His Nanny Mate (Moana and Edrick Morgan) novel Chapter 74

#Chapter 74: Just Another Mood

Moana

Hearing how Edrick refused to admit that the baby was his to his own mother hurt me deeply. I found myself hardly able to speak or eat all day after overhearing him, and although I wanted to tell myself that he was only put on the spot when Verona asked about the pregnancy, I knew deep down that it was really because he was embarrassed to have a baby with someone from a lower social status. If he had simply denied my pregnancy, it would have been one thing, but to claim it was another man’s baby altogether hurt me to my core.

After Verona left, I found that tears were coming to my eyes. I decided to leave my soup unfinished and ran off to my room to cry without anyone seeing me.

Once I was inside my room, I felt my emotions take over. I took a deep breath, steadying myself, and walked over to my mirror to will myself not to cry. As I looked at myself, however, and took in the appearance of my growing belly and my red eyes, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. A few tears began to roll down my cheeks.

I took in a deep, shaky breath and dug my fingers into the wood of my dresser.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Before I could even gather myself enough to answer, the door cracked open. It was Selina.

“You didn’t finish your soup,” she said, eyeing me as I quickly wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand.

I shook my head. “I just lost my appetite. I’m sorry. It really was good soup, anyway.”

Selina stared at me for a moment, then, without permission, opened my door and stepped in. I caught a glimpse of the other maids behind her, who both quickly gasped and darted out of sight when they realized I saw them. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “You might as well all come in, since you’re eavesdropping,” I said.

After a moment, Lily and Amy entered, too. Amy closed the door behind them and shot me a concerned look as I walked over to my armchair and sat down.

“Go on,” I said, feeling a little irritated. “Tell me how I’m being overly emotional.”

There was a bit of a silence. Selina cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Amy spoke instead. “He’ll come around, Moana,” she said gently. She came over to me and sat down on the ottoman next to my chair, then reached out and patted my hand. “I think he just needs a little time, that’s all.”

I couldn’t help but think that I’d already given Edrick plenty of time, but the maid’s kind words still lifted my spirits a little.

“Right, Selina?” Amy said, turning to face the older housekeeper. “Mr. Morgan is just slow to open up sometimes, but he’s not all bad.”

Selina cleared her throat once again. She seemed uncomfortable, and patted her apron absentmindedly as her eyes darted back and forth as though she was searching for the right words.

“Edrick really isn’t all bad,” she finally said. “Deep down, he’s a good man who means well. But, Moana—” She paused, pursing her lips. “Don’t forget that he’s a wealthy CEO from the esteemed Morgan family. Expecting him to be forthcoming with his feelings about someone from a lower class is like asking a fish to climb a tree.”