10. Kat

Chapter 10

I arrived at the house early in the afternoon, but by the time Addison was finished showing me everything, including my new room that’s almost the size of my whole apartment, it’s about dinner time.

My stomach grumbles just as Nathaniel… Nathan calls for us to come downstairs.

“Oh, it’s dinnertime! Uncle and Des will be home soon!” Addison says, rushing out the bedroom door without a glance back.

“Well, Ruby, that’s my cue, I guess,” I tell the dog, offering him one more ear scratch and heading out, only for him to decide to come with me.

I won’t lie. When Addison had first told me about Ruby, I hadn’t pictured this huge dog. Nathaniel had seemed a bit worried when Addison first insisted I meet him, but after hovering for a few, he left, which I took as a good sign.

I’ve never had a dog before, or any other animal really, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. He’s definitely intimidating, but I think he might like me.

Maybe?

As if to answer my question, he nudges my hand as I make it to the bottom of the stairs. Something about such a large dog asking for my attention melts my heart, and I stop for a moment to give him a few pets again. Spoiled pup.

I follow the sound of Addison’s excited chatter and Ruby, who knows the way better than I do. This place is huge. It’s going to take some getting used to.

It’s not until I turn the corner into the dining room that I realize Addison’s voice isn’t the only one I’d heard. I come face to face with two familiar men I never thought I’d see again.

Nathan and Addison sit at the table, but they aren’t alone. Nathan had mentioned that his brother and son, as well as his nephew, lived at the house. I’d met Oliver, and he seemed nice enough, if not a little standoffish, but I hadn’t asked much about the other two. Addison had spoken highly of them, and I knew Nathan’s brother was also his partner at their company thanks to my Google search, but I’d never asked for their names or more information.

My big brother, Des…

Addison’s words echo through my head, and I could smack myself. I’d thought it was a nickname, not a shortened form of his name.

Alex and Desmond sit at the table, staring at me much the same way I stand staring at them, in pure disbelief.

“Ms. Kat, Ms. Kat!” Addison shouts, running over to grab my hand and pull me toward the table when I make no move to go to it myself. “This is my brother, Des, and my Uncle Alex!”

She’s so excited that she doesn’t seem the least bit put off that I’m not really present. Instead, my mind is racing, going over everything that’s happened in the last few weeks, as I wonder how the hell I missed this.

How had I never asked their names? Nathan had talked about them a little bit. Had I just missed it? No, there's no way… Right?

Shit. Shit. Shit.

This can’t be happening.

I’d just agreed to nanny for Nathan. Now I have to find a way to tell my new boss I have to quit. There’s no way I can stay here knowing what I’ve done. And shockingly enough, sleeping with his son and brother isn't even the worst of it. I’d slept with a man who had a child and possibly a wife, or at the very least, someone who would call him dear.

Again, shit.

“Uncle Alex, this is Ms. Kat. She’s my new nanny!”

“Katherine,” my name rolls off his lips in a deep, husky whisper, as if he’s testing the way it will feel to say it again. He reaches out for Addison, and she happily climbs up on his lap with a grin, seemingly unaware of the way her uncle is devouring me with his eyes.

I look from him to Desmond and back to Addison, and something doesn’t add up…

Oh my god.

No way!

Was I wrong?

Was this whole thing one big misunderstanding?

I look from Addison to Alex, and the more I look, the more I think I might have.

That little girl I saw all those months ago was Addison. Seeing them now, I’m almost certain of it. Her hair is lighter, but she has the same blue eyes as Nathan. I’d only assumed when I heard her calling for her dad she was talking to him, but had she actually?

Shit.

“Katherine,” Desmond says, pushing to stand before his eyes flick down to Ruby, who stands beside me. I hadn’t even realized I’d been petting him in my shock, almost as if taking comfort in his presence, and I snatch my hand away.

“Well, it would seem introductions aren’t required.” I snap my gaze to Nathan’s, hearing the amusement in his tone. I’d been careful not to look at him, worried about what I might find, but he doesn’t seem upset at all. Honestly, why would he be? I highly doubt he thinks I slept with both of them during a one-night stand that still plagues my dreams.

