“I’ll be a junior and Hope’s gonna be a senior.”
“Oh, that’s fun.”
“I guess.”
Sloan stroked Avery’s hair. “These two have their first day of kindergarten next week.”
“Are you excited?” Gracie asked.
“Yes,” Avery said quietly. Rafe almost laughed.
“Well, we won’t tie you up any longer. I know Rafe wants to get settled in and I have to stop by the store. We don’t usually get involved with Rafe’s families, but make sure you get my number from him and you give me a call if you need anything.”
“I appreciate that and my mom will too,” Sloan replied.
“You’re always our babies,” Monica said as she winked at Sloan. “Let’s get going—”
“Actually,” Gracie chimed in. She paused, begging Monica for permission with a look. “I was hoping I could talk to Dr. Copeland about her career a little. But it doesn’t have to be now!”
“Of course. Unless you’re in a hurry.”
Monica waved her off. “No, we’re good, if we’re not taking up too much of your time.”
“Not at all. Here.” Sloan walked over to the fridge and pulled out some sparkling water, then grabbed some glasses. Rafe knew they were really about to settle in.
“Why don’t you all talk. Addison and Avery can show me where my room is again,” Rafe suggested.
“Yeah!” Addison said, wiggling out of Rafe’s grasp. He set her down and picked up his bag, before letting Addison drag him down the hall. “Don’t worry. We know that this is your room and we have to respect your privacy.”
The bedroom in the in-law suite was exactly the same as it had been the day before, but Rafe noticed a cute WELCOME sign sketched in crayon on the nightstand. “I appreciate that. Is this for me?” he asked the girls.
“Yes. I did the letters and Avery did the hearts and stars.”
“Hearts and stars are my favorite. I’m so good at them,” Addison said.
“I can see that. Next time we go to the craft store, I’ll pick up a frame so I can hold on to this. Thank you, girls.”
“You’re welcome.” Addison said, looking extra proud of herself. Avery was busy opening the dresser drawers.
“You can put your underwear up here,” she said.
Rafe smiled, tossing his bag on the bed. “Thanks, I will.”
“Is that really your mom?”
“She’s my step-mom. Do you know what that means?”
“She’s your other mom,” Addison said.
“Exactly. My first mom passed away when I was thirteen and then when I was fifteen, my dad met Monica and they got married.”
“And now she’s your step-mom.”
“Yes.”
“She’s like our grandma. Our mom’s mom.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Our dad’s mom is White like you.”
“Interesting.”
“We see White grandma on Thanksgiving and we see Black grandma on Christmas.” The youngest of the Bakers was nine. Rafe had forgotten how blunt six-year-olds were.
“I’m sure they miss you all year long.”
Rafe didn’t have much to put away, just his clothes and a few toiletries. He’d deal with the rest after the twins went to sleep. While he filled up the dresser, he let the girls ramble on about their family. He listened carefully, asking gentle follow-up questions. By the time he was done, he could tell that they felt a little adrift. He could relate. Starting school would be good for them. They’d make friends and start building more of their own little universe outside of Sloan and her ex.
“I’m all done,” he said. “Come on.”
“We have to stay home today, but you can help me finish my puzzle,” Addison said as they walked into the kitchen.
“I’m in. Let’s do it. But first, I have to check on something.” He lightly touched Sloan’s elbow. She was in the middle of telling Gracie about changes in undergrad requirements. When she turned to face him, he forced himself not to be affected by her smile.
“Hey.”
“Sorry to interrupt.”
“Not at all. What’s up?”
“The keys to the Tahoe? I just want to see how much gas is in it.”
“Oh god,” Gracie groaned.
“What?” Sloan asked.
“You will literally never run out of gas as long as he’s living with you. He and my dad, all the time, ‘You got enough gas? You need gas? Make sure you stop and get gas?’ It’s best not to fight it. He’s gonna make sure you got gas.”
“Good to know,” Sloan said with a snort as she walked to other side of the kitchen where four sets of keys were hanging on hooks. She handed him a Chevy key on a ring with a few other keys.
Rafe took them with a “thank you,” then shrugged. “Old habit. Top off the tank on Sunday. Nothing worse than hopping in the car Monday morning with cranky children and realizing you have to stop for gas.”
“Okay, that’s smart. Enjoy.”
“I will.” Rafe headed out to the garage and was hit by the stifling heat that was already building up in the oddly clean space. Sloan liked to keep things in order. Rafe walked around the back of Sloan’s Mercedes, pressing the automatic lock on the Tahoe. He opened the driver’s side door and was punched in the face by the worst fucking smell in his life. Something had died in that car and started to rot. He shook his head, then took another whiff. Definitely rotten fruit and something else. He took a quick look around, but could find anything. He was starting to sweat and even if he found the source of the foul as fuck stench, he needed to properly air the car out. He went back inside.
“Everything okay?” Sloan must have seen the look on his face.
“Yeah. There’s just something rotting in the Tahoe. I’m gonna take it to get detailed.”
“Oh gross. I’d say you don’t have to do that, but—”
“Better him than you,” Gracie said.
“Pretty much.”
“It’s why you pay me the big bucks. I’ll bring you a receipt.”
