Page 15 of Under One Roof

Andi inhales sharply. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Thank you, but it was a long time ago,” I say, maybe a little too curtly, but I have a hard time reining in my feelings around her, and I’m not interested in divulging pieces of my past I’d rather not linger on.

“Still.” She frowns up at me. “You’ve lived three lives in one lifetime.”

I consider her words, hating that she’s making me feel these fucking emotions. I lock them down tighter, especially when her eyes round. “There hasn’t been anyone since? You never wanted to remarry?”

“The opportunity never came up.”

She hums like this is fascinating to her. Some kind of mystery to uncover. There isn’t. It’s simple.

I’m an asshole, and so are my kids. But she doesn’t need to know that. At least, not yet.

I bring us back to the issue at hand. “You think you can handle my ten-year-olds?”

She rolls her shoulders back, unflinching in her answer. “Yes.”

I should probably be more discerning in who I hire. More careful about their experience and ability to take control of a situation, but I’m tired.

I’m tired of not being able to trust the person in my house or my kids. I’m tired of stress, and I’d really like to be able to come home and relax. Maybe even enjoy myself for once.

“You’ll be able to take care of my kids and the house?”

“Definitely.” Her smile is pure confidence.Though she be but little, she is fierce.

“So, you’ll take the job?” I ask, extending my hand.

She glances at it, then back up at me, before sliding her palm against mine. We shake. Her grip is firm but her skin is soft, and neither of us lets go. I brush my thumb over the hummingbird on her wrist again, the rapid beat of her pulse like the flap of its wings.

I don’t know how long we stand like that, but it’s long enough for Cat to skulk into the room, meowing at our feet. Andi screeches happily, bending down to scratch behind his ears. “Oh my gosh! Who is this?”

“Cat,” I tell her.

“Yeah. What’s its name?”

“Cat.”

“You named your cat Cat?”

When I nod, she tosses her head back and laughs. The sound is infectious, filling the room, filling me. I love it. I want to hear more of it.

The corner of my mouth tugs. “I found him a few years ago when he was a kitten. We were going through the debris of a fire, and he was the only one left. The others didn’t make it. He wouldn’t leave me alone, so…”

“So, you took him in,” she finishes, lifting Cat into her arms. He immediately rolls to his back and relaxes, his paw flopping out to the side.

“More like he demanded I take him home.”

She pets his belly, and it’s the first time I’ve ever been jealous of an animal. “That’s really sweet.”

I shift side to side, uncomfortable with the praise. “It’s what anyone would do.”

She shakes her head. “No, not anyone. But you did.”

Our eyes meet again, and I want nothing more than to pick her up in my arms, hold her like she’s holding Cat. But it’s impossible.

Not when she’s going to be my kids’ nanny.

I’ve lost so many already. Fantasizing about fucking her, let alone doing it, would cost me yet another one.

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