No, he probably assumes we’ve met somewhere before. And my god, he has no idea.

If my cheeks get any more red, they might just catch fire.

“Come on, Kat, come sit with me!” Addison says, still oblivious to the tension and my situation. Which is a good thing. The last thing I want is for her to start asking questions.

Jumping down from Alex’s lap, she runs back over to me, grabbing my hand and towing me with her to the large table.

Right next to Desmond.

Of course, because why wouldn’t it be?

I keep my gaze focused on the table, unsure where to look or what to do. I can feel eyes on me, but I’m not sure who’s, and I don’t dare look.

Addison happily fills the silence, telling Desmond and Alex all about her last day, our pinky promise, our trip to get ice cream, and how I’m going to be her new nanny. She’s so happy, and they listen, chiming in here and there, sounding genuinely invested in what she’s telling them.

Slowly, my heart rate starts to return to normal, and I take a deep breath.

“Pasta?” Desmond’s deep voice makes me gasp at how close it is, and I look up to find him leaning into my space, his eyes sparkling with something I can’t put my finger on.

“Um… Ugh, yes, thank you,” I manage to stammer out.

If I thought he was close before, he gets impossibly closer when he leans over to drop a helping of said pasta onto my plate without taking his eyes off of me.

And just like that, my heart is beating like a damn drum again.

He moves away again, and to anyone else, it would look like he was simply being nice, getting me food. But something about the smirk on his face tells me he knew exactly the effect he was having on me.

The rest of dinner is mostly uneventful. They all talk, Nathan and Alex, about the trip he just took and some light business stuff that I don’t pay much mind to. Desmond and Addison catch up, and I learn that he’s been gone a little over a week for business as well. It’s clear Addison missed them, and honestly, it’s adorable. They make plans to have a day with her to make up for their absence.

The food is delicious, even if I only manage to eat a small portion. My stomach is so tied in knots right now that I’m amazed I manage what I do.

“Do you not like it?” Alex asks as I swirl my fork in my noodles absent-mindedly.

“Oh, no. It’s great. I’m just tired,” I say lamely, setting my fork down to stop my fidgeting, attempting to force a smile.

He smiles back, and jeez, what is with the Lawson genetics? How are they all so ridiculously handsome?

“Yes, Kat has had a long day. The movers will be here bright and early tomorrow to drop off your things, and I’ve had a few basic things delivered to your room for the night as well.” Nathan asks, and I nod, not trusting my voice.

“Unfortunately, Alex and I are required at a meeting tomorrow as he’s just returned, or we would be here to help.”

Again, I nod, because, I mean, what am I going to say to that? When we talked about me taking over as Addison’s nanny, he told me he has a pretty busy schedule, hence the need for a nanny. When you run your own business, you don’t really get days off the same way the rest of the world does.

“Desmond will be home, though, so should you need anything, please let him know.” With that, he stands from the table, coming over to collect a very sleepy-looking Addison. I take that as my sign that I’m excused, whispering a rushed good night before I make my way back up to my new room as quickly as I dare without running.

I appreciate his offer of Desmond's assistance, but I can almost guarantee I won’t be taking it. I know I can’t avoid them forever, especially not with us all living in the same house, but I don’t have any intention of seeking him out.

It’s not until I’m in my room with the door shut firmly behind me that I feel my panic begin to lessen. How did this happen? What are the odds that of all the students in my class, Addison would be tied to them and that I would accept a nanny position that lands me in their path again?

I let my head fall back against the door with a groan at my luck, or maybe it was a lack of luck. Hell, I don’t know what it is, but it’s ridiculous.

The house is quiet, and despite the crazy that just happened, my room is nice. I want to take some time to look around without Addison running around trying to show me everything. She was so excited earlier I hardly had a moment to really look for myself.

Like the rest of the house, my room is massive, way more room than I’ll ever need. The bed is so big I bet it could easily fit at least four grown people, and I don’t even need to touch it to know the second I lay down, it’s going to be the best sleep I’ve ever gotten; I can tell just by how soft the blanket is. The tufted headboard is black with gold details, the same as most of the other furniture, from the matching nightstands on either side of the bed to the tall dresser near the bathroom door and even the vanity.

