by Sandi Lynn
“I need to set the table now, Lily. Can you take your homework to your room? Dinner will be ready soon.”
“Okay.” She smiled.
“I honestly didn’t expect you to cook dinner,” Stefan said as he took off his tie. “Your job ends when I get home.”
“It’s okay. I wanted to.”
“What are you making?” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
“Breaded chicken and homemade au gratin potatoes.”
“Damn. Seriously?” A grin crossed his face. “What’s that other smell? Like a fragrance or something.”
“When I was at the mall shopping for a new purse, I ran into bath & body and picked up some wallflowers and scents. No offense, but this house could use a little fragrance flowing through it.”
“Thank you. I agree.” The grin never left his face.
The sliding door opened, and Sam walked in.
“Hey, heads up. Dad and Celeste are making a surprise visit to your house tonight.”
“What?” Stefan asked. “He couldn’t tell me?”
“You know Dad. What is that smell?”
“Alex is cooking dinner.”
Sam looked around the kitchen and then pointed at me with a smile on his face.
“You clean up as you cook.”
“I do. Nobody feels like cleaning up a huge mess after they eat,” I said.
“Right? That’s what I keep trying to tell Julia but she’s not getting it.”
“Okay, you freak.” Stefan laughed. “Thanks for warning me about Dad.”
“Since when do you have wallflowers?” Sam’s brow raised at Stefan.
“Since today. Alex went to the store and bought them. She said the house could use a little fragrance flowing through it.”
“I like you, Alex. I really like you.”
“Thanks, Sam. I like you too.”
“Get the fuck out of here.” Stefan playfully punched his brother’s arm.
“Good luck with Dad. If you need back up, call me.”
Chapter 14
Stefan
“I need to warn you about my father,” I said as Alex opened the oven door and took out the chicken and potatoes.
“Okay. What about him?”
“He’s coming over here to check you out and possibly interrogate you.”
“Why would he do that?” Her brows furrowed.
“Because I told him I hired you and how we met. He’s worried about Lily.”
“That’s understandable. Don’t worry. I can handle whatever your father throws my way. Maybe I should go change.”
“You look great as you are,” I spoke as I stared into her beautiful eyes.
A light smile crossed her lips before she quickly turned away from me and transferred the chicken from the pan to a serving plate.
“Can you tell Lily dinner is ready.”
“Of course.”
I walked up to Lily’s bedroom and opened the door.
“Dinner is ready, baby girl. Is your homework done?”
“Yep.” She smiled as she held her drawing pad in her hand.
After we finished dinner, I told Lily to go take a bath while I helped Alex clean up. Looking at the clock, I wondered when my dad was coming for it was getting late.
“Dinner was great. Thank you,” I said as I took the plates from the table over to the sink. “Where did you learn to cook?”
“I’ve been cooking since I was seven years old. When your father is an alcoholic and drunk pretty much 24/7, you need to grow up really fast.”
“Was he always an alcoholic?”
“His drinking became worse after my mother passed away.”
She placed her hands on the counter and lowered her head. Reaching over, I placed my hand on hers and with the slight turn of her head, her eyes met mine.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk about it.”
“Thanks. But it’s fine. It’s my life story and there’s no use trying to hide it.”
“Dad, I’m done!” Lily shouted from the bathroom.
“I better go check on her.” I removed my hand from hers.
After I got Lily settled on the couch to watch some TV before bed, I walked back into the kitchen only to find it was spotless. Looking out the sliding door, I saw Alex sitting in one of lounge chairs. Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed two beers and went outside.
“Beer?” I asked as I handed it to her. “You’re officially off duty.”
“Thanks.” She took it from me with a smile.
I twisted off the cap and took a seat in the lounge chair next to her.
“I can’t believe my dad never showed up.”
“Maybe you should give him a call.”
“Are you kidding?” I glanced over at her. “I’m not poking the bear. It makes me think he told Sam that because he knew he would tell me. You watch, he’s going to show up when we least expect it.”
Alex let out a laugh.
“You think?”
“I do.” My lips formed a smirk.
“By the way, I met some of the moms today when I picked Lily up.”
“Good lord. I knew it was only a matter of time. Who sunk their claws into you first?”
“Trina.”
“Ah, Lucy’s mom. That woman is something else.”
“Lucy is coming over tomorrow for a playdate with Lily. Trina specifically asked what time you were going to be home.”
“Of course, she did.” I shook my head. “She’s been flirting with me since day one. You know the mom that came up to the car window this morning?”
“Yeah.”
“She told Sam at Lily’s birthday party she hadn’t had sex in a while.”
“Oh my God! Who does that?” She laughed.
“According to Julia, horny moms who like what they see.”
“I can’t say I blame them though.” The corners of her mouth curved upward when she glanced over at me.
“Why?” I grinned.
