“Where will you sleep?” he asked.
“Oh, I’ll probably just book a hotel for the night.”
He shook his head. “Do not waste your money on a hotel. I have a guesthouse you can use. I will show it to you after you finish playing with Aleesa.”
“Aww.” I smiled at him. “See, I knew I could unthaw that heart of yours a little bit. Thank you, Javier.”
He rolled his eyes. “Thirty minutes to play with her, then you go.” He walked to the living room and slumped down on one of the sofas.
“Noted,” I mumbled.
Yay! At least I had the job. Still, I had to be careful. I had no doubt he would fire me in a heartbeat if I so much as coughed near Aleesa. He was a hard-ass, but it was fine. I’d dealt with my fair share of assholes. It helped that he would be traveling often, so I wouldn’t have to see him so much or be in the midst of his grouchiness.
Aleesa watched him for a few seconds, then she turned her gaze to mine and grinned. “Daddy’s mad,” she whispered.
That statement pulled a quiet giggle out of me.
Yeah. I wasdefinitelygoing to have some fun with this little girl.
Three
Octavia
Over Six Months Later
Yogurt was in my Barbie doll’s hair again.
A shrill giggle split the air, and I gave Aleesa a sideways glance. This little girl was going to be the end of me, I swear. How could someone so tiny createso muchmess?
On this particular morning, there had been an orange juice spill, oatmeal smeared on the table, and now yogurt in my Black Barbie’s silky dark hair. All this had been done, and it was only nine o’clock in the morning.
“Today is going to be a long day with you, isn’t it?” I got up to collect the pack of baby wipes from the counter. Plucking one out, I wiped as much of the yogurt out of my doll’s hair as possible.
Technically, this was Aleesa’s Barbie, but she had about fifty of them in her playroom and she’d given this one to me as a gift. She specifically chose this one because itlooked like me.
“Sowwy, Tava.” Aleesa grinned when I glanced over my shoulder, then stuffed a strawberry into her mouth.
“That’s all right, angel.” I sighed. “What’s not all right, though, is that you’re getting oatmeal in your beautiful tresses. Let’s not rub our hands in our hair, okay? Would you like a wipe?”
“Yes, pwease.”
See? How could anyone be upset with her when she had such a cute voice?
I helped her clean up just as I heard footsteps thumping through one of the hallways.
Oh shit.This was not the time forhimto come to the kitchen.
I’d hoped he would sleep in a little longer so I could give Aleesa a bath and get her out of her pajamas. He wasn’t particularly fond of Aleesa’s messes, and hedefinitelywasn’t fond of her still wearing pajamas during breakfast.
He griped about teaching her how to be clean and tidy, while I countered it with letting her explore and be a three-year-old. And, in my opinion, washing up after breakfast seemed much more logical for a child who loved smashing food into her hair. It didn’t matter to him, though. He still wanted her prepared before starting the day.
“Quick,” I whispered, wiping her mouth. “GG is coming. Be good and don’t tell Daddy about the yogurt.”
Right after saying that, Javier stepped around the corner and entered the kitchen, wearing his usual getup—basketball shorts, a solid-colored T-shirt, and Nike running shoes. I swear this man’s wardrobe had no variety. Today, his T-shirt was gray ... and he was sweating. Must’ve woken up early to hit the home gym. He normally didn’t do that after a home game.
“Morning, Leesa.” He leaned down to kiss his daughter on the cheek.
“Morneen, GG,” she sang.
