The Desired Nanny

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading The Desired Nanny. This is book three in a series and cannot be read as a standalone. To understand what's happening, you must read The Surrogate Nanny and the Widowed Nanny. You can find those books on Amazon. Also, the chapters of The Desired Nanny have been combined to make them longer. There have been new updates since Kindle Vella.

Grant

My lips parted slightly, and seconds later, the tension in my neck and shoulders began melting away. That was until I heard frantic knocking on my truck window. I didn’t have to open my eyes to know it was Kieran disturbing my peace as usual.

I should consider opening a satellite office in Dallas just to get him off my ass.

“Big Bro!” his muffled voice called through the cracked window.

“Suck a dick, Wesley.”

“It’s too early in the morning to be an ass,” he scoffed.

“Eat a dick, Wesley.”

“Right after you, Maxwell.”

I rolled my eyes and considered lighting another cigarette while the half-smoked cigarette clung to my lips.

“Dad will kick your ass if he catches you smoking.”

That made me chuckle.

I’m a grown man. What the fuck is Dad going to do?

“We have a meeting in five minutes.”

“Goodbye, Wesley.”

I relaxed in the seat once he stormed away. I didn’t want to be an ass, but I needed a few minutes of peace and quiet before I had to be everything to everyone. I was Grant, the problem-solver, and the problems started as soon as I fucking hit the door.

Knocking at the window interrupted me again.

“If you don’t walk away right now. I’ll beat your ass,” I threatened.

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Shit!” I cursed when the lit cigarette fell on my lap and rolled onto the floor. I jumped out of the truck, cursed again when I burnt my finger, and tossed it on the ground. I stared into my father’s eyes as he squashed the cigarette under an Italian leather loafer like it was a bug.

Jonathan Baker, Esquire—retired—was not one to be trifled with. He was an amazing father, devoted husband, and a shark in the courtroom, but as the years passed and me and my siblings’ shenanigans increased, his tolerance for bullshit was in Hell. He wasn’t as much of a hard ass as Granddad, but he wasn’t far from it. Hard ass or not, I admired the heck out of the man, and disappointing him wasn’t high on my mile-long to-do list.

“You’re a smart man, Grant—brilliant, if you will.”

“Thank—”

“With that being said, you can see how I’m a little confused to find you smoking in your truck with the windows nearly up in a—” he paused chewing me out to open my suit to read the tag, “—custom-tailored Stefano Ricci suit before 8:00 AM. Do you think it’s professional to greet your clients reeking of cigarette smoke?”

“No, sir,” I replied, feeling like a scolded child.

“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page, and I’m confident this won’t happen again. Let’s go.”

I grabbed my briefcase and locked my truck before catching up to him. For a 57-year-old man, he was surprisingly active and still maintained his youthful physique, with the exception of silvery grays that threaded through his blonde hair and deep crow’s feet at the corner of his moss-green eyes. I’d once made the mistake of asking him what his secret was. I’d expected him to say his weekly trips to the golf course with Uncle Ant or martial arts he fell in love with again after retirement. Instead, he said, “good diet and great sex.” I immediately regretted asking because it created an opening for him to pry into my love life or lack thereof.

Not a family dinner passed when I wasn’t reminded of my age and hounded about finding a good person to settle down with and carrying on the Baker family legacy despite my siblings being right behind me in age.

Casey couldn’t keep his dick in his pants to save his life and was committed to remaining a bachelor. Daisy was getting married to the love of her life this weekend, and she was firmly against the idea of having kids. And Kieran was too busy wreaking havoc and having fun with Ronan to even consider dating. He expressed not wanting to settle down until he was in his mid-thirties. So…that left me.

And no. I didn’t forget to mention the lost cause. It was deliberate. Mentioning her was like cracking open The Book of the Dead and reading from the text. You just don’t do it.

“Dad, not that I’m not thrilled to see you—”

“Obviously,” he said with a teasing smirk.

“—but what are you doing here?”

“We need to go over some things for this weekend, and lately, it seems the only time I can corral all my children is when they’re at work.”

“But I have a client in…” I paused to check my watch. “Ten minutes.”

“Yes, with Mr. Roland? That would be me. It’s a shame I had to book an appointment to speak with my children. Nori and Ronan don’t treat their father like this.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t compare us to that spoiled diva and man-child.”

“You shouldn’t insult your future sister-in-law.”

“Nori is a bully,” I said, following him to the conference room.

“And Daisy isn’t?”

Daisy is a bully and more, but I won’t badmouth my little sister.

“Uh-oh, who’s in trouble?” Casey asked when we entered the room. My stomach grumbled loudly as soon as I set my sights on the breakfast bar teeming with assorted pastries, meats, and fruits. Every day, a sibling provided breakfast, except for Fridays when I took everyone to dinner.

Kieran may be a little shit, but he didn’t disappoint.

The coffee machine finished percolating, and I didn’t have to open my mouth before Kieran handed me my least favorite personalized coffee mug that I’d received from Daisy as an unwanted Christmas gift. It read, “Got pussy? Neither do I.”

