Page 57 of The Surrogate Nanny

If he wants a show, then he’ll get a show.

I pulled down my sleeping shorts and sat on the toilet. I chuckled when Anthony whirled around, finally giving me some privacy.

“I put AirTags on our luggage. Luggage goes missing all the time.”

“I never thought you were one ofthosedads,” I teased as I finished my business. He turned to face me once he heard the toilet flush.

“What do you mean bythosedads?”

“The ones you see on social media that wake the family up at the buttcrack of dawn and make them get to the airport four hours early. It’s ridiculous,” I answered, starting the shower.

“Ridiculous? There’s nothing ridiculous about it. The unexpected always happens, and I would rather be safe than sorry. What if there’s a 30-car pile-up on the highway? What if the security checkpoint line is long? Have you ever tried to get through Security with a baby?”

“No, but neither have you,” I drawled.

“Exactly. We must expect the unexpected. I want our vacation to be smooth sailing.”

“Where is Nori?” I asked, entering my walk-in closet to select my attire for the day. I rolled my eyes when I found a pair of denim shorts, a white tank top, a black cardigan, undergarments, and a pair of slide-on sandals laid out for me on a chair. I backpedaled out of the closet. “My clothes, Anthony. Really?”

“We’re running late.”

“We are not. Where is our child? Never mind, she’s probably in the car seat by the front door with an AirTag attached to her forehead.” I narrowed my eyes at Anthony’s silence. “Anthony!”

“What? Children get lost in airports all the time. Granted, the tag isn’t on her forehead but—”

“Take Nori out of the car seat and remove any and all tracking devices from her.”

“You’re hungry, and you’re not you when you’re hungry. I’m gonna put on a pot of coffee and make breakfast. Make haste, Simone.”

“Anthony!” I called after him as he limped out with his cane.

“I got it! Take her out of the car seat!”

A smile stretched my face as I stripped before entering the shower. Tension had been swelling between us since the shopping incident. It had been thick and saccharine, filled with desire and unspoken words. I tried to ignore it and tamp down my feelings, especially since we hadn’t had “the talk” yet. You know, the talk where we lay everything on the line—our feelings, thoughts, where this was going, and what we envisioned for the future. Something always came up, or the timing was a little off. Did I imagine a future with Anthony? Of becoming Mrs. Powell and making Nori a big sister? I did.

I do. I don’t know what Anthony and I have. He refers to us as a family and God it feels real. If it doesn’t feel real to him, then he must be living in an alternate universe.

I stared down at the gold identification bracelet on my wrist, and my cheeks heated as I remembered how protected I felt when he fastened the bracelet around my wrist. No, the bracelets weren’t foolproof, and it was shitty that we had to go through such great lengths, but it was the effort on Anthony’s part that I appreciated.

That was the moment I knew I was irrevocably in love with Anthony Powell.

***

The frenzied pace of the airport was not for me. Travelers hustled and bustled around us, desperately searching for their gate or one of the many restaurants for a quick bite to eat. Large signs with letters and arrows pointing in random directions hung above us as we journeyed to our gate. I gulped when I caught sight of the monstrous airplanes on the runway. My faith in the man-made machines and pilots was nonexistent.

“What do we do now?” I asked, nearly frantic once we made it to our terminal. Anthony selected seats near the windows with outlets to charge our phones and tablets.

“Now, we wait,” he answered, easing into the seat. “Hand me, Nori.”

Nori had been in and out of sleep since we left the house, and I couldn’t blame her. I’d be sleeping, too, if my anxiety wasn’t through the roof. I sat beside him, and Nori crawled into his lap. Her eyelids fluttered before closing, hiding those beautiful gray eyes from us.

“Are you okay?”

I swallowed roughly. “I think I’m afraid of flying.”

His brows furrowed. “You’re afraid of flying?”

“I’ve never flown before. I assumed it’d be a piece of cake, but now that I’m here...I don’t know if I can do this.”