Not even forty-eight hours later, I find myself looking out the window, glancing at the front door, listening for signs of a car or truck along the driveway.
Logan kicks me under the table while we eat dinner with the kids. “Don’t look so eager.”
My brother, his best friend Joey, my kids, and I are having dinner in the kitchen.
“What are you talking about?” I shove a bite of Tori’s shredded beef in my mouth and barely contain a groan because it’s so good.
He leans closer and lowers his voice. “The whole trick is to not let women know you want them.”
I wait until Joey washes the kids’ hands to respond. “You do realize I was having sex when you were still in Little League, right? Besides, I’m not making a play for Tori.”
There’s no way I’ll forget the way she threw down the gauntlet at her sister’s house. No sex. Ever. That hasn’t helped the dreams I started having two nights ago after the ice cream incident. I woke up with my hand in my boxer briefs like a damn fifteen-year-old.
“No?” His eyebrow curves up. “Not gonna bang the hot nanny?”
Smacking him in the chest, I give him a look. “No. And neither are you. In case you were wondering.”
He grins like an idiot.
The front doorbell rings, and my heart leaps in my chest. Joey offers to answer it.
Groaning, I drop my face in my hands. Am I seriously nervous over this woman? A woman who has sworn nothing is gonna happen between us? Fucking figures. Not that I need this kind of complication with the court date for my divorce two weeks away. That’s the best reminder that I suck at relationships.
Fuck. I did not just use the R-word right now.
I’m not in a good place to have one yet, not with the truckload of baggage weighing me down at the moment.
This gives me pause because I’ve always been a one-woman kind of guy. Sleeping around with random chicks does nothing for me. If given a choice, I’d always pick something special with one girl over meaningless sex with many.
But is this really something I should be exploring with my kids’ nanny?
Damn. I know how to get myself in messed-up situations.
Female voices come down the hall, and the second I see Tori, I smile. She looks more relaxed, and her face brightens when the kids go barreling into her for a hug.
I open my mouth to say hi, but my brother beats me to it.
“Hey, gorgeous. How’s your sister?”
I bristle at his term of endearment, and he smirks at me. Asshole. But she is gorgeous, even in cutoffs and an old t-shirt. It’s the affection in her eyes for my kids, though, that really hits me. I love how she gives them all her attention.
Tori’s laughing at Cody’s sloppy kisses. “Good. I swear Kat’s giving birth to a giant. Her baby is enormous, but don’t tell her that.”
Logan shivers like he’s about to have a seizure. “Pregnant women scare me. Too many hormones.”
Joey rolls her eyes.
I point to my brother’s best friend. “Tori, this is Josephine. She went to school with Logan and somehow manages to put up with this lazy bag of bones. She helped me out today with the kids so I could get some work done.”
Tori gives her a sweet smile. “I love your hair. It’s beautiful.”
Joey touches her blue locks. “Thanks. Someone told me I look like a deranged Smurf.” She punches my brother, and he puts her in a headlock with one arm while he scrolls through his phone on the other. She’s still hanging halfway upside down when she points to Tori. “But your hair is, wow. It’s so pretty.”
“Thank you. It needs a trim.”
“I could do it.”
Motioning toward Joey, I explain that she does hair.
“Yeah?” Tori perks up. “How much do you charge? Just to trim the dead ends?”
Joey wiggles her way out of my brother’s choke hold and strokes Tori’s hair gently, taking a moment to study the ends. “I’d do it for free. You know, the friends and family discount.”
“No way. My hair is a pain in the ass. Your arm will fall off by the time you’re done. I have to pay you something.”
“Um.” Joey tilts her head. “How about we trade? You show me how to make this recipe”—she points to her half-eaten plate of dinner—“and I’ll cut your hair.”
Tori leans over to see which leftovers we ate. “You want to learn how to make carne guisada? Sure. It’s super easy.”