“You’re very sexy. All of you are. You’re every woman’s fantasy. Shit. I shouldn’t have said that. You’re my boss and it was very inappropriate.”
“I don’t mind. But, if it makes you feel better, I think you’re a very beautiful and sexy woman. See there, we were inappropriate together.” I held up my bottle to her.
“Thanks.” She tapped her bottle against mine.
We heard the sliding door open, and Lily stepped outside and climbed on my lap.
“I’m ready for bed, Dad.”
“Okay, baby girl. Let’s go. Say goodnight to Alex.”
“Good night, Alex.” She blew her a kiss.
“Good night, Lily. Sweet dreams.” She blew her a kiss back.
Chapter 15
Alex
When he took Lily inside, I let out a deep breath and then took a sip of my beer. The words that he was sexy just slipped out of my mouth like it was nothing. Not to mention I said he was every woman’s fantasy. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t even blame it on alcohol for I’d only taken a few sips of beer.
“She’s all tucked in.” Stefan smiled as he walked back out and sat down. “So, where were we? That’s right. We were being inappropriate.” The corners of his mouth curved upward as he gave me a wink.
“Yes, and maybe we need to stop doing that.”
“Fair enough. So, have you been in Seattle the last seven years?”
“No. I’ve lived in multiple states since I left home.”
“So basically, you have no stability,” he said.
“Pretty much.” I smiled. “I haven’t had stability since before my mom died.”
“I have a confession to make, and I don’t want you to get mad.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Simon ran a background check on you.”
“I already know. He stopped by today to fill me in on Ryan and he told me he did.”
“I hope you’re not upset.”
“Not at all. Like I told your brother, I
have nothing to hide.”
“He told me about your dad’s arrest and how you were put in foster care for six months.”
“Yeah. Those were the best six months of my life. The family I was placed with were so nice, and I could be a kid. When my father was released, he told me that he was sorry for everything and promised he would stop drinking, and that he meant it this time. He attended AA meetings and for two weeks, he stayed sober and took care of me. I really thought he had changed.”
“What happened?”
“He went out with some friends of his to a bachelor party and the cycle started all over again. It was that night I knew he would never stop drinking again. So, I did what I had to do. I took care of him and myself until I was old enough to leave and be on my own.”
“You said he never was abusive to you. Are you telling me the truth?”
“He wasn’t. He’d never once became violent. He never hit me, called me names, nothing. He wasn’t a mean drunk. He just was never there for me. Except one day a year he would stay sober.”
“What day was that?”
“My birthday. He told me it was his gift to me.”
“That selfish son-of-a-bitch.” He shook his head. “What made you finally decide to leave?”
“I had been planning it for a long time, and I saved up as much as I could. The day I graduated high school, he never showed up like he promised me he would. I knew his promises never meant shit, but this time I believed him. When I got home, I found him and my best friend passed out drunk in bed together.”
“Jesus, Alex.”
“That was the last straw. I packed my things, left, and never looked back.”
“Did he ever try to contact you?”
“I don’t know. I got rid of my phone and got a new one with a new number.”
“What about your friends?”
“I left everything and everyone back in Ohio. All I wanted was to start a new life.”
His hand reached over and softly stroked my cheek.
“You’re a brave woman, Alessandra Clark.” The corners of his mouth curved upward.
I swallowed hard at the softness of his hand as an unbearable heat tore through me.
“I really didn’t have much of a choice. You can either choose to sink or choose to swim. That’s why I got this tattoo.” I turned my back and lowered my shirt from my shoulder.
“‘I refuse to sink.’ I never noticed it before.” He slowly ran his finger over it.
“I got it when I was in West Virginia. That was the first state I settled in after I left home.”
“It’s nice.”
“Thanks. Okay. Enough about me. Tell me about you.”
“There’s really not too much to tell. You already know I’m a quadruplet and I work with Sam at Kind Design & Architecture. My parents divorced when we were five years old. My mother has remarried twice, and my father is on his most recent fifth marriage.”
“Oh my gosh.” I laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Totally serious.” He smirked. “It’s embarrassing to admit it.”
“What about Lily’s mother?”
He took in a sharp breath.
“She was a one-night stand. We met at a friend’s birthday party, got drunk and—you know. Three months later she contacted me and told me she was pregnant and keeping the baby.”
“How did that make you feel?” I asked.
“I was scared shitless at first. I was basically just starting my career at the company, and I wasn’t ready to be a father, nor did I want a kid. But when I held her in my arms for the first time, I was done for. I paid child support every month and we worked out a custody agreement. I got Lily one day a week and every other weekend. Two months after Lily turned three, Monica dropped her off at my house for the weekend and she was supposed to pick her up by eight o’clock Sunday night. I gave her until ten o’clock before I called her. After it went to voicemail, I sent her a text message asking her where she was. She immediately replied and told me she was doing what she thought was best for Lily and she wasn’t coming back. She told me to raise her right and tell her that she loved her.”