I became angry upon receiving it but realized I wasn’t Daisy’s sole victim. Dad received a mug that said, “Breed Her Kink,” with our mother’s face plastered on the front. Everyone thought it was hilarious, except for our mother, who threatened to get the belt for Daisy. Mom’s mug said, “I ride more than Harleys,” with our father’s face on it. Casey’s said, “Penicillin,” followed by a heart emoji, eluding to the time Casey contracted chlamydia, and I had to accompany him to the doctor because he wouldn’t stop freaking out. Neither one of us was prepared when the nurse unsheathed a long Q-tip and inserted it into my younger brother’s urethra. The poor thing was so traumatized that I took him for a treat afterward. There we were, 21 and 20, sitting on the opposite ends of a park bench, nursing our ice cream cones while we made silent promises to ourselves to always wear a condom.

Ronan’s mug said, “I put the roid in Android,” because he loved working out and had an Android phone. Nori’s mug had a photo of a wife beater on the front. Kieran’s mug said, “Professional Ass-Kisser.” Ms. Simone’s mug had the phone number for Child Protective Services because Daisy was once present when Nori received a spanking for some lousy shit they were up to. Ms. Simone wagged the slipper in Daisy’s face and told her she better be glad she didn’t belong to her, or she’d get it too. Daisy had looked to me for help, and I shook my head. She was on her own. Last but certainly not least, Uncle Ant received a mug that said, “This limp ain’t fo sho. I’m a certified pimp, ho.” Unsurprisingly, he loved his mug the most.

“Why can’t I visit my children without something being wrong?” Dad asked Casey.

“That’s just how it is, Dad,” he sighed, stepping in line to get food. I popped him in the back of the head. “What the fuck, Grant?” he complained, smoothing the dark hair that I’d upset back into place. “Have some fucking respect and let Dad eat first.”

“My bad. I’m sorry, Dad. I had a lapse in judgment. I had forgotten how important it was for the elderly to maintain their feeding schedule.”

What a dick.

“I’ll keep that in mind when you turn thirty next year and you’re looking for full access to your trust fund. Who knows, by then, I might have dementia like Granddad,” Dad replied.

“Geez, Dad. Can’t you take a joke?” Casey backpedaled. “I’ll fix your plate. What do you want?”

Dad smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine. I had breakfast on the terrace with your mother as usual.”

“How was she this morning?” I asked.

“Frazzled. There’s still so much to do before the big day. I offered to help, but she insisted I stay out of the way and that she had Simone.”

I nodded pensively. “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

“That’s actually what I’m here for. I’d love to go into more detail, but it seems we’re missing the bride.”

As soon as my father punctuated his sentence, Daisy ripped through the conference room like a Texas tornado. My mouth dropped at her appearance. She threw her cognac leather briefcase Mom and Dad had gifted her when she graduated law school into her designated seat and ripped off her blazer.

“Jesus. What the hell happened to you?” Kieran exclaimed.

Casey whistled. “That’s some shiner you got there, sis.”

“Nori got you good. What did you do to her?” I asked.

Daisy gasped dramatically, channeling her inner Felicity, and placed her hand on her chest. “Are you victim blaming?”

“I’m not victim blaming. You two have put us through twenty-plus years of bullshit. I’m simply withholding judgment until I have all the facts. Hell, for all I know, Nori’s the true victim.”

“Dad!” Daisy protested.

“What is it, honey? I’m on the phone with your mother, telling her that the wedding may or may not be on for this weekend.”

“The wedding is still very much on. I’m not canceling my wedding over a love tap.” The conference room erupted in groans. “What? That woman put me through too much hell for me to let her go. She’s quite literally my soul mate.”

“Never mind—false alarm. I’m sorry to bother you, Kierra. Mhm. Yep. I love you, too. Yes, Kierra. I’m aware they need therapy, but they’re mildly functioning adults. What can we do about it? No, don’t put me on—I’m on hold.”

“Tell us the story, sis. Why did Nori punch you in your eye on this beautiful Monday morning?” Casey teased.

“Look…she wanted to get braids for our honeymoon, and I told her no because I didn’t want her standing beside me looking like Taryn Manning from Hustle & Flow. Then I proceeded to remind her that just because her mother is Black doesn’t mean she is. Next thing you know, I’m looking out of one eye,” Daisy explained with a shrug of her shoulders. “I regret nothing.”

“She did what?” Dad exclaimed, cutting his eyes at Daisy, who scooted behind me in an attempt to seek refuge from our father’s heated glare. I whirled around and faced her.

“What did you do?”

Daisy grumbled something unintelligible under her breath while digging in the pocket of her slacks. She produced a familiar hard protective case.

“Oh, Daisy…you didn’t.” I sighed, feeling the earlier tension return.

“If I can’t see, then that bitch isn’t gonna hear.”

“You stole her hearing aids?”

Daisy nodded shamelessly.

Uncle Ant and Ms. Simone started teaching Nori ASL when she was a toddler, thinking it would be beneficial for her to have later on. Little did they know that Nori would depend on that skill a few years later when she lost 90% of her hearing after a severe case of chicken pox.

Yeah, Dad. Cancel the wedding.