Page 56 of The Accidental Nanny

After a while, she pops her head back out. She hasretrieved two small brown things covered in gunk. What the hell was in her bag?

“Look. For Daddy.” She smiles, proud of herself, handing them to me. She waits eagerly as I take them from her.

I give the mystery items a close inspection. “Honey, what is it?”

“For you to give to Gemma. It’s seeds from an apple. You said a man gives a woman seeds to grow inside her belly and make a baby. We can have a half-apple, half-human baby.”

“Not those kinds of seeds, dummy,” Ace tells her with his big brother face on.

“Ace.” Gemma glares at him.

“Daddy said seeds,” Eden insists, looking distraught.

“Man seeds… They come from…” Ace looks at his sister like she should know this, but he’s a shade paler than he was before.

“That’s enough, Ace. I’ll explain,” I tell him, my blood pressure rising.

“They have to be daddy seeds, sweetie. They come from me. Not from an apple,” I explain.

“You said seeds.” She bursts out crying. “I hate apples, but I ate it so I could get the seeds. Where do we get the seeds from then?” she sobs.

“My body,” I explain, wishing I could make her stop crying.

Gemma looks at me in sympathy.

Suddenly, Eden stops crying and gets off her chair, grabbing a spoon from the cutlery drawer. “Open wide,” she orders.

“Eden, what are you doing?” I ask, aghast.

“Getting the seeds out.” She climbs onto my lap, trying to pry my mouth open. “Eden, I think we need a girly chat.” Gemma comes over and takes Eden’s hand.

“Girly chat?” Eden asks, wiping a stray tear that leaks from her eye.

“Oh, yes. It’s when two girls talk about men without men,” Gemma says.

“Okay.” Eden gets off my knee before any damage can be done to my mouth or throat.

“You owe me,” Gemma whispers as she leaves us alone.

I don't see Gemma or Eden for the rest of the evening. It is only when I am lying in bed that Gemma walks in wearing a pink silk nightie.

“Hello.” I put my hand out for her.

“Hello,” she purrs.

“Come here. I’ve wanted to kiss you all day.” I sit up, just as Gemma’s lips meet mine.

“How did it go with Eden?” I ask once we break the kiss, my hand stroking her bare leg.

“Well, she is horrified and no man is ever going near her.” Gemma smiles. "Which I guess isn't a terrible thing."

I pull her into my lap, needing her close and claiming her lips. It’s hot, romantic even, until Gemma breaks the moment.

“And she knows about periods,” Gemma says, breaking the kiss.

“Well, someone was going to have to tell her. That should have been her mum,” I say with a heavy sigh.

“What happened? With your wife,” Gemma asks.