Page 33 of The Surrogate Nanny

I glanced away when I felt a flutter in my belly.

Why do I feel this way?

“Why didn’t you correct her?” I asked as we continued our tour of the exhibit.

He raised a brow and looked down at me. “Tell her what?”

I gestured between us wildly. “That we aren’t together.”

“But we are.”

“You know what I mean. That we’re not...like a family.”

He stopped. “We are like a family, Simone. We are...family. You, me, and Nori. You’re my family.”

My cheeks heated. “You know what I meant,” I said, frowning.

He laughed and poked my cheek. “You pout just like your daughter.”

Anthony and Nori walked ahead, and I stood, watching his back as he spoke to her. He stopped and turned around once he noticed my absence. “Coming?”

I caught up with a shake of my head. Anthony Powell was too charming for his own good.

Anthony

The sun relentlessly beat down on us as we continued our zoo tour. For once, since my accident, I wasn’t suffering from extreme leg pain due to the narcotics I took that morning; however, that discomfort was exchanged for another affliction—90-degree weather.

“I don’t know about y’all, but I’m ready for a break,” Simone said as we approached a small play area. Nori started squirming in my arms and whined to be put down.

“Yeah, I could use one myself,” I admitted, finding a vacant seat under the shade for my family and myself.

My family. Was I presumptuous for calling us that? Did I make Simone uncomfortable?

“Nori, I know you want to play, but I need you to give me a few moments of your time while I reapply your sunscreen. You are tanning something fierce,” Simone complained as she reached into the diaper bag for the children’s sunscreen. “You could use some, too, you know?”

“I’m fine.”

“I don’t think you are. Your nose is looking a little red.”

“I’m touched that you care about me so much,” I mocked, pulling a bottle of juice and water out of the cooler.

“Care about you?” It’s called human decency,” Simone teased as she greased our impatient child down.

“You’re vicious,” I chuckled, preparing Nori a juice and water cocktail—more water than juice, as directed by her mother.

“Ju...ju...ju...ju...,” Nori stuttered, reaching for the sippy cup.

“Are you trying to say juice?” I queried. “I’ll be honest with you. I’ll be offended if you say juice before Daddy.”

“Ju...juuuuuice.”

My face slackened in disbelief. I slowly turned to Simone, who was laughing behind her hand. “Did you hear that b.s.?”

“I...I...I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but it seemed so deliberate on her part.”

“Laugh it up. She’ll be a daddy’s girl in no time.”

“In your dreams, Anthony, but seriously, give it some time. It’s not like I was practicing the word with her when it was just the two of us.”