Cross My Heart: A Waverley-Cay Novel

by Avery Maxwell

  For the next hour and a half, I go over salary, expectations, hours, and living arrangements while Lanie fills out paperwork for things like insurance and taxes. I give her a rundown of the kid's schedules, knowing honestly that she had them on a better routine in just a couple of hours than I’ve been able to do in the last year. When it seems like we have answered any questions either of us has, I glance at my phone and realize it's after 11:00.

  “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late. I didn’t give the girls any medicine,” I say to Lanie. “They will probably be up soon because of their teeth. Why don’t you give me your keys and I’ll run out to get your stuff so we can go to bed?”

  Damn if I didn’t like the blush that crossed both her cheeks and ran down her neck.

  “Um, yeah, it’s fine though, I can get my stuff. Like I said, there isn’t much.” She jumps out of her chair and gets her keys. “I probably should have checked with you first, but I did give the girls their medicine after their bath. I hope that’s alright?”

  I shake my head and smile, I’ve noticed I do that a lot around her. “Of course, you did. Thank you, Lanie, but I insist, give me your keys.”

  “You’re welcome, Dex,” she replies sweetly.

  I’m beginning to like the sound of my name on those sexy lips way too much. I head out to Lanie’s car and grab what she said she would need. I can’t help but look around; she wasn’t kidding. She doesn’t have much in here, and it bothers me. Then again, most things bother me much more than they should where she is concerned.

  She graduated second in her class. If it weren’t for the monster that cut her up and left her for dead, she would probably be on a much different path right now. I shouldn’t feel this protective of her. I barely know her, yet I feel like she could know me better than anyone ever has.

  I’ve got to get to London. My head is a mess.

  I walk in with Lanie’s measly belongings and set out to find her. She is standing at the back door peering out at the guest house with a worried expression. Is she scared to go out there? Something is telling me to keep her in the house, so I think quickly.

  “So, I was thinking…” I start, “I know I said that you’d be living in the guest house. That is still all yours, but I was thinking since I’ll be heading to London soon and you need to spend as much time learning with the kids as possible," I pause, trying to read her. "Well, while I’m still here, maybe you should just stay in the guest room for now. I’d prefer you to stay in the main house when I’m away. I want you to be close to the kids. I can put your stuff in the guest house when I return if you would be more comfortable.”

  I have barely finished speaking before she replies, “The guest room would be great. Thank you.”

  I nod and turn her towards the stairs. Reaching the top, I start to guide her to the room at the end of the hall. Then I stop short and head the other direction, mumbling a half-assed apology along the way. “Sorry, I must be more tired than I thought. Your room will be down here.”

  I walk her to the room next to the master. I’m playing with fire here. I know it, but I can’t help the instinct I have to keep her close.

  She can only be the nanny, nothing else. She is here for the kids, and they seem to love her. Do not fuck this up, Cross.

  Opening the door to the guest room, I usher her inside. Suddenly, I’m incredibly grateful the guys had helped me unpack a few things, the guest rooms being one of them. There is nothing special to this bedroom, it’s just standard and dull. I wish now that I had thought to add a few personal touches, or at least have someone else do it for her. She deserves better than ordinary.

  The walls are a light color; I’m not sure what. There are deep green drapes that cover the ceiling to floor windows. The bedding is all white with accents the color of the curtains. The only luxurious thing in here is the carpet I’m walking across. Fixing her room will have to be a priority. I make a mental note to call Molly tomorrow.

  The voice in my head is questioning, why would you do that, Cross? She isn’t staying here permanently. I decide to ignore that voice this time.

  Feeling slightly embarrassed, I cross the spacious room and open the door to the attached en suite.

  “You have a private bathroom, and I hope you have towels in here?” I check the cabinets. “The guys started helping me unpack a few days ago. While I love them, I wouldn’t say any of them are experts in hospitality. Settle in, look around, and make a list of anything you might need. I will run out to get whatever you need tomorrow after my meeting.”

