“You’re welcome.” I smile while walking towards the living room with Piper.
“Wook, I help.” Piper shows me how she opens the cabinet door, shoving what she has in her hands into an empty spot, and since this isn’t something I can tackle today, I do the same.
“Great job!” I high-five her, impressed that she’s using more words even if they aren’t said correctly. It’s only a matter of time until Piper is talking more. I didn’t ask why or if there was a delay in her speech. Catherine only said she had a setback recently and they were working through it.
“Which bathing suit do you want to wear?” I ask as we walk up the stairs, her hand in mine, trailing behind Cammy, who made quick work of her task, not saying anything about how simple it was or how much smoother things would go tomorrow morning.
“Hmmm… Boo?” she responds, a few syllables seem to give her trouble, a common issue at this age.
“The blue with polka dots?” When Forest peeled himself out of the office earlier today, Piper and I were sitting on the floor playing with her baby dolls. The second she saw her daddy, she was up off her feet and running full steam ahead. A look at the clock let me know he was ready to go pick up Cammy from school. He gave me the heads-up that he’d be taking Piper with him, allowing me a thirty-minute break. I used that time to slip on my bathing suit, this one another one-piece, and put a cover-up on over it.
“Yeah, dat one.” Cammy smiles over her shoulder, clearly impressed with her baby sister. Me too, kiddo, me too.
FOURTEEN
Forest
“Twice in less than a week. What do I owe this pleasure, baby brother?” Madden answers his phone. I can tell he’s got his phone to his ear using his shoulder and cheek. The sound is muffled. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not on speakerphone.
“I can hang up.” We don’t say hello, none of the bullshit pleasantries that most people would use. Madden knows that’s not likely to happen. I myself know that. If I weren’t so torn about the woman who is all Bailey, this call wouldn’t need to happen. She’s a breath of fresh air, taking care of the house, the girls, making dinner, and even this morning. It went a shit ton smoother than when I normally took the girls to school. It should make me feel like a failure as a father, but it does the complete opposite.
“Don’t be such a wuss. There’s a reason you’re calling me. Why is that?” Madden is poking the bear, so to speak, the same thing he’s done his whole life. I thought it was a pastime he used only on me. The way Hendrix talks about her now-husband, my older brother did the same thing to her, breaking down her walls until he chiseled his way into her heart. Those were her words, not mine. He's my brother and a pain in the ass.
“My nanny,” I breathe out through the Bluetooth speaker in my truck, on my way into the office, knowing there’s a pile of plans I have to sign off on. I should have had them brought over yesterday so I could stay home, see what Bailey’s doing today. Maybe she’s swimming in the pool. That thought makes my cock start to stand up.
“If you fire her, Mom and Hendrix may kill you. In fact, I know they’ve planned your demise figuring you’d find some kind of problem with her. What that issue might be, I have no idea,” Madden is lighting into me.
“Jesus, are you done now?” I ask, second-guessing why I bothered calling him.
“No, not if you’re making up shit that doesn’t exist. You won’t have to worry about Mom and my wife; you’ll have to worry about me and Dad. I love you, brother, don’t have an issue helping you out with the girls, but your home is not mine. The mattress in your guest room is shit.” Once again, he’s talking more than any woman I’ve ever known.
“The only problem I have is keeping my goddamn hands to myself after already having a taste of Bailey before I knew she was the girls’ nanny.” I rip the Band Aid off, hoping like fuck that he’ll shut up now. I drew the line in the sand. It’s been a few days, and Bailey is sticking to the game plan. It’s me who’s ready to take matters into my own hands. My hands itch to feel her soft skin beneath them, my lips ready to have another taste of what I know are the sweetest lips they’ve ever felt, do way more than feel her mouth against mine. The idea of having her flat on her back, legs thrown up and over my shoulders while I press the back of her thighs until they’re touching the mattress, spreading her wide for me to lick, nip, and suck on her clit. I’ve had a long time to come up with the many ways I’d like to make a meal out of Bailey. One of those is that I’m flat on my back, she’s sitting on my face as I sweep my tongue from her ass to clit, still wishing like hell I hadn’t left when she crawled into bed after giving me a view of her ass and pussy.