"Wow," I whispered watching the water gently lap. "This is incredible. Your boys are so lucky to be growing up in such an incredible house."
"Less than two months ago I lived in a little apartment over my workshop."
I raised an eyebrow, "workshop?"
"Did Liv tell you anything about me?"
I shook my head, turning back to watch the water. "Just that you needed my help."
"Huh," he muttered. "Well, I'm co-owner with my brother, Gunnar, of Thor's Shipbuilding. We inherited the business from my dad on his retirement who inherited it from his dad and so on and so forth. We build boats. Yachts, kayaks, luxury or business, you name it we build it. We're well known, got a good client base, got excellent product. We're popular, and we've just expanded this year to a new workshop down in Capricorn Cove, you know it?"
"Can't say I do."
He shrugged, "neither did I till my brother ended up there after a dodgy engine and fell into the lap of the love of his life. But the town is well-placed and we're now owners of the local marina. Expanding, diversifying our interests. You know?"
I nodded; it was what my family had done as well. People always needed cleaners, but some were in more demand than others when an economy tanked.
"Anyways, I lived at the workshop, stockpiled my money and had a chunk of change sitting there for when I got married and wanted to settle down." He looked down at his son. "Turns out, the cart came before the horse but I'm not complaining." He sent me a rueful grin. "Wanted to buy a fixer-upper but with these two keeping me busy, Ma talked me into a move-in-ready and next thing I knew I was buying this place."
"It's perfect," I shot him a teasing grin, "if not a little messy."
He barked out a laugh. "Yeah, well it's more work than anything else at the moment with just me. Normally Ma or my sisters help but they've been living their own lives and I'm swamped at work. It's our busy season, everyone wants to buy a boat for summer. Too bad I have to break the news that our boats take longer than a week to make."
I looked back out at the water, a contented sigh slipping free. "It may be more work now, but as they grow this is going to be a forever kind of home. Your boys will have cook outs back here, and swim in the lagoon, and build a tree house, and you'll probably get a dog at some point."
"Hush your mouth," he barked, pretending to turn away from me, covering one of Leif's ears. "Don't give them ideas."
I laughed, "you've done the right thing, Erik. Your boys will thank you for it."
He made a non-committal sound in reply.
We stood outside, the sound of the water, the rustle of a slight breeze in the leaves, the smell of salt and sea, and the gurgles of babies our accompaniment.
I tilted my head to the sun, closing my eyes enjoying the warmth of the beautiful Spring day. A deliciously selfish thought crossed my mind.
I could get used to this.
A hot man, beautiful babies and a gorgeous house. Who couldn't?
Don't even go there. Ignore the pull. You know single dads are your kryptonite. Abort! Abort!
But I couldn’t help the tiny kernel of… something that unfurled in me. It wasn't hope or lust or anything so simple. This was deep and earthy, grounding and solid. It felt complex and distinct.
"Can I take you to lunch?" Erik's question snapped me out of my revelry.
"Lunch?" I repeated, as if the word were foreign.
"Yeah, there's a bunch of great cafes' just down from here. Can I tempt you?"
"Of course," I replied, watching him grin in response. For a moment his gaze dropped, brushing across my breasts and down my body. I saw the flesh of approval in his eyes before he snapped back to attention.
"Let me just have a quick shower then we can go."
"Sure."
He walked away and I shamelessly ogled his ass. Tight and gorgeous. Zero regrets.
Oh yes, this man was very dangerous.
Chapter Three
Erik
I lay in bed that night, replaying the days events in my head, all of which seemed to focus intensely on Laura.
Laura Sweep, a woman with curves, smiles and a wicked sense of humor. She loved kids, animals, and cleaning. She'd delighted in my house, loved our town, and jumped into helping me with the twins throughout the day.
If I had words to describe Laura, I'd say cheerfully capable. And for a single dad struggling, that was hot as fuck. The fact she was also a walking wet dream? Bonus.
God, what do I need to do to get her stay?