  I turn to walk across her room toward the hallway but stop myself. “If there is anything else you want to change about the room to suit your needs, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

  “Um, yeay. I don’t need much. I’m sure whatever is in there is fine. Plus, the room is lovely, but thank you.”

  Her response rankles me. I must be overtired because I take a slow step towards her. Then another, “Lanie, you’re going to be living here. You will need things. I will be the one to provide them. Is that clear?”

  Her face goes ashen, then bright red. Her eyes narrow on me and I know she is pissed. Good, pissed off is better than whatever the fuck has been happening in the last few hours.

  “Mr. Dexter Cross,” she starts. “I appreciate the offer, but as I have said before, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and will continue to do so.”

  “Ms. Lanie Heart,” I mimic her body language. God, why do we revert to full names when we are angry, or pushing buttons, maybe that’s what we are doing. “I am not going to fight with you. Make a list, or I will buy out the drug store to stock your bathroom.”

  Before she can say another word, I pivot and head out the door. “Goodnight, Lanie.”

  Quickly shutting the door behind me, I take long strides to my room with a hard-on. Out of habit, I leave my door open to listen for the kids, and now for Lanie. Maybe having her share a wall with me wasn’t my brightest idea, but it’s too late now.

  After changing and brushing my teeth, I climb into my bed yet lie there wide awake. It’s now been at least two hours since I left Lanie’s room. Her door is cracked open and her light is on. Not that I’m watching her room or anything.

  Why the hell is she still awake? Maybe I should check on her? No, that would be weird. She has told me multiple times now that she can take care of herself. Great, I groan...now I’m talking to myself.

  I roll over and try to put the thoughts of the pretty blonde next door out of my head and end up tossing and turning the rest of the night.

  Lanie

  Chapter 9

  I roll over and stretch. Yawning, I realize I slept well, so well, that it takes me a minute to remember where I am. Dexter Cross’s house. I glance over to the nightstand to grab my phone when I hear it again, the sound that must have woken me.

  I sit up, it sounds like the song I sang to Tate last night. I peek at the clock, eesh, it's early, 6 am, but I’m wide awake now.

  Sliding out of bed, I creep out into the hallway. To my left, I see Dexter’s door wide open. Okay, I might be drooling slightly. He is asleep on his stomach; the sheet pooled around his waist, which is such a shame. No, no, don’t think like that, you idiot.

  I sneak over and very quietly close his door. I’m up and he must be exhausted, so I let him sleep while I search for the source of all the singing and babbling echoing through the otherwise quiet house.

  Across the hall, I find Tate on the floor with his back to me and his two little sisters lying in his lap, looking at books. The room is decorated with little ballerinas. There is so much pink, it's hard to not think of Pepto-Bismol. I hear it again.

  “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...”

  It’s so quiet, I wonder how I could have possibly heard it from my room. One of the girls lifts her head and sees me, I think it's Sara. I can’t help but wonder what their mother looks like. They all look so much like Dex. He must have some strong little swimm
ers. I groan, stop thinking like that! I scold myself. I want to slap my forehead, but Tate turns around, offering me a small smile.

  “Don’t stop on my account. I love that you are so good with your sisters,” I smile at him.

  Tate smiles in return but doesn’t continue singing.

  “How come you didn’t get your dad or me when you woke up?”

  He studies me for a minute and just shrugs, so I take a guess.

  “Were you trying to help, maybe give your dad a little more sleep?”

  Tate doesn’t look up at me, he just nods his head. Okay, I can work with this.

  “That is so sweet of you, buddy. I want you to know while I’m here, you can always come to me; I won’t ever get mad at you for needing something. Would you mind if I gave you a hand?”

  His eyes tear up, but he shakes his head.

  I wonder what I said that upset him. “How about if I carry the girls downstairs? I can get you guys some breakfast while your dad sleeps. You can even help me cook!”

  He peeks up at me and smiles. I have the urge to reach over and hug him, so I do. He stiffens for just a moment but then hugs me back. I feel like it’s my win for the day.

  “Okay, buddy, let's head to the kitchen.” I settle Sara on my left and Harper on my right before following Tate down the stairs to the kitchen. I then stick each of the girls in their highchairs, they stare right at each other and start crying.

