“I’m glad you enjoyed it. And now you’ve experienced the theater.”
“Trust me, it’ll be something I save up to experience again soon.”
“Then make sure to tell your boss when you need the time off. If you play your cards right, he might even be willing to get you a discounted ticket.”
“Oh, a night off and perks. I like the sound of that,” she said.
There wasn’t a moon to be seen that night. The only thing reflected in her eyes were the twinkling stars above us. I gazed down into her beautiful face and watched the way her cheeks flushed. I unthreaded our fingers and brought my palm up to her face, my thumb stroking over her delicate cheek. Her eyes danced between mine as I closed the distance between our bodies.
“Catherine.”
“Yes, Jace?”
“You’re…”
Magnetizing. Vivacious. Wondrous. Glowing. Magnificent. Luscious. Beautiful.
Perfect.
Our lips were mere millimeters apart. I could feel her breath. I could almost taste the droplets up champagne still tainting her tongue. Her eyes fluttered closed. Mine mocked her movements.
Then I heard Michaela giggling from behind the door.
My eyes ripped open and I found Catherine already staring at me. She took a step away from me, my hand falling from her cheek. She was panting. My heart raced. My palm felt empty without her skin against it.
“I um, I had a great time tonight,” she said.
“I’m glad you agreed to come out with me,” I said.
“Just to… um… clarify this,” she said.
Her finger volleyed between herself and me faster than the speed of light.
“The children,” she said.
“Yes, the kids. They probably wouldn’t understand.”
“I start working tomorrow. I’ll be your employee.”
“Very unprofessional,” I said. “And I don’t have an H.R. department you could complain to.”
“It just gets messy.”
“Yep. Very messy,” I said.
“And we hardly know one another. I mean, why compromise something over one night of wants, right?”
“My sentiments exactly,” I said.
But they weren’t my sentiments.
Not one fucking bit.
And I knew they weren’t hers, either, judging by the look in her eye. That darkened, lustful stare that still hadn’t receded.
That still hadn’t tucked itself away.
“I should get inside,” Catherine said. “Got an early morning with the kids.”
“Of course,” I said as I slipped my key into the lock. “And I can’t wait to see how the kids take to you.”
“Hopefully not having Miss Gertrude there won’t be such a shock,” she said as the door flew open.
“Miss Caffy!” Michaela exclaimed
My daughter, who never opened up to anyone and always stayed away from strangers, came barreling at her legs. Catherine picked her up in her arms and hugged her tightly as the boys came running around the corner. They were rubbing their eyes before they wrapped their arms around Catherine.
“They wanted to stay up and wait for her,” Gertrude said.
And in that second, I knew Catherine didn’t have to worry.
She’d already become part of our family, whether she wanted to be or not.
Eight
Catherine
“Catherine!”
I wrapped my arms around Emma and hugged her close.
“Okay, so you have to tell me about your first week with Jace Logan. How are the kids? Are you adjusting okay?”
“Things are going well,” I said. “The kids did well with the transition, and they’ve only asked a handful of times about their prior nanny. Which is good. It means we both did a great job transitioning them properly.”
“That’s really good. Is that little Michaela opening up to you at all? She’s a real serious one.”
“Actually, she took to me before the boys did.”
“What?” Emma asked.
“That seems to be the reaction everyone gives me on it. But yeah. She was wary for a few days, but so were the boys. Then, things were fine. Though she’s struggling with nightmares, but I’m working on that.”
“It’s common with three-year olds. My kids are going through it now. Have you tried the monster spray?”
“That was Gertrude’s idea, too,” I said with a smile.
“The former nanny?”
“Yep. She gave me a lot of great advice, too. I can see why she was so beloved with them.”
“Jace working you like a dog with those kids?”
“Not really. I mean, during the day it’s just Michaela and I. I think she could use a few more months at home before trying a daycare scenario. This is my first weekend with them and you see the kind of freedom I’ve got. When I woke up, Jace was already cooking for the kids.”
“Hence why you get to have breakfast with me now,” Emma said with a grin. “Maybe we can make it a regular thing.”
“I do have a question though.”
“Shoot.”
“So, I was hired for the job. Not a problem. The interview was a little… personal?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“He wanted to know things like why I didn’t like technology and why I was fired from Lawrence Day. He even asked me a little bit about my parents.”
“Well, the parents thing is odd. But the other things aren’t too odd, considering he’s your employer. I know Jace well enough to know technology really isn’t a part of his world, either. So that could’ve been a question into how your lifestyles lined up before he asked you to be a live-in. Why? Is something wrong? Has something happened?”
“I mean, beyond the interview, we really haven’t talked much,” I said.
“Jace keeps to himself. It’s normal.”
“But he asked me to the theater with him the night before I started.”
“Oh.”
“Oh… what?” I asked.
“Like, did he give you a ticket in case you wanted to go to the show?”
“No, Emma. He took me. As in, I got into a dress, he offered me his arm, and he took me.”
