The rest of the trip was made in comfortable silence. She thought of all the things she’d read on the Internet the night before about taking care of babies. The task ahead seemed impossible, and she’d almost called the guys a few times throughout the night to tell them to find someone more qualified. All she could think was what if she ended up doing more harm than good? The only thing that stopped her was the thought of holding that sweet baby in her arms again. She rationalized with herself all night and came to the conclusion that new moms did this all the time without any practice beforehand. They made it out okay, so why couldn’t she? She promised herself she would try for the guys and the baby. If she saw she couldn’t handle the situation, she would tell the guys so they could find someone else.
Nadia was so lost in thought she didn’t realize they had arrived at the house until she heard Greg’s door shut as he got out. He came around and opened her door for her before she even had her seatbelt unbuckled. Greg reached for her hand to help her down, and Nadia had to bite back a gasp at the jolt of electricity that shot through her palm. She looked up into Greg’s warm brown eyes and saw that he had felt it, too. He hadn’t stepped back when she slid out, so she was standing pressed against his front. She could feel the warmth of his body heat and firm muscles pressed against her. She wanted to lean in and rub herself against him and purr like a kitten. The man was gorgeous from his thick dark hair down to his lips. Most women would kill to have lips that pink so they would never have to wear lipstick again. Nadia wanted to lick and nibble on them. Maybe suck on that full bottom lip.
“Oh good, you made it,” she heard Steve yell as he opened the front door.
Nadia cleared her throat and moved away from Greg. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks when she saw Greg’s wicked grin as she turned away. She couldn’t help but think the man knew exactly what she was fantasizing about doing to him. And a fantasy was all it would ever be. There was no way Nadia would get involved with someone she worked for. If that were the case, she would have stayed with her slimy boss. Nadia shuddered just thinking about her ex-boss. She had to admit that, compared to him, it wouldn’t be a hardship to sleep with Greg to keep her job. Watching Steve as he made his way over to her in his ragged jeans and a T-shirt that was so thin and threadbare it was practically see through, Nadia realized she had to include him in the list of “Bosses that I would do.” Not that she was keeping track or anything.
Steve wasn’t as tall or as big as Greg. She’d noticed the other day he was the shortest of the three standing about five foot eleven. He was slender, but Nadia could see his muscular chest and stomach through his shirt. For a guy who sat at home in front of a computer all day, Steve was no slouch. He was also gorgeous with his messy platinum blond hair. Most guys had to work to achieve the just-rolled-out-of-bed look, but Nadia had a feeling this was natural for Steve. His ice-blue eyes just made her want to roll right into bed with him.
This is going to be harder than I thought. Nadia pushed away her thoughts of attacking both guys on the front lawn and followed them into the house. She grinned and groaned under her breath. The view from the back was just as nice as the front.
Jackson met them at the door and immediately placed Addison in her arms. He then kissed her on the cheek and left to help the other guys without saying a word. That simple kiss sent heat flowing through her body and straight to her core. Nadia couldn’t understand why the simple touches from these three men set her on fire. Normally she had a better handle on her feelings. Rather than drive herself crazy thinking about her attraction to all three guys, she decided to focus all her attention on Addison. That was the only way she was going to get through this situation.
The baby was still asleep, and Nadia considered that a good thing. No reason to show her lack of experience as soon as she’s arrived. She carried the baby over to the sofa and sat. She nuzzled the soft fuzzy red hair sprouting out of Addison’s head and took a deep breath. She loved that fresh baby smell, a cross between baby powder and baby shampoo. The guys had obviously been taking great care of her. She didn’t understand what they needed her for, but she was grateful they were giving her a chance. Nadia propped her arm against a few pillows to help support the baby and settled down to watch Addison sleep.
