The Mafia nanny [✓complete]

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Leah's POV

We both pulled away, a faint smile tugging at the corners of our lips.

For me, there was a sense of relief, like a heavy cloud had finally lifted from the room.

"So, are you saying we're officially a 'thing' now?" I asked, trying to inject a bit of humour into the moment, though my heart was still racing.

Luca chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"I suppose we are, Leah. Is that okay with you?"

I nodded, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Yeah, it is. Just don't expect me to start using pet names any time soon."

He grinned. "Deal. No 'sweetie' or 'honey' unless you're in a particularly good mood."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Don't push it, Romano" I warned

We both laughed, the tension from earlier dissipating.

It was strange how opening up about my fears had actually made me feel more at ease.

Maybe this whole vulnerability thing wasn't so bad after all.

"Seriously, though," Luca said, his expression turning more sincere, "thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with me, Leah. It means a lot."

I smiled, touched by his words. "Likewise, Zach. Let's just take it one step at a time, please. I'm terrible at fast-paced stuff."

He nodded in agreement, and for the first time in a long while, I felt a glimmer of excitement about my future.

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The next morning, the soft glow of dawn filtered through the curtains in my room.

I stirred in bed, slowly awakening to the new day.

I slipped out of bed, I'm weirdly carefree.

Last night we planned to keep our relationship hidden from the kids, just for now, weighed on my mind.

It wasn't that we wanted to keep secrets, but we both felt it was essential to handle this delicate situation with care.

As I walked down into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the kids, my thoughts swirled.

Luca and I had agreed that it was best to wait until we were sure about the nature of our relationship before introducing it to the children.

They had been through enough already, and we didn't want to add confusion to their lives.

While the coffee brewed, I took out ingredients for pancakes.

Making breakfast was a routine I had grown accustomed to since moving into the estate.

It was a small way to contribute and take some pressure off the busy mornings.

Just as I was flipping the first pancake, I heard footsteps. Andrea had a sixth sense for detecting the smell of pancakes.

It's like they were an eating team.

Andrea can smell anything from miles away, Gabriel eats anything and everything and Bella does her strictest judging on the food. Even The girl is slowly joining them.

"Morning, Mammy!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Morning, Andrea," I replied with a warm smile, ruffling her hair. "Hungry?"

"Kinda, I came down as a spokesperson for two hungry people upstairs," she said, rolling her eyes dramatically.

We both giggled as I continued making pancakes.