My cock ached. It'd been over two years since my last relationship and god knew by the time that had ended, she'd killed whatever had been left of my mojo.
Let's just say, if Dolores Umbridge had been a super-hot woman of twenty-eight, that would have been my ex.
I pushed away all thoughts of that soul-destroying woman and concentrated back on Laura. Her curves, her smile, the way she cooed to Ulf when she'd held him while I fed Leif over lunch. We'd returned and she'd helped me get the boys settled, clear out the guest room where she was temporarily staying, and then we'd sat outside watching the sunset while I'd grilled some burgers and we'd enjoyed the unusually warm Spring night.
She'd arrived a day early thanks to Liv's hapless assistant mixing up their flights.
Thank you, God.
I slipped a hand down, fisting my cock and biting back a groan as I imagined Laura walking into this room, a cotton dress swishing about her knees, a knowing grin on her face.
If she were here, I'd order her to strip, watching as her beautiful breasts bounced free. I'd get her to crawl up the bed, then drag my lips down her body, tasting and teasing until she was a rosy, flushed squirming mess of desire.
I fisted harder, knowing I was close as I tilted my head back, imaging her taste, imagining her whimpers, hot with need for a woman I'd only met hours before.
A fractured cry stopped my desire with the power of a car crash. I swore, immediately throwing back my bed sheets and rolling to my feet as Leif's cries filtered through the baby monitor.
I hiked up my sweat pants, grimacing as I readjusted, my hard as a rock cock. It ached in protest.
I know buddy. I get it. Cockblocked. Again. Fudge.
I made my way to my kids' room, trying to think of things like poop-y diapers and baby vomit to get the monster hard-on to ease. It helped. Just.
Leif lay in his bed, his little hands clenched, his screams loud and angry.
"I know, little man, I'm here." I cooed, picking him up and pulling him to my chest. "The world is an angry and terrible place. Tell Daddy all about it."
I did the familiar parent bounce, trying to comfort my crying son as I figured out what was wrong.
Diaper is fine. Temperature feels good. He ate an hour ago so should be good. Gas?
I laid a hand on his little back, rubbing gently as he continued to protest.
"Is he okay?" the sleepy voice asked quietly from the door.
I turned, and immediately regretted looking. My hard-on roared back to life. Two-and-a-bit years of sex deprivation had regressed my libido to fourteen-year-old Erik.
Hubba hubba.
If this were a cartoon, my eyes would have bulged out of my head, my tongue rolling right to the floor.
Laura was stunning.
She wore tiny sleep pants and a long shirt. Her breasts were free under the material and I could just see the outline of her nipples.
Jesus man, you're a father now. Get your mind out of the gutter.
But I couldn't. I really, really fucking couldn't. I wanted to kiss up her curvy legs, wanted to fuck those tits and cum all over her body. I wanted to taste between her legs until she shattered then do it all over again.
I must have given myself away as awareness spiked in the room. Her gorgeous nipples hardened under my gaze, a delicious blush coloring her cheeks.
"D-did you want a hand?" She asked, crossing both arms over her ample chest and blocking my view.
Yes please.
I mentally chastised myself for the barrage of mental images of exactly where I wanted Laura's hand to go.
"I think we're good," I said, regretfully. "Thanks though."
Just as I said it, Murphy's Law kicked in and Ulf began to stir breaking the tension.
"Shi—shoot," I sighed. "Actually, would love a hand. Can you take Ulf? He normally only wants a cuddle."
"Naww," Laura walked over to the crib, lifting Ulf and pulling him close. "Are you a little snuggler?" She asked, settling in the rocking chair beside his crib.
I continued to pace, knowing Leif would eventually settle. His hiccupped cries already starting to slow.