* * * *
Jackson stood by the sofa and stared down at Nadia sleeping with Addison wrapped in her arms. He didn’t know anything about their new nanny other than the facts that Steve had pulled from her background check. He did know she came from a wealthy, influential family. He wondered why she was out on her own living the way she did. From what Greg had told him about her apartment and their encounter with her landlord, Jackson had to wonder if maybe she’d had a falling out with her parents. Her story was hers to tell, so he and his two roommates decided not to pry deeper into her background. Steve would have been able to find everything out about her. He was that good, but they felt it was an invasion of her privacy. Jackson felt that as long as there was nothing in her past that questioned her ability to take care of his niece then she was okay with him.
Watching Nadia sleeping and how she wrapped herself protectively around the baby to make sure she didn’t fall off the couch helped Jackson breathe a little easier. He knew she had just arrived, but so far, it seemed like everything was going to work out. He still felt the pain in his chest when he thought of his sister and what she’d gone through. It wasn’t fair that she would never hold her daughter in her arms. She would never see that her daughter was going to have fiery red hair with her mother’s beautiful green eyes. Thinking about the baby’s red hair made Jackson think about Addison’s father. He and his sister Sarah both had dark, almost black, hair, so that meant Addison had inherited her hair color from her father. Based on the letter that Sarah had left him, Jackson was glad the man was not involved in the baby’s life. Whoever this guy was, he was bad news. Sarah had hidden her pregnancy from him so he knew nothing about the baby. Jackson wished he could track the guy down and hurt him the way he’d hurt his sister, but unfortunately Sarah had never mentioned his name or where to find him in her letter.
Jackson felt his fists clenching and forced himself to relax. Thinking about things he had no way of changing was pointless. He had to admit it did feel good to finally know his sister had never truly left him. Sarah would never know how much that letter meant to him. He had read it so many times since he received it that he had it memorized. The letter had become so worn from him carrying it around with him so much that he’d had to tuck it safely in his drawer for fear he would tear it. It didn’t matter. He could see the letter in his mind:
Dear Jackson,
Hey, little brother. I’m sure you probably hate me, and I am the last person you probably want to hear from right now. Let me start off by saying I’m sorry. I know those words probably mean nothing to you at this point, but I still have to say them.
Leaving you was one of my biggest regrets. All I can say is I was young and stupid and thought I was in love. By the time I realized I had made a huge mistake, it was too late. My pride and the last words that I said to our parents when I left kept me from coming home. I want you to know I never truly left you though. I was always watching from afar. Your high school graduation, college graduation. I am proud of the man that you have become.
Anyway, enough of that. If you are reading this, then something has happened to me. I know it sucks that I am not telling you all of this in person, but at least I had enough sense to write it down on paper. That has to count for something, right? I have no right to ask you, but you are the only person that I can trust. I need you to take care of my baby. PLEASE. I know you can give her the love and care she deserves. I want you to teach my baby those same values I have seen in you.
When the baby is old enough, will you tell her that I loved her even before I ever saw her? I want her to know that she was the best thing that ever happened to me. I have regretted a lot of things in my life but she was never one of them. Let her know I’
m sorry I will miss out on a lot of important milestones in her life, but she has you, and I know you will be there for her.
I’m not trying to guilt you into this, and I want you to think long and hard before you accept. This is a huge responsibility for anyone. If you decide you can’t handle it, I will understand. All I ask is that you make sure she goes to a good home and has the love and care she deserves. You are probably wondering where her father is. He is not a good man. He knows nothing about the baby, and I went through a lot of trouble to keep it that way. You should have no problems from him, but if he ever finds out about her, I beg you, please do all that you can to keep him from her. She deserves better than him. If you don’t do anything else that I ask in this letter, please do this. Keep him away from her.
Again, I know I have no right to ask you any of this, and I am sorry I put you in this situation. Hopefully, everything will turn out all right and you will never see this letter, but I had to cover all my bases. Anyway, know that I love you and let the baby know I love her with all my heart.
Love,
Sarah
Jackson finally had an explanation from his sister about why she had left all those years ago, and now, he had Addison. He was determined to make the best of what he had.
