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Ihonestly cannot believe I just did that. But for heaven’s sake, somebody had to speak up for the baby. Here she is, whimpering fretfully while a pair of grown men bicker like children.
She’s not fussing anymore, though, once I have her changed. She seems fairly content as I put her down in her crib. “A good night, sweet girl,” I whisper, stroking her surprisingly thick, dark curls. She must have been born with them. I can see myself getting very attached to this child.
And to the men in her life. It’s dangerous, no doubt—mixing business and pleasure is never a good idea. I might be young, but I know that much. What’s the alternative, though? Choosing one of them and forgetting about the other? I’m not sure I could do that.
What am I even thinking? So they’re both hot, and I’m attracted to both of them. It doesn’t mean anything. I need to get my head out of my hormones and focus on the job.
Rather than go to the bedroom, I head downstairs since I need to get an idea of the house, the formula, and everything else I should know about.
I find the brothers sitting in the living room, and my heart skips a beat. There’s a strange energy in the air—not angry, exactly, but tense. It’s not my job to repair anything between them, especially since I don’t know them well enough to understand where this tension is coming from. I’m not going to flatter myself by thinking it has anything to do with me. That would be stupid, not to mention egotistical. Delusional, even.
“She’s asleep,” I murmur, coming to a stop in front of the fireplace with the two of them sitting in front of me. “Can we go over her feeding schedule? Where can I find everything she needs?”
They exchange a look before Nathan sits up straighter and clears his throat. “There’s something I wanted to talk with you about before we get into that.”
Again, my heart skips a beat, but this time, it’s anxiety causing it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten an attitude earlier. I just feel really strongly about?—”
Nathan waves his hands and shakes his head. “That has nothing to do with it—but now that you mention it, you were right to shut us up.”
Keaton nods. “Yeah, we were acting like assholes and upsetting the baby. We needed to hear that.”
I can breathe a little easier without a hand squeezing my heart. “Oh. That’s good to hear.”
“This is awkward.” Keaton looks at his brother, who shrugs. “Nathan doesn’t agree with me that you need to know this, but I feel like you do.”
This is it. This is where they’re going to drop a bombshell. I need this job so badly. I should’ve known it was too good to be true.
“We hope you don’t take this the wrong way… but we both… like you.”
Nathan winces, and all I can do is stand here, staring at them like I’ve never heard English before. I must be imagining things. Maybe there was something wrong with my food, and it’s messing with my brain.
“Personally, I didn’t think you needed to hear that,” Nathan mutters while glaring at his brother. “And I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
“But you deserve to know,” Keaton insists. “If we’re bitching and bickering, that’s why. It’s not your fault.”
They were arguing because they like me? Is this a joke or a dream? Neither of them are smiling. If anything, Nathan looks like he’s practically in pain while Keaton rubs his hands together, fidgeting nervously.
Finally, when it seems like they’re waiting for me to say something, I offer, “I like you, too. It’s nothing to feel bad or weird about or anything like that.” When they both widen their eyes before exchanging a glance, I blurt out, “But that doesn’t mean we can’t still work together. And I really do need this job. Did you tell him?” I ask Keaton.
He shakes his head. “No.”
“I need somewhere to live. I need the money. And I really love Lilly already. I would be heartbroken if I had to leave now.”
“Nobody is asking you to leave,” Nathan assures me. “It’s more like we’re trying to make sure you can be comfortable here.”
“That’s fine. Really, it’s okay. I won’t be weirded out or anything.”
They look at each other and have a quick, silent conversation before Nathan nods. “So long as we’re on the same page.”
He yawns loudly and stretches before chuckling. “Sorry. It’s been a long… couple of months.” He quickly gives me the rundown on where to find the bottles he’s already prepared and left in the fridge, then yawns again.
“I guess I’ll get going.” Keaton takes his time, though, sort of dragging his feet. “But I’ll stop in tomorrow.” He pretends to ignore Nathan’s scowl before he leaves. Thunder rumbles in the distance before he closes the door. And that leaves the two of us.
“I guess I’ll go to my room,” I suggest. This is so awkward. I wasn’t prepared for this, and now I’m scrambling to get a handle on things. “I can always unpack tomorrow. It won’t take long anyway.”
He follows me up the stairs, and my heart beats a little faster with every step. “Make sure to let me know if there’s anything you think you need. Whatever it is, you’ve got it.”
“Thank you.” I’m a little too tongue-tied to say anything else. My face is flushed, and my chest is tight, so it’s good that he doesn’t follow me into my bedroom. We don’t need to make things complicated.