“Can we come?” Addison asked.
“Yeah! I wanna go.” Avery added.
“Next trip to the car wash, yeah. I think this smell is something you'll want to skip.”
Addison pouted. “But I wanna smell it.”
“I’ll be back. Feel free to show these two the door any time,” he said, gesturing between his step-mom and Gracie.
“Boy, if you don’t get lost,” Monica said, shooting him that look that let him know she was still the boss.
“No, I love having you ladies here. I still feel new to L.A.. It’s so nice to meet more people outside of the hospital.”
“Okay, well you keep this women’s bruncheon going. I’ll be back.” Rafe kissed Monica on the cheek and high fived his sister and the girls. He tried not to make it too weird by just offering Sloan a firm nod. Back out in the garage, he opened the garage door so he wouldn’t be trapped inside that funk coffin a moment longer than he had to be. When the door was all the way up, he took a deep breath, then climbed behind the wheel.
Three hours and two rotten bag lunches later, Rafe pulled back into Sloan’s driveway. Monica and Gracie had left about an hour before, according to the text Gracie sent him.
We bounced.
Sloan is so cool!
Marry her.
He sent back a gif of Danny DeVito shaking his head no. Gracie replied with a few laughing emojis. The smell was gone, but Rafe knew that stench would haunt his nostrils for years to come. He was exhausted after sitting outside in the pounding heat. Even under the shaded waiting area at the car wash, he’d started to sweat. Blasting the AC helped cool him down and circulate the strong new car smell coming from the air freshers, but he was still a little worn out. He took a few seconds to shift gears before walking back into the house.
“It’s me,” he called out. He found Sloan and the girls cuddled up together on the couch, watching Moana. He’d spent over a decade of Sund
ays coming home to find the parents and kids he worked for going about their afternoons and evenings, but something about this felt different. He knew what it was, but he decided to ignore what it meant and how ridiculous it made him sound.
“How’d it go?” she asked.
“Good. Your car smells springtime fresh.”
“Did you find out what it was?”
“Two sandwiches that I think contained a type of lunch meat and two rotten oranges.”
“What the—didn’t I make you guys turkey sandwiches last Monday? For your trip to the beach?”
“Yeah…” Avery sounded real damn guilty.
“Tess wanted Tito’s for lunch, but she told us not to tell you,” Addison said.
“Did you hide your sandwiches under the seat?”
“Yeah…”
“One under the seat and one tucked up in the backseat. Center cup holders,” Rafe added. It was ingenious really, how one of them had perfectly arranged the bag lunch so the orange fit in the cup hole. Finding that was an extra fun surprise.
Sloan squeezed her eyes shut and let out a deep breath. “Okay.”
“Are you mad?” Addison asked.
“I am upset with Tess. Not with you. It’s okay. But from now on, please don’t leave any food in the car if you can remember, okay?” She glanced at Rafe like she knew it was a pipe dream, but she at least had to try.
“I will remember,” Avery replied, her attention already back on the screen. Rafe made a note to check the car every night, just in case.
“Can we work on my puzzle now?” Addison asked. She was also ready to move on.
“Absolutely. Let me just go change my shirt.”
“You’re not technically on. You still have some time to yourself,” Sloan reminded him.
“I know, but I’m also in the mood for a good puzzle.”
“Okay.” He was going to dream about the way her plump lips turned up at the corner. He changed quickly, then joined Addison at her little aqua blue coloring table. It took her an hour to finish the puzzle, but Rafe liked to think he offered just the right amount of guidance.
Their relatively easy morning melted down into one hell of an afternoon. Sloan tried to save Rafe.
“Sunday is also wash day,” she explained after she instructed the girls to go get ready for their bath. “I wash and detangle their hair, and they both do their level best to murder me. I will never ask you to participate in this process.”
“You sure? Two sets of hands are better than one.” Rafe wasn’t a pro, but he’d been an amateur stylist since he could convince Hope to sit still.
“I’m sure, and this should be your day off. I used to do it while Tess was out so she wouldn’t witness three mental breakdowns and note my utter failure as a parent.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
“Oh, you just wait. No matter how bad the screams get, don’t call the cops.”
That made him laugh. “I won’t.”
“Okay.” Sloan stood and pretended to crack her neck. Rafe tried not to notice the way her tits jiggled in that top. “I’m going in. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck.”
“Oh, we order in on wash day. Always. I wrestle two small children. Or I cook. My sanity can’t handle both. And it’s your day off, so you’re not cooking either.”
“If only Postmates could send someone to wash their hair.”
“Now you’re on to something.” She shot him the winky gun finger then headed upstairs.
Three hours and two temper tantrums later, Rafe had to admit that Sloan had been completely right. Addison and Avery hated having their hair washed and they wanted the whole neighborhood to know it. He tried to sit by and ignore the commotion, but a naked six-year-old came streaking down the stairs with shampoo in her eyes and hid in the pantry. Before Rafe could even process what happened, Sloan calmly came downstairs with a towel.
“Which way did she go?”
“Pantry.”