  Oh boy! Think, Lanes.

  “Hey, Tate, do you know if your dad has any of those baby carriers around? You know, the ones that make you look sort of like a kangaroo?”

  He jumps to attention, already opening a closet door.

  I’m floored by what I see. It seems like someone bought out the entire baby section on Amazon. It’s all brand new. What the hell?

  “Thanks, bubs” I start digging around and find what I’m searching for, a Baby Bjorn and a Baby Ergo. I pump my fist and yell, “score!”, causing Tate to giggle. Even the girls have quieted for a minute. I get to work putting on the Bjorn first on my front then the Ergo on my back. I can do this.

  Since Sara is heavier and seems less fussy, I put her on my back and start to sway. Harper has started crying again, so I grab her, sliding her into the Bjorn on my front. For once, I am thankful I’m not a small woman. Once I’m satisfied they are both secure, I twirl around for Tate. He smiles, and the girls giggle. We are ready to get to work.

  “Hummm, Mr. Tate, what do you like for breakfast?”

  He walks to the pantry and pulls out some frosted pastries, and I frown.

  “Is that what you normally have for breakfast?”

  He looks down and nods.

  I don’t want him to feel bad, so I put a smile on my face and crouch down the best I can while wearing two babies. “Hmmm, those are okay sometimes, but there’s not much you can do to help cook those. How do you feel about pancakes?”

  When he raises his head and grins, I know I’ve got him.

  “Perfect, let’s get started, but first, we need some music!”

  He raises his eyebrows, so much like his dad, and I feel a smile take over my whole face. I quickly glance around for a speaker but realize I don’t know the passwords to sync up even if I found one. I just pull out my phone and open iTunes, searching for a PG playlist. When I find what I’m looking for, I press play.

  “Tate...can you find me a mixing bowl? I’ll get all our ingredients ready,” I ask him, swaying to the music.

  I peek over my shoulder and Sara smiles. She is so sweet. I look down at my chest, where Harper is fast asleep. This just feels right. I need to call Jules later and let her know how it’s going.

  “Hmm, this is a little trickier than I thought it would be with the four extra arms and legs I have sticking out of me,” I tell Tate.

  Just as I turn, Sara grabs the bowl before I can stop her, resulting in Tate, the girls, and myself getting covered in flour. I just shrug, “Oh well, let's just scoop the flour from the counter back into the bowl.”

  Tate seems slightly suspicious but follows my lead, doing our best to keep grabby fingers away from our breakfast.

  “Here, buddy, you pour the milk, then you can mix. I hand him a whisk. I’m using mine as a microphone while I dance and sing around the kitchen. Every once in a while, I grab Tate’s little hands and get him to move around with me. I think he finds me funny but hasn’t gone full dance mode yet. He’ll get there, I’m sure of it.

  While he is whisking. I turn to the stove. Covering Harper's legs with one arm to make sure they don’t reach the burner, I set the flame on low to heat the pan.

  When Uptown Funk comes on, I turn to Tate with a grin.

  He shakes his head like he knows he is in trouble, and I reach for his hand. With Sarah giggling behind me, and Harper still fast asleep, Tate and I swing and shimmy all over the kitchen.

  Halfway through the song, Tate bursts out into a belly laugh, and I crumble beside him. It’s now my mission in life to make him laugh like that.

  Dex

  Chapter 10

  I wake up slowly, stretching my arms above my head and roll over. I slept really well, better than I have in a long time. Reaching over to grab my phone, I find that it is already after 7:00.

  Shit!

  I sit up to find my door is closed and frown. I always leave my door open so I can hear the kids. I jump out of bed and run to the hallway. The kid's doors are all open, as is Lanie’s. After a quick peek inside each one, I realize they are all empty. I can’t help the panic that starts until I hear the music.

  I rush to the stairs and around the corner. I’m following the sounds of Uptown Funk and laughing but come to an abrupt halt in the doorway of my kitchen. I rub my eyes, trying to make sense of what I’m witnessing. Lanie has on very short sleep shorts, although I can’t see anything else because she has Sara strapped to her back and a sleeping Harper on her front. Her left hand is holding Tate’s with their other hands clinging to the whisks which they are singing the lyrics into.