“Oh shit. You two went out on a date.”
“So that’s what happened. A date,” I said.
“Did you not know you were on a date?” she asked with a giggle.
“I sort of got that impression when he took my hand during the show.”
“He did not. Catherine, Jace hasn’t expressed any sort of interest in women since his divorce two years ago.”
“That isn’t all,” I said.
“Holy shit, did you sleep with him?”
“No. Jes-... no, Emma. I didn’t. I’m not you.”
“Thanks, jerk.”
“Not what I meant. I just…”
I sighed and put my head in my hands.
“What happened, Catherine? You can tell me. Lord knows I’ll understand.”
“We shared this moment on his porch. I mean, we were so close to kissing. And I wanted to kiss him. I really did. His hand was on my cheek and his body was pressed against mine. It’s been so long since I’d felt that beautiful and wanted.”
“Then why didn’t you kiss him?” she asked.
“His daughter started laughing from behind the door and it just… sobered the moment. The rational part of me kicked in immediately. How it wouldn’t be good for the kids. Confusing for them. Bad for me, since I was just employed by him.”
“Yep. I know that dance. Are things awkward between you two now?”
“Not really. But I don’t see him much. He’s working a lot of late hours and he’s usually gone before the kids and I get up in the morning.”
“Is he paying you well at least?” she asked.
“More money than he needs to be giving me, that’s for sure,” I said.
“Are you just wanting to vent? Or are you wanting my advice?”
“A little of both, I guess
?”
“Do you like Jace?”
“I think he’s a good guy, yeah.”
“Of course he’s a good guy. But do you like him?”
“I don’t know. I don’t really know him.”
“Would you like to get to know him?” Emma asked.
I leaned back into my chair and sat on my hands.
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, I’d like to get to know him.”
“As more than a boss?”
“Yes,” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“Then take it from me. I’m the example of what not to do in this situation. If you want to get to know the man, then do it. If you have feelings, play into them. Don’t dance around it like I did with Ryan. I almost destroyed things that way.”
“So this isn’t a bad thing?” I asked.
“No, Catherine. It’s really not. I’m not saying it could be something permanent. But I am saying it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you this worried over what a guy thinks about you. I think you should go for it, personally. You were the one who pushed me initially to be with Ryan before you started warning me about his reputation and freaked me the hell out.”
“I still feel like shit about that.”
“Don’t. You were being a very good friend. You were being someone who had my best interests at heart. Which is what I’m trying to do now. Jace isn’t without his faults. He’s a bonafide workaholic who has baggage from a prior marriage that’ll never go away. But he’s a good guy. Just like Ryan is.”
“I guess so,” I said.
“Ryan was the best decision I ever made, Catherine. So if you want a shot at Jace, then go for it. You’re worth it. You’re worth his time. And I think he’s worth yours.”
“Then maybe I’ll give it a shot,” I said.
The two of us finished lunch and I got a coffee to-go. I hugged Emma tightly because I wasn’t sure when I would be seeing her again. Once I began implementing some of the things I wanted to do around the house with the kids, I would get very busy very quickly. The boys were already talking about wanting to try sports and Michaela was quickly blossoming into an outside kid. Running around in the backyard and asking to hook up a hose so we can play in the water.
I had so many things to run by Jace, so I wanted to make sure I caught him this weekend to talk about everything.
“You keep in touch now, okay? I know how busy you’ll get with the kids, so make text messaging and nighttime phone calls a thing,” Emma said.
“I will I promise. And maybe once things settle down with the kids, I could talk Jace into you and Ryan coming over with the kids one day,” I said.
“So many children in one place,” she said with a groan.
“But at Jace’s, the kids have forty-two acres to run on instead of around our bodies.”
“You provide the place and I’ll bring the wine,” she said.
“Sounds perfect.”
Nine
Jace
“Daddy! Come get me!”
“You can’t catch me!”
“No, Daddy! That tickles!”
“Can we turn on the sprinkler?”
“Kick it harder, Daddy!”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, guys.”
I hugged my kids close as we all dripped in sweat. I loved Saturdays with my children. We went on hikes around the property and played tag in the backyard. Sometimes we would go explore the woods and learn about the bugs and animals around us. Ivan was a bug nut. I had to read up on them just so I could explain new ones to him whenever they came around. And usually, I had to pull out my phone and look it up anyway. Michaela was always full of energy. Always wanting to play tag and get out the sprinkler.
I had plans to put in an in-ground pool in the backyard pretty soon so she would have somewhere to swim.
And Dmitri loved wrestling. We’d roll around in the grass and get positively covered in stains. By the time I was done teaching him the wrestling moves I learned in high school and college, he was trying to pin his brother to the grass. Of which Michaela would always come to the rescue.
And by rescue, I meant…
“Doggie pile!”