"For some reason you expect twins to be the same. Same looks, same little mannerisms. And this young, you don't expect them to have personalities. Like, they're too little to be anything but a sleepy little ball of cuteness. But that's really not the case. Leif is my loud kid. Always wailing his desires, letting the world know he's here and he wants everything now. Ulf is quieter. He loves to cuddle, will just relax in your arms and let you hold him without protest for hours." I smiled down at my boy. "Can't wait for them to start talking."
Laura's chuckle was soft and pleasing, my dick jerking his approval.
"Be careful what you wish for," she said, pushing off with one foot and setting the chair to a gentle rock. "My sister's kids are nuts. From the time Arabella could speak she hasn't shut up. And she's sassy. I babysat her and her brother a few months back. Her brother had a fall while I wasn't watching and she immediately told me she wouldn't nark if I gave them candy." She chuckled again, "little scammer."
I found myself smiling, the bone-aching tiredness I'd lived with for months briefly fading. "I expect life will be crazy, but I'm looking forward to it."
Laura bit her lip, tilting her head to one side as she considered me.
"You want to know why I took them on."
She huffed out a laugh, "that obvious?"
"Nah, it's just the same question everyone asks."
I pulled Leif closer, breathing in his baby smell. His little hand reached out, brushing the side of my face as he watched me with big, sleepy eyes.
"When they were handed to me my first thought was no fuc- I mean, fudging way."
Laura dipped her head, but not before I caught a glimpse of her amused smile.
"But then, I don't know. I read the note their momma left me, and I saw their tiny bodies. It had snowed, and I remember thinking, how can I toss them out into the cold?"
I shook my head, shooting her a grin. "They wouldn't have been in the actual cold. The Sherriff was there, and I'm sure they would have called Child Services or something." I looked back down at Leif. "But it was Christmas. And they were screaming and there were no toys for them and I just thought, wow. I need to do something."
"And you did."
I nodded, looking back at Laura. Her eyes were warm with approval, her face tinged with a little pink. In her arms, she held my son, his sweet little body turned into her.
"Yeah, best decision of my life." I admitted, shifting Leif slightly. "Hardest too. And loudest. And messiest. But the best."
"Well," Laura stood, taking Ulf over to his crib and gently laying him down. "I can't help with the loud, but I can definitely help with the messy."
Can you help with the hard too? My cock asked.
Fuck, I'm a bastard.
She grinned at me, a sparkle in her eye. "I spoke to Liv tonight, she told me the name of the episode."
I braced.
" Daddy I'd like to Clean." She chuckled as I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Liv is a nut."
"I love her," Laura declared, coming to me and holding her hands out for Leif. I let him go and she took him to the rocking chair, settling back down. "She's making my dreams come true."
"You dreamed of being a reality TV star?" I asked, eyebrows raising in surprise.
"Nah," she set the chair to rocking, tucking Leif's body close to her. My squirmy kid immediately settled, blinking up at her in surprise.
Oh, so you'll do it for her but not for me. Traitor.
Not that I blamed him. I wouldn't mind being snuggled up to those breasts right now either.
Down, boy.
"My real dream is to branch out on my own. My family all have their place at the company. But I was an unexpected surprise. Baby number five. The odd addition. No one really knew what to do with me, and I needed to find my own place." She shrugged, "turns out, this is what I'm good at. Helping people."
"Does it stick?" I asked, watching her with an almost trance-like obsession.
"Does what stick?"
"The cleaning tips. The families you help?"
"Oh," she chuckled. "Sometimes, yes. I have a private group where they all send me questions and share cleaning tips. One family immediately reverted back to their former ways – but they had bigger issues than I could help with. But others take it on. They just never got taught how to do things or thought that cleaning products were too expensive or a million other myths."
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Love it," she said, flashing me a smile. "There's nothing more satisfying than helping people. And a clean environment, an organized environment, it helps people be creative, restore balance. It gives them the space to reconnect. Your environment is so—" she cut herself off with a laugh. "I'm preaching, sorry."
"It's fine," I tried unsuccessfully to hide a yawn. "I'm seriously interested but it's late and I've barely scrapped together three hours of sleep over the last two days."
