“Yeah, shit. You know that doesn’t bode well when she gets older. Piper will be the first one with a broken heart. Between you and me, whoever hurts her will be ripped in two.” I place my hand over my chest. Thinking about the years ahead is enough to make me sweat. The thought of my girls going through so many milestones, knowing it’s going to be a long road, isn’t helping.
“Easy does it, baby brother. They’ve got a great family surrounding them. We’ll make sure their heads are on their shoulders and set straight. Hold on a second. Hendrix is saying something.” My brother moves the phone away. I hear multiple voices and try to pick up on the few that are there seeing as how my house has become Grand Central Station with people coming and going, along with a woman I’ve never met before. That still chaps my ass. Maybe it wouldn’t if I had met her first, given the woman my own brand of questioning, seen her face to face. That’s not how my family rolls, though. They’re like a freight train coming at you full steam ahead and barreling towards you.
“Piper, Cammy, you ready to eat?” The voice that I’m assuming is Bailey’s, because it sure as hell isn’t the other two female family members’, is soft, sweet, and subtle. A reminder of a woman I had for one night, the curves of her body visible even with her dress still wrapped around her stomach, the way she clutched my body when she was in the throes of ecstasy, her center gripping my cock so hard it was like I was a life raft while being lost at sea.
“Sorry about that. Bailey was asking if Hendrix and I were staying for dinner. We’re not, by the way. Mom is staying over tonight, and hopefully, you’ll be home for before tomorrow night.”
“I fucking better be. It’s been a fuck of a lot longer than I’d like to be out of town and away from the girls. Not to mention the office. I can only imagine the pile of bullshit I’ll be coming back to.” Speaking of when I get off this phone call, I’ll be making the calls to my project managers to see how things are going. My administrative assistant has been keeping some things rolling, but the other stuff is all on me. It’s organizing the logistics of picking up a new job that’s a two-hour flight away, which means having a crew down there full-time.
“Yeah, the girls miss you. So do we. Having Bailey and her being new is helping. It’s not the same as having you home, though.” Madden is stating exactly how I feel.
“Give the girls my love. I’m going to make a few phone calls, see if I can’t find another flight out of here or rent a car to get home faster than spending the night in an airport.” I run my fingers through my hair, tugging at the longer-than-normal ends. I need a haircut in the worst of ways. Another thing on my mile-long list to take care of.
“I will. Let me know what happens either way. If you weren’t a stubborn horse’s ass, you could have used the jet. The weather isn’t in our control, but having a pilot is.”
“Remind me of that next time. Later, Mad,” I tell him.
“Be safe, bud.” We hang up the phone, but that isn’t where my calls stop. I handle a few more. Hopefully by then, something will be figured out. If not, I’ll be calling my brother back and using his jet, though I’ll never hear the end of it. Something I’d rather not deal with, truth be told.
FIVE
Bailey
It’s the third night I’ve been firmly entrenched in the world that is Cammy and Piper, tonight being one of those when I’m in the pool house while Mr. Hughes is still out of town. I guess it would be odd for him to come home to a complete stranger to him and find me in the guest bedroom. The good news is, at least this gives me time to finish putting my things away. The pool house is bigger than most apartments—a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom, eat-in kitchen, and cozy living room. It’s completely furnished, which works in my favor seeing as I own zero furniture. One of the downsides when you’re a live-in nanny, I suppose. It works for me, though, and while this might not be my job where I retire from, right now it’s a job that I love. Not many people can say that.
I walk out of my bedroom, the larger of the two with an attached bathroom, figuring it was the master. The massive four-poster bed gave it away, too. My arms are loaded with my books, my most favorite possession along with the framed pictures of my niece and nephews. One girl and four boys are spread between my older and younger brother. I can’t believe we women in my family are so outnumbered. I situate the books on the top of the television console. Arranging them so it doesn’t look cluttered is pretty easy with all the storage my new place has. The only thing that has me worried is I’ve yet to meet Cammy and Piper’s dad, an unknown factor that could make or break working with the two sweet little girls, girls who are already working their way into my heart. How could they not? They’re fun, sweet, so full of life, and even though Piper doesn’t talk a whole lot, that doesn’t mean she isn’t animated, because she is, arms moving, body shaking or wiggling when she’s excited, especially about her dessert. Well, both girls are, for that matter, and they eat whatever you place in front of them, no questions asked. They may not like it, which I’m beginning to understand because if they do, they’ll ask for more, and if they don’t, they eat the majority of it, then push the plate away. I can’t say that I blame them. There are some foods that I eat for the sake of doing my body good, like spinach and broccoli, which are not my favorite, but during certain times of the month, you eat them no matter what.