So long as Nathan has no issues with it, this could actually be a lot of fun.
“I’d have to be blind and stupid not to notice. Though Kat seems just as oblivious as ever about him, the same as with Oliver.”
Nathan huffs a laugh, and I pour him a shot as well, bringing it to him. I come to a grinding halt when my eyes finally see what he’d been so interested in on the monitor.
Kat is in the middle of her room, dressed in… Fuck, I’m not even sure if you can call her dressed with that on.
Nathan pulls the glass from my hand, throwing it back in a single gulp before pushing to stand.
“Vince is going to be difficult.” He moves past me to set his glass on the cart, leaving me to watch Kat look at herself in the mirror, my drink forgotten. “I think we let Kat handle him. If anyone can, it will be her.”
I nod, licking my lips as she moves to the bed to grab a robe that’s far too short to cover enough before she slips out of the room, and suddenly I’m freed as if from a spell.
“My present is almost ready,” Nathan says from not far behind me as we watch the feeds. She moves down the hall as if afraid of being caught, and with what she’s wearing, I can appreciate that.
She’s still far too modest, but I’m sure we can help her with that.
Biting her lip, she pushes open Nathan’s door, darts inside, and closes it behind her. She’s breathing hard as she presses her back to the hardwood for a moment, collecting herself.
I almost feel bad for watching her, almost, but not quite.
Any guilt I had disappears when she slips the robe off and hangs it behind the door, moving to the dresser and lighting candles as she goes. Once they're lit, she moves to the bed, standing beside it for a moment before she climbs up to sit in the center, her knees tucked under her, her hands folded in her lap as she takes deep, calming breaths.
Fuck.
“Such a good girl.” I hear the reverence in his tone.
“Always.”
“We shouldn’t leave her waiting.” That’s worth looking away for, and I’m almost shocked to find him already headed toward the door.
“No, we shouldn’t. I had other things we need to discuss, but they can wait.” I’m not sure he will love the idea of a contract; I still don’t, but fuck if I can worry about that right now.
“Everything can wait.”
I’m not sure anyone has ever spoken truer words.
Dinner tonight had beenstrange.
It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but something felt off, and Des didn’t help.
I really need to talk to Nathan about dirty talk at the table. It should be off-limits, just like phones.
Oliver, Addy, and I had spent most of the time talking about the live-action Disney princess movie that’s coming out this summer, and that evolved into a discussion on which princess we like the best.
I’ve always been partial to Ariel, while today, or in that moment at least, Addy chose Elsa, and I can’t say I was at all surprised when Oliver chose Belle.
“Which pajamas were we thinking tonight? Elsa or maybe Rapunzel?” I call back to Addy, where she plays in the tub, still in my line of sight from just inside her room.
“Rapunzel!” she calls back without missing a beat, and I hear the water splash onto the floor.
“Keep the water in the tub, silly girl.” Her giggles ring through the room, like music to my ears.
“Sorry, Mommy.”
I grab her nightgown and head back, careful not to fall on my butt. Bath time is always an event with Addy; she loves it. The bubbles, splashing, toys, and now what she calls the princess treatment.
It’s silly; all I’m doing is taking care of her, but I can’t help but love it too. Time with just us, girl time where I blow-dry and braid her hair to stop it from looking like a rat's nest in the morning. Des had raved about how much of a genius I was the first time he saw me do it. Told me he wished they’d had me sooner; it would have saved them hours of getting ready and lots of tears before school.