“Dinner was dope, Tor,” my brother says, not looking up from his phone. “I can’t believe you made enough leftovers for the weekend. I think I love you.”
Tori laughs and stoops down to look at a painting Mila made for her. A few minutes later, Tori starts to lug her bag from the hall.
Logan stops her to pick it up. “You pack more than Joey does for two days.”
“I needed to do some laundry, but I didn’t get a chance. That’s okay. I’ll do it next weekend.”
What is she talking about? I get up and take the bag from my brother, whose eyebrows lift. I motion toward the kids, and he smirks again, offering to get them ready for bed. I watch as he and Joey take them down the hall before I return my attention to Tori.
I stand right in front of her until she looks at me. “Tori, why would you need to wait until you go to your sister’s to do your laundry? Are you too good for my washer and dryer too?”
She laughs and shakes her head. I like her laugh. I want to hear it again.
“No? Then why are you saving it for your sister’s?”
Her lips twist as she tries to contain that smile.
“That’s what I thought. C’mon.” I take her hand and drag her down the hall. “I didn’t think you needed a personal invitation to use all the amenities in this house, but apparently you do.”
Stopping in the laundry room, I hoist her enormous duffle bag onto the counter. “Here’s the washer and dryer. Now, it might not be as nice as your sister’s, but you should use it.”
She opens her mouth to respond, but I pull her into the adjacent office. “This place is a mess because I only have two hands and twenty-four hours a day, but this is my office.” I don’t think she’s been in here. “If you ever need to print anything or use my laptop, feel free. Or if you want to watch TV and we’re hogging the one in the living room, you can watch in here.”
“Thanks, but I don’t—”
Ignoring whatever she’s saying, I maneuver her back out and across the house. When I open my bedroom door, she falters. I turn around. “It’s okay. I’m not abducting you. Just wanna show you my tub. It has these fancy jets and all kinds of functions I haven’t even figured out yet. I thought you might want to use it after a long day watching my rugrats. You know, when you’re busy avoiding me at dinner.”
She looks embarrassed. “Ethan, I—”
I don’t wait for her to finish. Taking her hand, I tug her into my huge bathroom and flip on the lights. It’s beautiful. All custom marble and shit I don’t care about but my ex-wife did.
“Please, take a bath. I never do, and the guilt is killing me for spending that kind of money on something no one uses.”
Her eyes are huge as she takes in the bathroom.
Reaching for the cabinet, I present the wide array of bath products my ex left behind. Bottles and bottles of crap Allison never bothered to use herself. Of course, I threw out the shit that smelled like her when I realized she wasn’t coming back. I have enough reminders of her in this house without smelling her lotions. “Go to town. Use everything. I don’t care.”
Before Tori can say anything, I resume the tour. Past the kids’ bedrooms, past the kids’ bathroom and Tori’s bedroom. I stop in front of the last room. Flipping on the lights, I motion for her to step inside.
“I don’t know if you like crafts or sewing, but my mom has a ton of stuff stored here, and I know she’d love for you to use whatever you want. For yourself or for the kids.”
Tori takes a small step forward and lightly touches the bolts of fabrics that are arranged along the wall. “This is amazing.” She frowns and retracts her hand. “Are you sure she’d be okay with me messing with her things?”
“I promise. Go for it.” Sighing, I run my hand over my chin. “Sorry I never gave you the grand tour. I realize now that I kinda threw you into our lives, and maybe you haven’t felt a hundred percent welcome, but I want you to know you are. My kids love you, and for all of my bitching at you the first time we met, I have to admit I’m pretty fond of you too.” Her eyes shoot up to mine, and I give her a stupid smile. “Even when you are a little feisty, but if I’m being honest, I like that side of you the best.”
She laughs that sexy, raspy laugh, and my blood heats with the playfulness in her eyes. “Why, Ethan Carter, are you saying you want the uncensored version of me?” She tsks. “I’m not entirely sure you can handle that.”
I take a step closer and tug on a strand of her hair. “Try me.”