"Go," Laura lifted a hand making a shooing movement. "I've got these two. Go sleep."
I blinked. "I couldn't do that."
But god is it tempting.
"Sure, you can. I have stellar baby-sitting references, a great smile and know how to change a diaper." She jerked her head at the door. "Go. If I need anything, I'll call you."
My feet led the way, the temptation of sleep too much. "If you're sure…"
"Go!" she called, laughing. "I got this."
I went back to bed, faceplanting on the mattress and letting out a long, satisfied sigh.
"He's a good daddy," I heard Laura murmur thorough the baby monitor. "You're very lucky to have him."
Leif gurgled and she laughed quietly. "Oh yes, you are. So, so lucky, aren't you?"
I smiled, eyes closed, listening to Laura's calming voice and my kid's soft sounds as I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Four
Erik
Whose idea was this?
I silently berated myself as my sister, my own flesh and blood, gleefully led a camera team around my house, pointing in horror at new hygiene issues to film.
"I found mold!" Someone yelled excitedly from my downstairs bathroom.
"I've got dust," another called from the lounge room. "Layers of it."
A grown man shouldn't sound that excited by dust.
Laura stood in my kitchen, her hair and make-up being touched up as we waited for Liv to get her shots.
This was day two of what I assumed would be a never-ending filming cycle. Yesterday hadn't been this bad.
I'd woken from the best sleep I'd had in months to find Laura had fed, changed and moved the twins downstairs Mozart playing as she'd dangled soft toys for them to grab. She'd made me breakfast, smiled at my sleepy questioning, then directed me to shower.
I'd planned on taking her and the boys out for a quick walk but Liv had arrived, entourage in tow. We'd spent the day doing posed pictures and filming shots of me with the boys. Laura had explored the house while I'd been otherwise occupied.
I gritted my teeth, going in search of my sister.
"Liv," I called, tracking her down in the twins’ room. "We need to talk."
She made a dismissive gesture, directing the camera man to film something in the boys’ toy chest. Of all the rooms in the house this one was the cleanest. I made sure of that.
"Liv," I barked, finally losing my patience. "Now!"
/> She sighed, straightening and moving to me, "didn't figure you for a diva."
"Liv," I sucked in a breath, forcing calm into tone. "Here's the thing. You can't do anything that could put me at risk of losing the boys, or bring my business into disrepute."
She frowned, "why on earth would you assume I'd allow that to happen?"
I blew out a breath, crossing my arms over my chest. "This is overwhelming, Liv. I legitimately don't know if I should be grateful or shitting myself. There are people everywhere, you hired someone to nanny my kids, there's a woman currently picking through my junk drawer." I shook my head. "Everyone has dirty laundry, mine’s now gonna be on TV."
"Yeah," Liv replied, getting close and laying a hand on my arm. "But only in a way that makes it seem like you're overwhelmed."
Which I am.
"Which you are," she said, giving my arm a slight squeeze. "And that's okay. The narrative we're pushing is great dad, loves his kids, successful business man, just overwhelmed by the changes in his life and needs a little help." She smiled. "I got this, bro. You're safe. The boys are safe. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize your life."
I let out the breath I'd been unwittingly holding. "Right, of course. Thanks."
Liv chuckled, "you've got nerves. You're fine, Erik. Just breathe. We're all only here to help."
I nodded, still not entirely convinced but willing to try.
"Great, gotta get back to it. Go find Laura in the kitchen, she'll fill you in on her first suggested change and we'll get that filmed in an hour once the kids go down."
With that, Liv turned back, directing the camera guy to take a sweeping shot of the room.
Dismissed and only slightly less anxious, I left, heading for the kitchen.
Laura stood at my island bench, a clear laundry tub filled with soapy water on one side, a pile of dirty bottles on the other.
"You ready?"
I came around, standing beside her. The production crew shuffled about, everyone getting into place.
"I mean," I nodded at the people avidly watching us. "Sure?"
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