His Nanny Mate (Moana and Edrick Morgan) novel Chapter 129

#Chapter 129: Wildflowers

Moana

Later that morning, after enjoying breakfast in the garden in the fresh air with Ella and Edrick, Ella reminded Edrick that she wanted to go for a hike. Edrick of course agreed, as it was nice outside.

“Go put your shoes on,” he said. “And pants, too. I don’t want you falling down in a dress.”

“Okay!” Ella exclaimed as she sprinted off to her room to get changed.

Edrick stood and stretched, accidentally revealing the lower portion of his abs as he did so. He was dressed casually in a simple polo shirt and trousers, which was strange to see as I had grown so accustomed to seeing him only dressed in business attire. He must have forgotten that he wasn’t wearing his shirt tucked in when he stretched, and seeing even just a small portion of his abs made me blush a deep shade of red.

“We won’t be out for too long,” Edrick said then. “Feel free to explore anywhere you want in the mansion or the gardens while we’re out.”

Although the thought of exploring the mansion sounded fun, I furrowed my brow. It was too beautiful outside, and I had been looking forward to going on a nice walk.

“I was thinking I would go with you, actually,” I said, standing from the table.

Edrick pursed his lips and looked at me. His eyes traveled down to my belly; he seemed hesitant.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” he asked. “I don’t want you to get sick or get hurt if it’s too much exertion.”

I put my hands on my hips and frowned. “I’m only a few months pregnant. I’m not a complete invalid just yet. Besides, it’s only a walk.”

Edrick paused and chewed the inside of his lower lip for a few moments before finally nodding. “Alright,” he replied. “I guess some exercise could be good for you and the baby.”

I couldn’t help but grin. I thought it was sweet that Edrick was so concerned about our baby, but I knew that he worried too much when it came to certain things. I had always been somewhat athletic, and never had any problems with exercising. Being a few months pregnant may have stopped me from doing crazy things like rock climbing or downhill skiing, but a nice hike through the forest was something that I knew I could handle. Besides, the doctor told me that exercise was extremely healthy for the baby, and I had done enough research of my own to learn that many women could do all sorts of athletic things, even while they were eight or nine months pregnant. Once, I even read about a woman who was a marathon runner and kept winning marathons up until her water broke!

Now that Edrick agreed to let me go with them, I quickly ran upstairs and changed out of my dress and into something more suitable for a hike. Once I was ready, I headed back downstairs with Ella’s hand in mine and met Edrick outside.

As we began to follow the path that led into the woods, I couldn’t help but notice that Edrick kept glancing at me on occasion while we walked. He seemed to be looking at my outfit, and I didn’t realize it until a while later that he had never seen me in anything that wasn’t purely professional. Now, I was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans with boots and a zip-up hoodie on top, with my hair up in a bun, and he almost seemed fascinated by it. Seeing the way he looked at me made me blush and feel a bit embarrassed until I realized that I had looked at him the same way earlier. In a strange way, seeing each other in casual clothing almost felt like another layer of the barrier between us being peeled away.

While we walked, I couldn’t help but feel relaxed. The cool mountain air smelled sweetly of pine trees as we walked further into the forest, and the quiet sound of the forest around us was extremely relaxing. Every so often, Ella would run ahead with a flower or a cool rock or anything else that she would demand for Edrick to keep in his pocket, and soon enough his pockets were bursting with rocks and acorns.