There was a one-sided argument about what constitutes child abuse, but in the end the mad streaker, who turned out to be Addison, could be convinced that letting her mom wash the soap out of her eyes was better than auditioning for Naked and Afraid in the kitchen.
After parts one through three of the process were complete, Sloan caved and let Rafe braid Addison’s hair. It didn’t look as good as the style she executed on Avery’s hair, but Addison took the opportunity to let them all know that at least Rafe didn’t try to rip all her hair out of her head. Sloan handled the slight with a roll of her eyes, but he knew it hurt a bit.
By the time bedtime rolled around, all warring sides had waved their white flags, the girls were exhausted and they decided they loved Sloan again enough to let her put them to bed. Rafe had to commend Sloan. Four kids were a handful, but there was an advantage to having a spread in ages. Twins were something else. Twins as smart at Addison and Avery were a force of nature. Rafe definitely had his work cut out for him.
Rafe said his goodnights and then joined Sloan down in the kitchen. She handed over their library card, showed him where she kept the family tablet and gave him the password, laid out the clear rules for its use and the penalties for not following the tablet rules. Rafe readjusted the alerts on his phone to help him keep the girls on somewhat of a schedule. She gave him a rough outline for her week at the medical center and said she’d keep in touch if things changed. Rafe was fine was that. The cleaning crew came on Tuesdays. The landscaping crew and the man who cleaned the pool came on Thursdays. She’d send him reminders for that too.
“Any questions?”
“Any restriction on music?”
“I can’t stand that Kidz Bop shit. They love Duke Stone, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Little Mix. General, upbeat pop and R&B and you’re good. There’s this one K-pop song they cannot get enough of. Trust me, they will play it for you. I actually have a car playlist for them. I’ll airdrop it to your phone.”
“Okay.”
“Anything else?” Rafe was sure that if he thought a bit longer he’d come up with something, but Sloan looked pretty fucking done with the day.
“Nah. I think we’re good for now. Let’s call it a night.”
“Just what I wanted to hear. Now—” she clasped her hands in front of her chest. She’d changed into a different pair of yoga pants and a looser tee shirt after the battle royale, but her body still looked just as amazing. “I’m going to have, like, half a glass of wine and watch this horrible British dating show I’m obsessed with. You’re welcome to join me.”
“I think I’m going to hit the showers myself, actually. But I’ll catch you in the morning before you leave.”
“Okay.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” Rafe offered Sloan a tight smile as he tapped his knuckles on the counter. He almost made it out of the kitchen before Sloan said his name. When he turned back around he knew immediately that something was up. He knew the subtle change when exhausted adults found themselves in the glorious silence of a child-free room, but the look in Sloan’s eyes was filled with something else. Something more.
Or maybe that was just what he wished. That whatever this shift between them was, it was more than just two adults stealing a moment to speak as adults. But Rafe had already fucked up and said what he’d been thinking. Even though he wanted to cross the room and spread her out on the counter, make her forget all about the long day she’d had, he knew that would never happen. His dreams of a making Sloan scream with pleasure were between him and his hand.
“Yeah?”
She started to move toward him, but stopped halfway down the island. She suddenly wouldn’t look him in the eye and was very interested in the edge of pristine granite. “Um, about that thing yesterday.”
“What thing?”
“What you said, about me—”
“Yeah. Uh...what about it?”
“I...have never had anyone that I’m attracted to look after the girls.”
&
nbsp; Rafe opened his mouth to respond and then closed it. That was the last thing he’d expected her to say. His brain scrambled to catch up. He had to have heard her wrong. “Just to be clear. You are saying that we are attracted to each other.”
Sloan hesitated for a long moment before slowly turning her head to the side and then nodding in an even slower motion. “Yes…”
“Okay, well—”
“But! I was thinking that that doesn’t mean we need to do anything hasty. Right?”
“Right?” Rafe was so fucking confused.
“I mean, this weekend was all fun and pool parties and car washes. You haven’t seen me after I’ve been at the hospital for twenty hours. I can be unpleasant. And what if I find out you’ve got one of those mud flap girls tattooed on you somewhere,” she said as she looked at his arm.
“I promise you I don’t.”
“Well, I think we can just let that mutual attraction be what it is. And then we just see.”
“We just see?”
“Yeah. Let’s see if we even actually like each other. As friends.”
“What changed your mind? You seemed...I don’t know. You didn’t seem like you were entertaining even the idea of us being friends. For good reason,” he tacked on. “Someone needs to think about the children. I just didn’t expect this. What changed?”
“I had a...I did some thinking. I may have phoned a friend. And I can see now that this is an unusual situation. I could pretend that we can just do our thing during the day and have no-strings-attached sex any time we found ourselves alone.” Okay, that really caught him off guard. It was a miracle he kept his cool. His dick, on the other hand, woke right the fuck up. He swallowed and blinked at the same time, forcing himself to follow Sloan’s line of thinking as she went on.
“But I’m just not that girl. Not that there’s anything wrong with being that girl,” she said waving her hands to clarify. “I just—I like things—I just need a little more time. To be ready. For...I’m not sure what.”
“That makes complete sense.”
“And we just met.”
“That’s true.”
RAFE: A Buff Male Nanny (Loose Ends Book 1) Page 5
