AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stood and swooped down to scoop my two bags up. The one with all my books was heavy enough that I heard the rip of fabric. I’d forgotten that Kip told me it had not been able to handle the weight earlier. I’d just made it worse by not holding onto it properly.
I placed both bags on the bed and started shuffling things around before a strong hand landed on top of mine.
“Stop. You’re not going anywhere,” he said to me in a quiet, placating tone that would have been better served to quell his wife’s anger than my worries.
“Like hell she’s not! This is overstepping!”
“Ashlynn, you selfish fucking bitch, shut the hell up for two minutes and maybe I can explain before you insult our nanny so much that she leaves and never comes back.”
“Oh, she’s leaving all right!”
“STOP!” Kip’s voice boomed so loudly it startled both Ashlynn and me. It also woke the baby who started fussing in his crib. I moved on instinct to go to him, but Ashlynn blocked the doorway.
“If you think you’re going to put your filthy whore hands on my son, you better think again.”
“Ashlynn, one more fucking word from you, before I explain the situation, and you can go back to stay with your mother permanently.” Kip’s angry tone was so cold that it made me shiver. Then he moved her aside and tipped his head indicating silently that I should go to his son while he handled his wife.
“I’ll go to my mother’s and take Knox with me, you fucking cheating bastard.”
Kip laughed, though I didn’t think there was any humor in the sound. “First of all, I’m pretty sure our skittish little nanny is still a virgin. Second, that’s neither of our business. Third, Breakneck would probably throw down if he thought for two seconds that I tried to lay claim to the girl. Fourth, she’s here because her previous landlord was filming her in the shower and the club is about to handle that shit.
“She needs a place to stay. I have a run coming up that will take me away for a few nights. You’re never home with our son. Having a live-in nanny seems like the only option we have right now and the best option for that girl to get on her feet and not have to fear that a fucking pervert is watching her use the fucking bathroom where she lives.”
There was an audible gasp or two in the mix as Ashlynn processed what Kip was telling her. After that, I tuned everything out and focused on Knoxville and getting him back to sleep, despite his parent’s continued bickering.
“It’s probably a good thing I didn’t unpack that bag, huh? Only now, I really have nowhere to go.” I sighed so long that it was a wonder my lungs could possibly have any breath left in them.
“I didn’t realize,” Ashlynn said from where she stood by the doorway to Knoxville’s room. I glanced up at her and she seemed almost repentant for the things she had said to me earlier, though she couldn’t bring herself to actually apologize for any of it. “At least you’ll be around for all hours now.”
I shook my head. “I still have to go to my classes, so my schedule of availability hasn’t changed all that much.”
Ashlynn huffed. “What good is a nanny who can’t even be here during the day?” She asked before turning and walking away. Kip moved into the doorway and swiveled his head from the direction his wife had just trounced off to and where I stood rocking his son back and forth.
“Don’t let anything she says get to you. She’s the mother of that baby you’re holding. She’s home, and you’re the one still taking care of him. My wife’s place in this house might not be, but don’t ever doubt that your job is secure, Nova.”
While Kip’s declaration made me feel a little better, it also made my heart hurt for him and their son. What was wrong with the woman that she couldn’t be happy with a man like him? More importantly, why couldn’t she be a good mother to her son?
It didn’t really matter in the end, but the doorbell going off made me forget all about my questions where Ashlynn was concerned because it brought about a whole other level of drama.
“What in the hell are you doing here?” I heard Ashlynn ask after the door was opened.
“I came to pick up Nova,” a man stated. I knew exactly who that voice belonged to and memory of him telling me that he’d be by to pick me up later surfaced.
“Oh, hell no! We’re not doing this. I told that girl, when she first started working for us that I wouldn’t tolerate another club slut hanging around, caring for my kid.”
“Shut up, Ashlynn!” I was shocked by the vehemence in Kip’s demand.
“Don’t you tell me to shut up!”
“You are home, and Nova’s still in there taking care of our son, it’s not like you have a leg to stand on here since you don’t want to be a mother to Knox.”
“You bastard!” She shrieked at him.
“Call Tripp, see if he can watch Knox so you two can go out. I don’t want him here for this,” Kip barked, but I didn’t think he was speaking to his wife then. I cautiously rounded the corner and my eyes immediately met with Breakneck’s as he stood in the doorway of their house. He pushed past Ashlynn without much regard for her and made his way to me.
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “Kip said it was okay to be here, but I don’t know. Ashlynn’s been mostly yelling at, or about, me since she got home. I don’t think I should be here, but I don’t really have anywhere else to go now.”
