“It is fake,” I say, ignoring the skeptical look on Fable’s face. “I’m serious. We just got—carried away.”

“Uh huh. What were you doing in her room anyway, Wade?” A brow goes up and she sets the knife on the cutting board so she can cross her arms. I wouldn’t doubt for an instant she’s tapping her foot, too.

Ah damn, she sounds and looks like the Fable of old, who would constantly bust our balls and make Owen and I feel guilty for all the crazy shit we used to do. We deserved to feel that way because we were always up to no good, but we hated it so much when she ripped us a new one.

That’s because she was so damn good at it. Just like that, I’m back to being fourteen years old and I just got caught making out a little too heavily with Jessica Fairchild in Owen’s bedroom. On Owen’s bed, with my hand on Jessica’s right tit and Jessica trying to shove me off her when she spotted Fable fuming in the doorway. Fable busted me hard, ratted me out to my mom and everything. I was so pissed at her for weeks. Every one of those days I was grounded, I cursed her existence over and over again.

Now I’m so glad she was there, watching out for me. I was wild, but I could’ve been worse. Much worse. Fable helped keep me and Owen grounded.

“I came over to show Sydney what the media was saying about the two of us,” I say in my defense.

Fable’s eyes light up and her arms drop to her sides. “Oh, what are they saying? Is it positive?”

Relief floods me at the change of subject. I’m thankful I could cheer her up. An angry Fable is an unpleasant Fable let me tell you.

Whipping out my phone, I show Fable the TMZ article. “They talked about us.”

She reads the article, nibbling on her lower lip. “They won’t let go of the Naughty Nanny thing, though.”

Yeah, she sounds just like Sydney with that comment. “We’ll get them to forget about it.”

“You really think you two can do that in just than a week’s time?” She sounds skeptical, and that doesn’t help my confidence.

“You’re the one who said it would only take a week,” I point out.

“I know. And a lot of things can happen in a week, trust me. I mean, look at you two.”

“What about us two?” I frown.

“I already caught you kissing her in her bedroom, just like when you were a teenager.” She grins.

I feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m a grown ass man. I shouldn’t let that sort of thing bother me. “We sort of lost our minds.”

“Does she make you lose your mind?”

This conversation needs to come to a halt, so I decide to change the direction. “How are you feeling?”

“Nice subject changer.” Fable shakes her head. “I’m feeling all right. The baby is sapping all the energy right out of me.”

“I can’t believe you’re pregnant again.”

“I can’t believe it either, but this is a good thing. Drew and I want a big family. So this baby is an unexpected blessing. I just need to take it easy.” She runs a quick hand over her still-flat belly. “The timing isn’t the best, but everything will work out in the end.”

I say nothing. I wonder if that’s the attitude I should take about this thing with Sydney. That everything will work out in the end, no matter what happens. It’s better than worrying about shit all the time. We should just let nature take its course.

Yeah. That sounds good. Nature taking its course. Either it works or it doesn’t.

I’m secretly hoping it works.

According to Fable, the preseason games usually aren’t very crowded, but this particular one brought out a lot of Niner fans tonight, and I’m fairly certain it’s because Drew’s playing. He normally doesn’t play much during the preseason schedule because they let the second and third string players have the opportunity to show everyone what they can do. But tonight is an exception. It’s the last game of the preseason, and Drew needs to show off his skills to get the fans hyped for the regular season. And he’s played amazingly well—no surprise.

Wade has done well too. He’s spent the majority of the game actually playing it. They only pulled him off the field once, right before halftime. But the moment the third quarter started, he was back out on that field, playing like his life depended on it. He even caught one of Drew’s passes and ran it into the end zone, scoring a touchdown, making me hop up and down and scream my head off.

The photographers clicked away, documenting my overhyped reaction, but I ignored them as best as I could.

I’ve tried my best to be the perfect girlfriend tonight. If the various reporters are watching me, and I’m sure some of them are, I look like the good little woman out in support of her man. Oh, I’m sure a few of them will twist the story around and say I’m really cheering for Drew, but whatever. I’m starting to realize we can’t win with them.

That article Wade shared with me cemented my feelings. How am I ever going to shed the Naughty Nanny nickname when they won’t let it go? It’s everywhere still, and I bet no matter how much time passes, they’ll still call me that. I might never be able to shake it.

And that would be awful.

When the game’s finished, I go down onto the field thanks to the all-access pass Fable obtained for me before we left the house for the game. She texted me when there was two minutes left in the fourth quarter—the Niners eventually won the game—to let me know she’d meet me on the field. She and Drew had privately arranged a quick photo session with the entire family involved, just to please the media and hopefully get them to shut up about the nanny gossip. I hope it works, considering I potentially benefit from this photo opp too.