I fell down onto the ground and shielded myself from the oncoming storm. Ivan and Dmitri and Michaela flopped down onto me and the four of us began to laugh. Saturdays with my children were paramount. Unless there was an emergency at the theater or I was out of town, nothing ever came in between my weekends with them. Saturdays were for playing and running around and get absolutely drenched in sweat, then Sundays were for relaxing. Taking naps. Eating junk food and watching movie marathons.
I’d practically memorized every single Disney movie on the market.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, so I sat up. I told the kids to go spray each other down with the hose before we all went inside for lunch. They were covered in grass and dirt, and the last thing I wanted was them tracking it all into the house.
Especially after Catherine had cleaned the entire place down the other day.
“Hello?” I asked.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Logan-”
“Is something wrong with the theater?”
That was the only reason I could think of that my secretary, who didn’t even work weekends, would be calling me.
“No, sir. It’s Anya,” he said.
“What about her?” I asked.
“I’m watching the news right now, and she’s apparently given an interview to one of the paparazzi about wanting the kids back.”
“What?” I asked.
I stood to my feet and quickly brushed myself off.
“Yes, sir. And she looks pretty doped up in the interview as well. It’s already made national rounds. I wanted to let you know in case people start hounding you for another quote.”
“I appreciate the phone call. I should make you my publicist. She hasn’t called me about any of this stuff yet,” I said.
“Because she’s out of town, sir. Remember? She got married last week?”
Holy shit. I forgot about that.
“Do me a favor, and I’ll pay you overtime for it.”
“I already sent your wedding gift out. I’m sure she’ll love the honeymoon you sent them on,” he said.
“What am I going to do without you once you graduate?” I asked.
“Hire me full-time?”
“Trust me. I’m considering it if it’ll keep you in town. In the meantime, don’t answer any questions or make any comments about-”
A movement at the corner of the house caught my eye. A shadow looming in a place where a shadow didn’t need to be. The kids were yelling and laughing behind me and my secretary was rattling off in my ear if he could still be heard.
Then, she emerged.
Anya.
“I’ll have to call you back,” I said.
“Mr. Logan, is everythi-”
I hung up the phone call and slipped my phone into my pocket. My eyes connected with hers as she slowly approached me. She was thin. Haggard. A skeleton of the woman I used to love. Her walk was slow and her eyes were heavy with bags. Her cheekbones were hollowed out and her skin looked almost gray in the shadows of the house that were cast over the backyard.
“Kids!” I exclaimed. “Get inside.”
“Why, Daddy?”
“Just do it,” I said.
Her eyes fell behind me and I saw Anya pick up the pace. I took a few steps back and ran straight into Michaela, and I could tell she was on the verge of tears. The boys were wide-eyed, staring behind me as I quickly shuffled them to the porch doors.
“Go into the bathroom and clean up,” I said. “Ivan.”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Keep an eye on your sister. Be a big boy for me, okay? Just for a few minutes,” I said.
“Dad, what’s going on?” Dmitri asked.
“Nothing. We just have a visitor I didn’t expect. You guys go get cleaned up for lunch. Go. Now.”
I close
d the French doors and watched my children backtrack down the hallway. Then I turned around and came face-to-face with my ex-wife. Her teeth were yellowed out and her eyes looked unfocused. Glossy. And very bloodshot.
“You’re high,” I said.
“I want to see my kids,” Anya said.
“The agreement was that you could see them whenever you wanted when you got sober,” I said.
“I am sober.”
“You’re high right now.”
“No I’m not. I’m just on some pain medication because I hurt my back a few days ago.”
“You walked out of rehab after only two weeks. It was a two-month program, Anya.”
“You can’t keep my children away from me.”
“I’m not doing it. The court is. You are, by not obeying the one rule set forth for you,” I said.
“You better let me see my children. Or I’ll walk in there myself and see them. They’re my kids too, Jace. You had no right to take them from me!”
“Okay. That’s enough. We won’t be doing this here.”
“What are you doing? Let me go, Jace. Get your hands off me.”
I placed my hand on the small of her back and used my other hand to grab onto her elbow. I escorted her around the property, heading back to her car. How she drove it here was beyond me, and I figured if she drove it to my house she could get herself back. She tried fighting against me, but she was weak. I could barely feel the fight she was putting up even though sweat was glistening on her brow. She dug her heels into the grass and tried to push against me. She even tried throwing her damn head back into my nose.
It was easy to dodge though. Her movements were incredibly slow.
“Let me go, Jace. Get off me!”
“Get in your car and get out of here,” I said.
“Not until I see my children. It’s been almost two years. You can’t keep me from them any longer,” Anya said.
“I can, and I will. They don’t need to see you like this. You’re high. You’re a wreck. You’re so thin I can see the outline of the bones of your sternum, Anya. Are you even eating?”
“The fuck do you care for?”
“Because I was married to you once. Because you’re the mother of my children. Because I want you to get better so you can be a part of their lives,” I said.
“Then let me see them. I’m better than I used to be.”
7+Us Makes Nine: A Nanny Single Dad Romance (Baby Makes Three) Page 5
