SWNOVELS Acts of Atonement: Chapter 2
COFFEE. SWEET NECTAR OF THE GODS.
Holding my favorite mug in one hand, I take a giant sip of the rich black liquid. Mmmmm. So good. Closing my eyes, I allow the caffeine to enter my system, one delicious gulp at a time and savor the quiet before the storm.
The twins aren’t up yet, and this is the only time I have to myself before chaos descends upon me.
Ever since summer hit, the boys have been on a mission to decimate the house. It’s a miracle I’ve been able to keep them in check thus far since they have the attention span of a gnat, quickly getting bored of whatever activity I’ve set up for them.
It’s times like these that make me really miss Mom. I’m really not a bitter Betty, it just feels like a real mom would be able to do so much better than a big sister.
Taking one more sip of coffee, I pick up my phone and lazily peruse social media before remembering Dad sent me a message last night. Something about William and his daughter, Harper. Gosh, that really is a shitty situation he’s in. To have his wife leave them like that is beyond insane. Who in their right mind would leave William? The man is gorgeous.
I may or may not have fantasized about his piercing blue eyes and strong jawline warming my bed on more than one occasion. I mean, can you blame me? The man is a Greek god, any hormonal teenager would be lusting after his full lips and chiseled body. Not to mention, he’s also an amazing father and extremely smart businessman.
William was the one who came up with the idea to make WRATH a national firm as opposed to the small local deal it originally was. Thanks to him, they now have contracts throughout the states with some extremely high-profile clients.
The man truly is the whole enchilada, and that woman is seriously delusional if she thinks she can do better than him. To each their own, I guess.
DAD: Hey Bella, William needs a nanny for Harper, and I told him you’d be okay with stepping in for the summer until he finds a permanent live-in.
He’s in a bind and this would really help him out. If you’re okay with taking on one more kiddo, then meet him and his sister over at his place tomorrow morning. You’ll be going over Harper’s schedule.
Gaaaawd, Dad is lucky Harper is an easy baby. What was he thinking, offering without asking me first?!
“Bella, Bo Bella!” Matthew sing-songs as he runs into the kitchen, signaling the end of my quiet time.
“G’morning, booger butt. Where’s your brother and what do y’all want for breakfast today?” I ask while running my hand through his platinum blond hair.
The twins look so much like Dad, with bleach-blond hair, green eyes, and an olive complexion. I, on the other hand, am the spitting image of our mother with dark ebony hair and pale gray eyes—the only exception being my ability to tan, giving me the same golden complexion as the boys. I sometimes catch Dad staring at me with the saddest eyes, knowing I must be a constant reminder of the woman he lost.
If only he knew…
“Max is brushing his teeth,” Matt says, snapping me back into the here and now. “It’s Saturday, we want chocolate chip pancakes, duh!” He giggles as he rubs his belly.
“Chocolate chip pancakes it is.” I quickly spin around and head toward the pantry, pulling out the necessary ingredients and laying them out on the counter.
Max saunters into the room and sits at the butcher block island with Matt. They start chatting about the latest Marvel movie and I decide there’s no time like the present to break the news about the newest addition to Bella’s Summer Camp.
I pour the ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir. “Guess what, chicken butts?”
“What?!” they both shout in unison.
“Miss Harper will be joining us on all of our summer adventures, starting with a trip to the zoo on Monday, if her dad clears it, of course. Does that sound like fun?”
I had to sweeten the pot with an excursion, in case they weren’t keen on having a one-year-old cutting in on their summer vacation—it seems to be working. Their eyes are as wide as saucers and their tiny faces are aglow with excitement.
“Heck, yeah!” The boys high five and quickly start talking about all the animals they want to see. “We have to make a stop at the snake exhibit. They are so cool.”
I shudder remembering the last time I took Matt and Max to see the reptiles. It was feeding time and I couldn’t get the vision out of my mind for days, but the boys seemed to love it. I roll my eyes and shake my head as I mutter under my breath, “Boys.” It’ll be nice to have a little girl in the mix, switching things up.
