Chapter Ten
And what is your name, little girl?
The moment the limo pulled up to Hale’s house in the Keys a sense of rightness took hold of me. This was where I’d left off and exactly where I wanted to be.
I smiled as I slid out of the backseat and waited for Elle. Alfonse, one of Remington’s employees who had picked us up from the airport, earned a bear hug the moment I saw him, which might have overwhelmed the man, but I was a hugger.
“Wow,” Elle muttered as soon as she saw Hale’s home.
“I know. You should see his dad’s place.”
We followed the men inside and something was immediately off. Lights were on and the television played softly from the kitchen—Hale had TVs in every room. Glancing around at the tidy living space and catching the slight scent of food, my nose twitched.
Excitement took hold as I looked at Hale. “Is Marta here?” Marta was Remington’s maid, who I adored.
“No, she’s with my dad.”
“You made it,” a feminine voice called from the stairs and I frowned. What sort of fresh hell was this?
A young twenty-something woman came to greet us, and my body physically shrank into itself. Her hair was lavish, literally lavish, waves of white blonde reaching halfway down her back like a slow-motion shampoo commercial. She wore cuffed denim shorts and a white dress shirt with no sleeves that accentuated her tanned, trim arms.
“Let me see my little angel,” she cooed, reaching for Elara. My gaze followed her as she took Elara into her arms and kissed her pudgy cheek.
My baby.
Hale didn’t seem to care that this strange woman was manhandling his child. Okay, this was not what I expected.
“Rayne, Elle, this is Brynlee.”
Brynlee? Oh, that was just the perfect name for her. I stared, too shocked to move or speak.
“Hi,” she chirped, retaining her familiar hold of Hale’s daughter.
“Who are you?” I finally asked because she seemed to be kidnapping Hale’s kid right before our eyes.
“Brynlee’s Elara’s nanny,” Hale explained, not at all on the move to send out an Amber Alert.
I frowned. Naomi had been helping Hale and he’d said all that stuff about me being there when he had to go away on business. I hadn’t fully agreed with the idea, and help seemed like a great idea, but where were all the boy nannies? Elara struck me as the type of infant who would prefer a babysitter with a name like Russ or Bob.
“Oh,” This was so unexpected I didn’t know what else to say.
“I made some sandwiches and a pie, figuring you’d be hungry after your flight. God knows airplane food isn’t real food.” She giggled and Hale grinned.
This chick cooked, too? Wasn’t she a little young to be operating hot stoves? I mean, could she reach the pantry? And I liked airplane food.
“I think Elara needs a change,” Hale said.
Yeah, change in nanny…
Brynlee smiled like the kid’s diaper hid diamonds. “I’ll take care of her.”
“And you can unpack this in her room.”
“Thank you,” she sort of said, but it came out more as a chirped think hue. Who thanks someone for telling them to clean up poop and unpack?
We were definitely going to discuss little Miss Pie Pants as soon as I had a minute alone with Hale. Turning to Elle, I said, “I’ll give you a tour of the house.”
We left the guys there with Elara and the chick from The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and went upstairs. “This is Elara’s room and down there is Hale’s room.” As soon as we were out of earshot I hissed, “Did you see that girl? She was totally coming on to Hale.”
Elle laughed and glanced to the stairs. “No, she wasn’t.”
I scoffed. “He didn’t say anything about having a nanny.” Or did he?
Damn him with his distraction tactics. He’d definitely used the word nanny, but that was the same conversation that included red flags like living together and future and the words I eventually want a wife.
“Well, he’s a single dad, Ray. How else is he going to do it?”
“His mother!” I said, wondering why I was the only person who found this unacceptable.
“I think you’re overreacting.”
If only Elle could remember how I got here. It was like every worry and insecurity I expressed during the hook-up stage was gone from her memory and I had to constantly remind her that I was a perpetual teenager with irrational insecurities. To Elle, there was Hale and there was me, and we had a lot of sex in between. Oh, and he had a baby. I wasn’t used to my best friend not jumping on my side.
I want my biased friend back!
Irritated, I walked her down the hall. “This is the room you’ll probably take.” I pushed open the door and stilled. “Or not.” Little lotion bottles sat on the dresser and a pair of woman’s sandals rested by the bed. “Is she fucking living here?”
Now, Elle was getting it. “Oh, I see the issue.”
I gaped at her and whispered, “How long has she been here?”
Of course, she didn’t have an answer. But Hale was going to give me one. That was for damn sure.
I took Elle to the next bedroom and she was just as happy to claim that one. She’d been pretty sharp today, but still a far cry from her usual self.