Most of the furniture I’ve seen is darker, but the accents always give it enough of a pop that, with the lights on, it doesn’t feel stuffy or small—not that I think that’s even possible.

My room is so big that a chandelier hangs above my bed, and I’m honestly not sure how I feel about that.

I’ve seen Final Destination . But somehow, if I were to die in this house, I get the feeling it would be from something like falling down the million stairs and not something like the chandelier falling. I’m sure this place was built to last.

Holy shit.

My bathroom is amazing! There’s no tub, but the shower is huge, taking up the whole back half of the room. There are no doors and no glass, but as I look closer, I notice the drain at the end of the tile that makes up the bottom of the shower area. I’ve never used a shower like this before, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little afraid of making a whole mess, but I’m also excited to try it. Walking further into the bathroom, more lights flick on, and with them, the room warms.

It’s cozy, almost a bit much being fully clothed, but I bet it would be nice fresh out of the shower.

Shit, they really did think of everything.

Walking out of the bathroom, I walk right over to my bed and drop face down onto the super soft blanket with an oomph.

This isn’t ideal, but even with them here, I don’t feel like I made the wrong choice. Maybe they forgot exactly what happened that night?

Judging by the way they looked at me and the way Desmond was leaning toward me at dinner, I highly doubt it.

There’s not much I can do about it now, though. I already agreed to nanny Addison, and I won’t back out on her, no matter how awkward this might be. Not to mention, I don’t really have anywhere else to go. I could go back to my flat. I’d filed a police report, but it doesn’t feel safe or like home the way it had, even when I left this morning. Not to mention, I don’t even have a door to close.

I wander over to the window and look out at the massive backyard. The pool is huge, and there's a giant play structure that looks like it belongs in a park rather than in someone’s backyard. My eyes fall to the pool house, and memories of that night with them rush back, heating my blood and making my heart race for a completely different reason.

From up here on the second floor, it looks like it might be a normal place, but I know better. I know what happens in those walls, and I highly doubt I’m the only one. They might have tried to leave me a way to contact them, but I know they weren’t looking for anything serious, just like I wasn’t.

No, it happened. There’s no denying that, but I don’t need to let it make things weird. They’ve probably been with dozens of women since then and will continue to do so, and they should. I’m not here to stop them. I'm only here for Addison because it’s my job, and she deserves someone who cares. I need to get over myself and them, if I’m being honest.

No, I need to make this work, and I will.

Just because I’ve thought of them more than I care to admit, since that night doesn’t mean they have. They were probably just shocked to see me again.

Determined to let it go and move on, I check the drawers and find some basic clothing items, just as Nathan said. They’re nothing special, just flannel pajamas, some plain shirts, and shorts, but enough to get through until my clothes arrive tomorrow. More than I’d hoped for, I’d been ready to sleep in my underwear and wear the same thing tomorrow if needed, though I’m thankful I don’t have to.

I crawl into bed, and oh my god, if it’s not the most comfortable bed I’ve ever laid in. The comforter is thick but not so heavy that I’ll sweat to death, and there's a smaller blanket on top that has to be the softest thing I’ve ever felt.

Whoever says money can’t buy happiness must not have a bed like this because I might have to argue they're wrong right now.

Despite being so comfortable I don’t want to move, sleep evades me. My mind won’t stop as I go over the details of the day, from ice cream to accepting the job, finding my apartment in shambles, and coming here to find Alex and Desmond. Over and over, I replay it, trying to think about anything I missed—signs that Alex and Desmond were Lawson’s—but I come up blank. The only thing I can think of was the Google search I did that named his brother Alexander, but that’s a rather common name, and I didn’t think anything of it at the time.

Stupid.

Rolling on my side, I look at the clock on the nightstand and let out a groan. I’ve been laying here for over an hour and still feel no closer to sleep than I did when I first laid down.

It’s going to be a long night.