  Lanie swirls them around, and Sara is belly laughing. Tate seems like the little boy he used to be. Happy, smiling, and carefree. My heart hurts for him. I lean against the doorframe and watch Lanie shimmy her ass in time to the music, and fuck, if all the blood in my body doesn’t rush south.

  As the song ends, Tate spots me and gives me a wide grin and a little wave. Lanie twirls around to follow his line of sight, still slightly dancing—if you can call it dancing. She stops short, right leg lifted somewhat with the whisk to her mouth. Ha, this time I caught her with her mouth hanging open.

  I take quick steps towards her. With my fingers on her chin, I close her mouth with a massive grin on my face, “Morning, Lanie.”

  She swallows visibly, looking embarrassed to have been caught in her version of a dance-off. Then she scans me from head to toe. I realize I’m not wearing a shirt or pants. In one horrifying moment, the situation becomes clear. I am standing a foot away from her in nothing but black boxer briefs and a raging hard-on. Jesus.

  Now it’s her turn to smirk. There is no way she didn’t notice. Lanie stares at my junk for just a minute too long to be polite.

  “Morning, Dex.” She says it with a laugh to her voice. “Ah, it looks like you’re having a hard morning,” she winks at me, and I involuntarily groan. “We were letting you sleep because Tate thought you were tired. Breakfast is almost ready. Why don’t you go, ah…get dressed? Then you can join us? Tate made pancakes and bacon!”

  “Yeah. Sorry, I’m not used to someone else getting up with the kids. I thought I overslept. I panicked a little and just ran down here,” I explain, and she gives me a dimpled grin.

  “It’s fine. Hurry up before the food gets cold,” she yells over her shoulder.

  I look down at Harper then grab Lanie’s arm gently to turn her sideways so I can see Sara, who looks up at me with a chubby fist in her mouth and giggles. I then notice Lanie’s back is soaked, Sara must have been drooling all over her for quite so
me time. I rub Sara’s cheek and laugh.

  At least I’m not the only one drooling over the new nanny. I turn and head back to my room for a quick shower. Upstairs, I’m still hard as a fucking rock. Climbing into the shower, I set it as cold as I can handle it. No matter what I try to conjure up, my mind keeps wandering to Lanie. Her tempting round ass, her perfect sassy lips, and tits I want to suck. Fuck it. I give up and grab body wash in my hand and roughly rub it all over my cock. I close my eyes and brace myself against the tiled wall with one hand. Then I start to stroke, harder and faster while a montage of Lanie runs through my mind like a movie.

  Lanie dancing, those long, lean legs that were swaying side to side. I stroke faster. Her smart mouth, I can’t help but imagine devouring. Faster. Her god damn fingers closing my mouth, and I picture them on my cock. I feel my balls pull up and my spine stiffen as I shoot my load all over the shower.

  What. The. Fuck.

  I am panting and doubled over, I haven’t come that hard in years. Leaning against the shower door, I try to catch my breath. When I come to my senses, I smile and think about her smart mouth asking if I’ve had a hard morning. She thought she got the upper hand, and I admit, she did have me off balance for a while. But two can play at this game and fuck me if I give a shit that it could all blow up in my face.

  I took longer than I had planned to get back downstairs. I had to have my wits about me before dealing with Lanie again. By the time I return to the kitchen, she and the kids have finished eating.

  “We made a plate for you. It’s in the warming drawer.” Lanie says, never looking up.

  I take the plate and turn off the oven. Sitting at the table, I watch as Lanie plays a board game with Tate, still wearing the girls. Her hair is in some sort of messy bun on top of her head. She looks like there is pancake-batter on the side of her face and she is most definitely wearing a ton of flour. Still, she is beautiful. I smile to myself and tuck into my food, trying to eat quickly. As I finish and am in the process of putting my dishes in the dishwasher, I hear Lanie come up behind me with Tate and the girls.