SAVANNAH ✔️

Chapter Twenty One

I had been a little bit skeptical of my abilities to plan a birthday for a nine year old but as I looked out into the backyard at all my effort paying off, I gave myself a pat on the back for a job well done. Food and drinks were in plenty, all of Ethan's friends and classmates had arrived and were busy taking advantage of the bouncing castle and water slide I'd hired for the day. The piñata was hung and ready for a beatdown later, there was a karaoke session going on in a makeshift stage where Freya and her band would perform and best of all the guitar shaped cake was decorated and ready for cutting and serving.

"Good job milady."Nathan who was standing by my side sipping a beer whispered.

He was standing so close I could smell his cologne and manly scent washing over me. Nathan Barnes Lancaster was pure raw male and by God was I extremely attracted to him.

"Thank you."I beamed enjoying my lemonade.

After my drunken escaped I was staying away from any and all forms of liquor. I would probably drink in the near future but for the moment I was sticking to non alcoholic soft drinks.

I glanced at Nathan from the corner of my eye and smiled. Giddy. One word to perfectly describe just how I was feeling as I stared up at the man who had me tangled up in knots. In a good way though.

Over the past decade I could count the amount of times I had been happy on one hand, they had been the big moments like passing my GED, getting accepted to college, graduating said college and getting released from prison. All those moments were great but none of them compared to how I was feeling at the moment because it wasn't a fleeting moment but a range of euphoric emotions that were stuck within me.

I took a sip of my lemonade, the citrus in the drink cooling my lips in the scorching heat. The same lips that had kissed Nathans' soft ones. I had kissed him only once, over a week ago but I had not been able to stop thinking about it. Since then I'd only managed a peck on the cheek when he took me horse riding and nothing else except for maybe sneaky and wanton glances at each other.

Nathan had asked me out on a date and obviously I said yes but since then he hadn't brought up the topic again. I had been busy all week with the birthday party celebrations but hopefully now that we were done with that we could have time to ourselves because I really wanted to kiss my sexy cowboy again.

"Savannah!!!"Clara exclaimed running towards me.

She wrapped her arms around my legs in her signature move looking up at me with her big beautiful green eyes.

"Hi sweetheart, you want anything?"I asked her.

"Yes, cake."She requested.

"Later baby girl, it's not time for the cake cutting yet. There's cupcakes over there though you're only allowed one."I answered.

"Okay, I'll go get a cupcake."She grinned at me letting my legs go.

"Hi papa. Bye papa."Clara rushed out skipping off to the dessert table.

Nathan looked at her retreating back and chuckled.

"I know I should feel bad that I'm not her favorite anymore but I don't. How she behaves with you is a testament that I did the right job picking you to take care of us."Nathan commented.

"She's still obsessed with you Nathan, you'll always be her dad, her hero and I'm just the nanny."I replied.

"You are much more than that and you know it."Nathan asserted.

I didn't say anything in response because even if he was right I still didn't know what I was yet. Sure I was more than the nanny but I wasn't even Nathan's girlfriend yet so I couldn't give myself a title. I wasn't worried though, I did not have plans to go anywhere so I had time to figure my place out in the Lancaster family.