Page 46 of The Nanny Contract

“Mother,” I managed, nearly gasping, “I don’t know what to say.”

She leaned forward and offered a warm, knowing smile. “When it’s family, you don’t have to say anything at all. Just know that I love you.”

She paused for a moment, her eyes twinkling, before adding, “But there’s one thing.”

Here it comes.

My stomached flipped inside.

Is there a condition?

“I would never tell my grown children what to do,” she said with a sneaky grin, “but I do hope now you can at least reconsider the grueling hours at the hospital. Henry needs you more than they do, believe me.”

Henry’s face perked up instantly as he sat beside me. “Yeah Dad! Can you cut back on hours so you can be home more? Could you be here in time for dinner?”

I didn’t need to give it a moment’s thought. The answer was already there in every beat of my pounding heart.

“I can do better than that,” I said, pulling Henry in for a hug. “Tomorrow, I’ll give them notice that I’m resigning my position.”

For years I’d dreamed of leaving my stressful job at Pinehurst Medical and spending more time with Henry before he ran off to college. If I ended up with too much time on my hands, I could pursue something quieter like teaching at a medical school, a dream long buried under the weight of family responsibility.

Now, finally, I could make our dreams come true.

Mother broke the silence by addressing my brother Hunter and my cousin Dean.

“Hunter and Dean,” she said, “your bequeathments will be announced in the coming weeks and months. Hunter, I was thrilled with the carnival, so that’s working in your favor. Dean, the auction was a smashing success.”

She was obviously going to leave them in suspense, but I knew they were probably hoping she’d split the remainder ofthe one hundred million—after the portion bequeathed to me—between the two of them.

Mother rose to her feet with a triumphant smile. She came over and wrapped both me and Henry in an uncharacteristically warm hug.

“Thank you,” I said again. “This is lifechanging for me and Henry. You’ve given us the gift of more time together.”

“Now that’s a legacy to be proud of,” she said softly. “A legacy worth building.”

Chapter 13

Casey

Warm afternoon sun streamed through the leaves of the newly restored Heart of the Family Garden, casting shimmering golden light across the flowers and iron tree sculpture.

I stepped back, admiring the handiwork both Logan and I had put into this garden over the past few months. The feeling of completion was symbolic—we had all chipped in to create something magical. The garden was a living, breathing testament to this family’s spirit of renewal.

Logan stepped beside me; his face relaxed in a way I’d never seen from him before. His hands were in his pockets and a smile was plastered on his face. Now that the tension from the custody battle with the Mercers was long past, and Logan had announced his intention to quit his job, he finally looked free.

For the first time ever.

I felt a new sense of freedom, too.

Betsy, Logan, and Henry had welcomed me in a way I hadn’t expected. There was a new sense of family and belonging that I’d never been fortune enough to feel before.

Now, things were different, and everything had shifted.

I was no longer Henry’s nanny. Thanks to Betsy’s unmatched ability to open doors, I’d landed a job as a partially remote program director at the local youth organization, Palmetto Pathways. Every day my job brought me joy. I was in charge of scheduling workshops, mentorship programs, and community events aimed at local youth. Since the job was partially remote, I was still able to be a big part of Henry’s life at Westbrook Meadows.

Earlier today, Logan made an appointment with a real estate agent so that we could start house hunting in the area. Logan wanted to buy a place that the three of us could call home. A place to cement this new chapter in our lives. It was almost surreal standing next to him, no longer feeling like an outsider. I wasn’t just a small part of their lives; I was part of their family.

Finally, everything in my life felt like it was falling into place.