All nanny business aside, I was actually feeling a bit relieved until Elle whispered, “So what’s the deal with Hale’s brother?”
Everything inside of me went on high alert. “No, Elle. He’s a serious manwhore. I mean, he’s nice and everything, but you need to stay away from him.” What if they did stuff and Elle wasn’t ready? She might not remember his reputation. “Barrett will sleep with anything with a pulse.”
“Well, Meyers, that’s not entirely true.”
I spun on my heels as Barrett filled the doorway. “Vampire!”
He smiled, gushing all that Davenport charm with his carved dimples and sexy man bun and shredded abs that tinted shadows through his fitted white t-shirt. For God’s sake, Elle needed to roll her tongue back in her mouth. Everyone needed to calm down!
“I draw the line at sheep and men,” Barrett joked. Then as if nothing happened, he said, “I’m heading back to my dad’s. I just wanted to say I’d see you later.”
Elle smiled, but it was her flirty smile so I stepped in front of her and blurted, “Bye.”
He gave me a questioning frown but nodded. When he was gone, I turned to her. “No. You cannot get mixed up with him. You’re … fragile.”
She rolled her eyes. “Get a grip, Ray. We’re on vacation.”
But it wasn’t vacation. I mean, it was for her, but this was my life and these were my Davenports. Things couldn’t get more complicated than they already were. I left Elle to get settled and found Hale unpacking in his room.
Shutting the door, I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about Brynlee?” I really disliked saying her name.
He frowned. “What about her?”
“Um … that she’s living with you.”
He closed a drawer. “Marta hired her. She’s getting a degree in early childhood education and has been a huge help with Elara.”
“But your mom was here.”
“Yes, and that was never permanent.” He approached me, his brow creased. “Is something wrong?”
She’s too young and pretty. And why the fuck is she baking you pies? “I just don’t understand why you need a live-in nanny when I’m here.” God, she was such a hypocrite. But rational logic had never been her strong suit.
“You’re my girlfriend. I need someone to watch Elara when we go out.”
Well, didn’t he just have an answer for everything? “What was wrong with Marta?”
“Marta works for my dad, Rayne. What’s the issue? Babies need daycare and I have a demanding job. Do you not like her?”
No. I didn’t like her. “I just figured you would’ve told me about her.”
“I thought I did.”
“No.” Definitely did not mention the name Brynlee.
“Well, we’ve been a little preoccupied with getting Elle situated, and the move.”
“She’s living in the next room, Hale.”
“Only because my mom was in the guesthouse. She’ll move her stuff out there this week.”
I continued to scowl, in no position to tell him whom he could and couldn’t hire. “Well, I don’t think she should be baking you pies.”
His eyes creased as he stepped closer, his lips hooking up in a cocky grin. “Are you jealous of the nanny?”
“No,” I scoffed.
His hands rested on my hips, pulling my body close to angle against his. “Liar.”
I glanced away because I couldn’t deny the other woman’s presence threatened me on some level. Hale’s fingers massaged through my jeans as he whispered close to my ear, “She’s ten years younger than me, baby.”
And so were all of Remington’s wives.
“She’s not my type.” His lips pressed to my pulse and my body partially relaxed.
Maybe I was being a tad too territorial. “I just wish you would have warned me she was here.”
“An oversight.”
“We should probably help her move her stuff.” I mean, no sense in wasting time.
“Not yet.” His hands fit under my shirt and teased my skin. I squirmed because I was still irritated and I didn’t like knowing another woman was in his house—Elle didn’t count.
His mouth trailed to my shoulder, drawing my nipples to attention. “Relax, Rayne. The only woman I want is you.”
I gave him a brooding stare, but he just chuckled and pulled me toward the bed. “I haven’t had you alone in days.” His fingers plucked my jeans open and slid down the zipper.
“Elle’s by herself—”
“She’s fine. She’s unpacking.”
“Elara—”
“Is with her nanny. See how convenient that is?” He stripped off my shirt and unlatched my bra.
Bending in front of my body, he pulled my nipple into his mouth and I caught his shoulders. Feeling myself fall under his spell, I swayed a little, my eyes turning heavy.
“I love your body,” he whispered, breath teasing my flesh.
Okay, maybe having a nanny wasn’t such a bad thing. My hands roamed over his chest and worked their way into his pants. Hale groaned and toppled me to the bed.
I giggled as he pulled off my jeans, the denim going inside out and catching on my flip-flops. He got them off with a yank.
“You’re mine,” he growled, irrefutably claiming all that was his to have.