I place Amelia in the bathroom and shut the door, leaving the two of them to fend for themselves. If she wants to give Amelia a shower, so be it. I just want a minute of peace and quiet.
I head down the stairs, slip on my shoes, and step outside. The air is cool, but it’s nice out. The vehicle is unlocked, and I open the trunk, revealing bags of books, toys, and even a few dress-up clothes. Everything appears to be for Amelia.
Douglas stopped by around dinner with three shopping bags of clothes for Amelia, but it’s nowhere near enough given the mess that kid makes when eating. Besides, everything he bought was for the current autumn weather, and she’s likely to outgrow everything in a few months.
I lug the bags into the foyer and head back to the car to grab the rest. There are even a few boxes in the backseat.
I’d given Clare the money to spend on herself. I hadn’t expected that she’d buy Amelia enough toys for a playroom.
After carrying everything inside, I pull the car into the garage and lock up the house, ensuring it’s secure.
I haven’t thought about a playroom for Amelia. I’d wanted to buy her a few toys and give her something educational and fun to do while she wasn’t at school, which reminds me that I still need to get her enrolled in kindergarten first thing tomorrow.
My day today felt wasted. Not necessarily in a bad way. I still haven’t reached out to my mother, but Connor met Amelia. It was a good first step.
I drag the toys and books into one of the downstairs rooms. I’ll have to rearrange furniture and make it kid-friendly, but at least the bags and boxes of playthings for Amelia won’t be lying in the middle of the floor. I don’t need Clare to trip over them.
I grab a children’s book from the bookstore bag and carry it upstairs.
After Amelia finishes bathing and changes for bed, I tuck her into bed with a story. Her eyes light up as she climbs under the covers.
Clare watches from the doorway for a minute with a pensive smile before leaving the two of us alone.
I shut off the lights, kiss Amelia goodnight, and close the door to her bedroom. Clare is in the laundry room, the light on.
My heart flutters, remembering what happened in the laundry room last night, her discovering a pair of silk panties in my pocket. I double-check my pockets, not that I’m expecting another pair to have magically appeared in there unless she put them there as a trick.
No trick.
My pockets are empty, except for my phone and wallet.
She shoves the towels into the washing machine, turning on a load of laundry.
“I didn’t expect you to buy all that stuff for Amelia,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets.
“You gave me four hundred dollars, sir. I couldn’t just spend it on nonsensical items.”
“It was meant for you,” I say, taking a step closer.
She inhales a sharp breath. “You don’t have to buy my—whatever this is.” She gestures between us.
My brow tightens. “I’m not buying anything from you,” I sneer. “I was being nice. You didn’t bring much to my house. I thought you could use some clothes, toiletries, whatever.”
Part of me was hoping she’d buy some sexy lingerie, maybe a dress that’s a little too short when she bends over so I can see her perfectly taut ass.
I shift uncomfortably. I should not be having such lewd thoughts about the nanny. She’s what, twenty-seven? I’m forty.
“I thought you were getting rid of me for the day because of Connor’s three-way comment,” Clare says, bringing that conversation back around.
I grimace and rub my forehead. “I’m sorry that he said that to you, Clare. It was highly inappropriate.”
“More inappropriate than me lying to him about dating girls?”
Relief floods through me. I’d been wondering all afternoon since she left whether she really dates girls or if that was her way of politely turning my brother down. I was hoping it was the latter because that meant my fantasies might one day come true.
My cock twitches in my trousers.
Down, boy.