Nadia stirred and opened those golden brown eyes. She looked directly at him, and Jackson couldn’t make himself turn away. Both Steve and Greg had talked about how gorgeous she was and how much they were attracted to her and now Jackson was able to see what they were talking about. Nadia was beautiful with her long hair and classic features. She smiled at him then, and her whole face lit up. Jackson wanted to kiss her at that moment. He had never had that instant attraction to a girl like he did with Nadia. Unfortunately, both of his best friends were attracted to her as well, so that meant she was off limits. Rather than ruin their friendship, they had made a pact early on that, if more than one of them was attracted to the same girl, they would all stay away from her. Seeing as how they would all rather stay in on a Friday night instead of going out and actually meet women, that was not a hard pact to follow. It was going to be hard staying away from Nadia though, since she was going to be living with them, but it was something they were just going to have to do.
“Sorry I fell asleep. I must have been more tired than I thought.”
“It’s no problem. We want you to make yourself as comfortable as possible. This is your home now, too, so if you want to take a nap on the couch then go right ahead,” Jackson told her. He didn’t say he’d wished he could curl up behind her and take a nap with her and Addison as well. No need to run her off before she got moved in.
Jackson pointed to the baby, who had been lying there staring up at Nadia. “It looks like you have another admirer.”
Nadia frowned as if she wanted to say “Another?”, but she didn’t say anything. She looked down at the baby and began talking to her in a low voice. Jackson wasn’t able to hear what she was saying, but it looked like she had Addison’s undivided attention. He decided to leave them to it and headed to the kitchen to fix them some lunch.
While Greg and Steve were gone to get the last of her belongings, Jackson decided to use the alone time to get to know Nadia a little better. If she planned on helping take care of his niece, he wanted to know everything possible. He knew they were doing things backward by hiring her before getting to know her, but they were desperate. In the few days since he and the guys had brought Addison home from the hospital, they had suffered through exploding diapers, huge amounts of spit-up, and major slobber. Who knew something so small could make such huge messes? Jackson wasn’t complaining though. He loved his niece with all his heart. Addison had quickly wrapped him around her tiny fingers. He smiled at the thought as he put together a few sandwiches for lunch.
The smell preceded Nadia as she came into the kitchen a few minutes later. Jackson noticed the grimace on her face and the way she held her arm away from her body. He laughed when he saw the dirty diaper and grabbed it from her.
“These immediately go outside. We learned that lesson the hard way. Believe me. The smell only gets worse the longer they sit.”
“I don’t think I have ever smelled anything as bad as that,” Nadia said, pointing to the offending diaper. “Not being mean or anything, but is she supposed to smell like that? Is that normal? Nothing I read online prepared me for that.”
Jackson zeroed in on Nadia’s statement about her reading online but decided to ignore it for the time being. So far she was being great with the baby, and that’s exactly what they needed. He decided to watch her closely for a while to make sure everything was working out.
“Trust me. We have the doctor on speed dial.” The doctor had practically threatened them with bodily harm if they woke him up at home again. Good thing he was a friend.
Nadia laughed, and it had to be the sexiest sound he had ever heard. It was deep and sultry, and Jackson could imagine hearing it after an all-night lovemaking session. Her voice would be hoarse from all the moaning and screaming she would be doing. Too bad she was off limits. Jackson frowned as he tried to adjust his now-too-tight jeans. It wouldn’t help if Nadia saw just how much she affected him. He carried their lunch over to the table and sat.
“Where is Addison?”
“I changed her and laid her down in the crib. She didn’t cry so I assumed that was okay. I can go get her if you want,” Nadia said as she tried to rise from the table.
Jackson grabbed her hand to keep her from getting up. “No, calm down. It’s okay. I was just wondering where she was. That’s all. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Nadia seemed to deflate as the tension left her. Jackson had a feeling she was not as comfortable around the guys or Addison as she let on. This wasn’t going to work if she wasn’t going to be able to relax around them. He had a feeling Nadia was worried she was going to do something wrong.
