in the world around her.Richard stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her.Remembering how she flinched when Juliet raised her voice yesterday. Remembering how she folded into herself last night. Remembering that he left her hurting.He cleared his throat quietly.Monet startled anyway.“Oh—” She straightened immediately. “Good morning. I didn’t think you’d be up yet.”Her voice was polite. Careful.Too careful.“Monet,” he said softly.She busied her hands with the spoon, stirring air because the milk had already settled.“You don’t have to explain,” she murmured. “Yesterday was a lot for everyone.” “Especially for you.”That hurt more than if she’d been angry.He stepped closer, keeping his voice low.“I shouldn’t h

The Abbott house hadn’t felt this alive in years. Balloons floated lazily against the ceiling. Streamers hung from the staircase like ribbons on a maypole. The scent of freshly baked vanilla cake drifted through the air, and children’s laughter echoed from the backyard where a rented blue bouncy castle puffed under the warm afternoon sun. Carter’s fourth birthday. Monet had been up since dawn. By the time the first guests arrived, she had frosting on her cheek, a streak of blue food coloring along her arm, and a smile that looked equal parts happy and terrified. From across the foyer, Richard caught sight of her adjusting a tray of cupcakes. Something inside his chest loosened—like a knot he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying for months. Meredith hovered close to Monet the entire morning, almost glued to her side. If anyone asked, she introduced Monet proudly, chin lifted, as though presenting a secret treasure. “Mommy Monet, is it time to put the candles yet?” she asked, tugg

The backyard was loud and bright—children bouncing, music playing, sunlight glinting off inflatable plastic. But the moment inside the house was steady, warm, almost peaceful again. Monet had just reached for the cupcakes. Richard teased her softly, “It seems as if you ran a marathon to get changed so I wouldn't come help you?” Her cheeks warmed, and she rolled her eyes, trying to hide the small flutter in her chest. She opened her mouth to reply when the front door clicked open. Slow. Intentional. Like someone entering a room they weren’t sure they belonged in. Florence’s head lifted first. Maxwell stiffened. Monet turned, a light laugh still on her lips. And Richard…Richard froze mid-step. A woman walked in—tall, slender, wearing a muted green dress that swayed gently around her knees. Her hair fell in soft, effortless waves. Her makeup was understated, classic. She looked like she belonged in a magazine spread titled: “The Woman Who Always Has It Together.” Even the way

The tension of the hallway eventually dissolved into a hum of distant conversation and the faint squeals of children playing outside. By the time Monet and Richard descended the stairs, the house had returned to the warm focus of Carter’s birthday. The scent of vanilla frosting floated through the space. Laughter replaced the thin, brittle silence that had held the air captive minutes earlier. Carter spotted them first. “Mommy Monet! Daddy! Come see the cake!” he shouted, weaving between legs and balloons, cheeks flushed from running. Monet bent just in time for Carter to throw his good arm around her neck. His little hands were sticky with icing he’d stolen from the side of the cake. Richard chuckled behind her, ruffling Carter’s curls with an affection that felt like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. The birthday table was already surrounded—Hannah’s and Richard's friends, neighbors, Florence resting in a chair with her cane, watching everything with those wise, warm ey

The kitchen air seemed to pulse with them alone. Outside, only the hum of the night and the refrigerator kept them company. Inside, it was just Monet and Richard, heat radiating from every inch of space between them. Richard’s lips hovered over hers for a heartbeat, then another, testing, claiming, and asking permission with every fraction of a second. Monet responded immediately, pressing closer, letting her hands roam along his chest, memorizing the strength and warmth beneath the fabric. “Monet…” His voice was rough, low, full of restraint breaking. “I,—God, I’ve wanted you…all week. I’ve been wanting you since the moment you walked into my life.” She shivered at the admission. “Richard…” Her voice was breathless, shaky, electric. “I’ve wanted you too.” That simple, confessed truth seemed to unlock him completely. He kissed her again—harder this time, pressing her against the counter, one hand braced behind her to support himself, the other sliding down to grip her hip, pullin