“Wow.” I shook my head. I’m sure Lily had a hard time after that.”
“She did for a while. She cried for her a lot in the beginning. But I spent a lot of time with her, and she adjusted. It was so hard. I’m not going to lie. But I had help between my brothers and my parents. Then I hired Nanny Kate and she was a godsend. Two years after Monica left and there was no contact between her and Lily, I hired an attorney and had her parental rights terminated.”
“Does Lily know that?”
“No. She’s too young to understand.”
“She’s going to be curious as she gets older, Stefan.”
“I know, and I’ll explain everything to her when the time comes.” He looked at his watch. “We should probably get some sleep. It’s late.”
“Yeah. We should.”
We both got up from the lounge chairs and went back into the house.
“By the way, are you okay after what Simon told you about that Ryan asshole?”
“Yeah. I just feel so stupid for trusting him. I should have known better.”
“We all make mistakes, Alex. That’s all it was. A mistake.” He gave me a warm smile. “Good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, Stefan.”
He walked out of the kitchen, and I leaned against the counter while letting out a sigh. Something was happening. I could feel it.
The next morning after I dropped Lily off at school, I came home and started cleaning up the kitchen when I heard the doorbell ring. Opening it, an older man stood there staring at me.
“Can I help you?”
“Hello. You must be Alex. I’m Stefan’s father, Henry. I was hoping we could have a chat.”
Suddenly, a nervous feeling swept over me.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kind. Come in. Can I make you a cup of coffee?” I asked as he followed me to the kitchen.
“That would be great. Thank you.”
I popped a k-cup in the Keurig while he stood on the other side of the island.
“So, you’re Lily’s new nanny?”
“Yes. I am.” I smiled. “She’s a great kid.”
“She is.”
“Do you take cream or sugar?” I handed him his cup.
“Sugar.”
Reaching up into the cabinet, I took down the sugar bowl and handed it to him.
“Stefan told me you don’t have a background in childcare and that you left home when you were eighteen.”
“I did leave home when I was eighteen, and I’ve been raising myself since I was seven years old. So, I think that qualifies me as having a background in childcare.”
“Far from it as far as I’m concerned.” He stirred his coffee.
“What is this visit really about, Mr. Kind?”
“I want to know what kind of person is taking care of my granddaughter.”
“I can assure you she’s in good hands with me.”
“My son told me that your father is an alcoholic. I’m sure being raised in that kind of environment left you with some issues. Issues I don’t want portrayed onto my granddaughter.”
How dare he.
“So basically, you’re calling me trash. Am I right?” I narrowed my eye at him.
“You said that, not me.” His brow arched. “I have my reservations because you trusted a man you met online. Who does that? Now you’ve roped my son into giving you a job and a place to live when that didn’t pan out.”
Damn you, Stefan.
“I didn’t rope your son into anything. He was kind enough to let me stay the night he hit me. I was leaving the next day. I even had an Uber waiting outside, and he stopped me. He’s the one who pushed for me to take the job and stay here. Not me.”
“Obviously, my son is thinking with the wrong body part. I’m sure the two of you have already slept together.”
�
�First of all, that’s none of your damn business. Second, we haven’t. He’s my employer, and I wouldn’t compromise my job like that. Do you really want to go there, Mr. Kind?”
I was so pissed off I couldn’t see straight.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re on your fifth marriage.”
“So what?”
“You have reservations about me because I met some guy online. Well, I have reservations about a man who marries five times in his life.”
“How dare you!” he spoke in a stern voice. “The last three marriages were just bad judgment on my part. Not that I need to explain anything to you.”
“And meeting a guy online was bad judgement on my part! People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
He was taken back by my words by the look that crossed his face.
“You may think I’m some dumb trashy chick looking for her next meal ticket, but you’re wrong. Considering what I’ve been through in my life, I’m a well-rounded person who is more than capable of taking care of your granddaughter.”
“What the hell is going on in here?” Stefan walked in.
“Why aren’t you at the office?” his father asked.
“I forgot my cellphone. I’ll ask one more time, what the hell is going on?”
“I just came over to meet Alex. That’s all.”
“Really? You and Celeste were supposed to come last night.”
“Sam told you.” He shook his head.
“Of course, he did. The four of us tell each other everything. You should know that by now. In fact, you do know it and that’s why you told him.”
“It’s okay, Stefan. Your father has every right to want to meet me. Everything is good. You can go back to work,” I said.
“From what I just heard, I don’t think everything is good.”
“It is. Trust me. You have no reason to be angry with him. I wish my father had cared so much. You can’t fault him for that. Go on. Grab your phone and leave. We’re good here.”
“Okay. I’ll see you at the office, Dad.”
“Yes, son. I’ll be there soon.”
As soon as he walked out of the house, his father looked at me.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to defend me like that.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, I wish my father had cared like you do.”