“Look, honey,” Jackson sighed. He still hadn’t removed his hand from her arm and began to rub. “This is only going to work if you are comfortable around us. If you are going to be living here with us, then we don’t want you walking around on eggshells. I tell you what. Why don’t we order Chinese for dinner later, and we can all get to know each other.”
Nadia nodded. “I would really like that a lot.”
Jackson was relieved when she smiled and sat back. The way she made him want to take care of her and make her happy, although he’d just met her, was scary. He had a feeling she was going to become very important, not only in his life, but his two roommates’ as well. If they weren’t careful, Nadia Cassidy would have them wrapped around her little finger just like Addison had in no time.
Chapter 4
The sunlight streaming through the window woke Robert Hale out of blissful sleep. He wished he could turn over and go back to sleep, but the pain kept him awake. For the past two days, the only time he was pain free was when he was asleep. He blamed Sarah for everything that had happened to him. He couldn’t believe the bitch had disappeared on him. She had threatened to leave him many times over the years, and he had paid her no mind. She would always be there. She had nowhere else to go. Unfortunately, this time had been different. When he’d come home a month before, he was too drunk to notice most of her belongings gone. It took him almost a week of waiting to realize that she had actually done it. She had actually left him. Too bad he didn’t see it coming or he could have been able to do something about it. As it was, he had no idea how long she had even been gone.
Robert was in trouble now. He had been depending on Sarah’s paycheck to get him out of the bad situation he had gotten himself into. He figured Sarah would eventually come crawling back, so he didn’t even bother looking for her. He realized that was a mistake when a few of Mr. Porello’s bodyguards caught up with him a couple days ago. They had pretty much beaten the crap out of him and then given him two weeks to come up with the money he owed Mr. Porello. If he didn’t pay the ten grand he owed plus interest, they would take him to
meet Mr. Porello. From the stories Robert had heard, those that were lucky enough, or should he say unlucky, to ever earn a meeting with the mysterious man were never seen or heard from again. Robert had no doubt that, if it went that far, the man would kill him.
Lying in that filthy alley bleeding and in pain, Robert vowed there was no way he would ever meet Mr. Porello in person. He would find Sarah and make her pay. If she hadn’t left him, he could have used her paycheck to get the money. All he had to do was place a small bet at the tracks. He had received an inside tip, and the bet would have been a sure thing. He would have made enough money to pay Mr. Porello back and replace Sarah’s paycheck without her ever knowing he took it.
Robert groaned as he eased out of the bed and shuffled to the bathroom. His life had come down to two weeks, and two days of that he had lost to being stuck in the bed in pain. He had to get up and get moving if he wanted to track Sarah down. The sad thing about the whole situation was that he would have won if he had been able to place that bet. The tip he’d received turned out to be true, and he would have had all the money he needed. This was all Sarah’s fault. When he found her, he was going to show her how it felt to be beaten for no damn reason.
After showering and getting clothes on, Robert left the house. He went to Sarah’s job at the restaurant first. The last time he’d seen her, she was leaving for work, so he figured this was the best place to start. Once he arrived, Robert walked up to a cute young waitress he saw working.
“Hi, miss, I was looking for Sarah. I was supposed to meet her here twenty minutes ago, but I am running a few minutes late.”
The waitress looked him up and down and frowned. His black eye and bruises on his face probably contradicted the black Armani suit he was wearing. He normally didn’t dress like this, but he had bought the suit on a whim with his track winnings a while back. He sometimes wore it to the track when he wanted to look big. He noticed that when the track workers saw the suit, they saw VIP and dollar signs. They went out of their way to treat him like royalty to get him to spend the money they thought he had. Now he wore it because he figured he would get people to answer his questions a lot easier if he looked important rather than a street thug. Evidently he passed the waitress’s test because she smiled and led him to the back.
Davis, Keyonna - Midnight Call (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 4
