Page 118 of Delayed Penalty

“Yeah, okay. I’ll re-enroll. I’ll go back to school. I’m going to become a teacher.”

Just saying it out loud makes my heart thunder with excitement.

“Good. I’m glad. We can figure out all the other details later.”

I’m sure he means Flora and her schedule and his. We’ll work on that after I know when classes will actually start.

Hayes presses his lips to my forehead. “Now that we have that settled, you need to get some sleep. I’m planning to wake you up very early with my tongue between your legs.”

Who could possibly argue with that plan? I close my eyes, letting sleep wash over me.

He loves you.

This time when the thought comes, I don’t push it away. I don’t hide from it. I let it happen. I let it sink in.

All I can think is,I love him too.

“You’re doing it wrong.”

“I am not.”

“You are too.”

“I amnot.”

“Are too.”

I laugh as I watch Flora and Hayes argue back and forth while they work on building her swing set that’s been sitting in pieces in the backyard for far too long now. With the weather not cooperating and Hayes’s hockey schedule, it’s been next to impossible to get anything done on it. So why not build a playscape outside in the middle of a random sunny Saturday in December?

“You’re supposed to put E and F together, not E and H. Don’t you know your ABCs?”

“I guess not. Want to teach them to me since you’re so smart?”

Flora rolls her eyes at her uncle and hands him the correct piece while I sit on the patio, sip my butterscotch hot chocolate, and enjoy the show they’re putting on. They’re never going to get this done, but I’m not sure I mind. I like watching them like this. I probably shouldn’t be so excited to see them arguing, but it’s such a far cry from where they were when I first met them that I can’t help but love it.

I love him. I love her. I love them.

The thought doesn’t scare me as much as it once did. It probably should, especially since I have no idea how Hayes feels, but it doesn’t. For once in my life, I feel like everything is going okay. I re-enrolled in school the night after Hayes told me to. He even helped me with the forms. Sure, for every answer I filled out, he would lick my pussy, so there was definitely some incentive there, but still.

I’m officially going back to school. Again. Something about it feels different this time, like I can do it. It feelsright, and I’m so excited to get started. I still have several weeks until classes start, but January can’t come soon enough.

The doorbell chimes, and I rise from my chair. I letthem continue arguing while I trek through the house to the front door. I pull it open and take a surprised step back.

“May I help you?”

“Hi.” The gorgeous woman with long blonde hair steps forward, extending her hand. “I’m Rachel Carr. I’m here to interview for the nanny position.”

Interview for the what?

“The…nanny position?”

She frowns. “I’m sorry. Do I have the wrong house? I could have sworn this is the address Mr. Hayes sent.”

Mr. Hayes.

Nanny position.

What the hell is going on? Am I…getting fired? Or is this some horrible, awful prank Hayes is trying to pull?

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