After breakfast, Dad agreed to watch the boys so I could go meet up with William, Harper, and Ashley. To be honest, I’m sort of nervous.
Full-on confessional—remember that whole bit about how I may or may not have fantasized about William? Yeah, well, I totally downplayed that. Every time I’m around him—which isn’t often, thank goodness—I get all weird and turn into a loon. I seriously pray I don’t make a fool of myself.
Giving myself a mental pep talk, I finally force myself to get out of the Tahoe. Once outside, I come face to face with my dream home. It’s a beautiful Cape Cod style house nestled smack dab in the middle of University Park. It’s absolutely gorgeous, with gray shingle siding, white shutters, ornate molding, and white trim around the front double doors.
Just as I’m about to step onto the porch, the front doors open and William steps out.
“Bella, thanks for helping us on such short notice.” He moves to hug me, and I freeze. He’s never hugged me before and the sudden display of affection catches me off guard. When he notices my reaction, he quickly steps back. “Soooo, that’s your ride? Very mom-mobile for an eighteen-year-old, no?”
“I guess. It’s a necessity while carting around two six-year-olds from soccer, to hockey, to karate. It was that or a minivan, and no offense to moms everywhere, but no thanks. It’s social suicide for someone my age. Not that I have much of a social life, but still. It would be nice to forgo the mom bus in case I ever went out with friends.” Noticing the smirk on his face and the fact that I’m rambling, I quit while I’m ahead and shut up.
“Well, whatever the reasoning, it suits you. You took on a huge role and stepped up for the boys after your mother…” He trails off, not really wanting to finish that sentence. Losing our mother three years ago was a blow to everyone who knew her, and still a major source of sorrow whenever she’s brought up in conversation. “Look, if caring for Harper is too much on top of what you already have going on, I totally understand.”
“No, it’s fine.” My voice comes out thick and forced. “I already talked to the boys about it and they’re excited. Plus, it’s only temporary through the summer, right?”
“Yes, maybe even sooner if I’m able to find a live-in nanny before then.” He motions toward the house with his left hand and continues. “Please come in.” William presses his palm to my back, his pinky connecting with the exposed skin of my midriff and shooting tiny jolts of electricity up my spine as he ushers me into his home.
I only see the Hawthorne family on holidays or special occasions and I’ve only been inside their home once, at Harper’s baptism brunch. Stepping into the foyer, the home is just as stunning as I remember. It’s decorated in a coastal farmhouse theme with calming shades of gray and ivory throughout the entire main floor.
“Hey Bella, I can’t believe how big you are! I haven’t seen you in ages. Since you were fifteen, right?” Ashley walks up to me while holding Harper and reaches over for a side hug. “You’re such a beautiful young lady now, your mother would be so proud.”
I hug her back, bopping Harper’s nose as I pull away. “Hey. Yes, the last time I saw you was at my mother’s funeral.” I give her a sad smile and try to change the subject. “So, you’ve been helping William with Harper?”
“Yes, I have. Come, let’s go into the kitchen and grab some coffee while we chat.”
“You said the magic word, coffee.” I raise my hands skyward in praise. “Show me the way and I will follow.” I chuckle while keeping pace.
We step into the all-white kitchen. It’s finished with nickel hardware, a massive marble island, and a gorgeous fireplace in front of the breakfast nook. Totally Instagram worthy.
Ashley hands Harper to William and points me toward a barstool. “Sit. I’ll make your coffee. How do you take yours?”
“Black. No fuss. Makes it really easy on the mornings the boys and I are running late. Which is more often than not.” I laugh self-deprecatingly.
“Girl, I understand. Trust me. I honestly don’t know how you do it with two boys. I’ve been helping my brother for a month, and don’t get me wrong, I love my niece, but I’m in no hurry to have a baby permanently.” She shoots me a smile while simultaneously pushing a cup of coffee toward me. “Your father is truly lucky to have you, Bella.”
“There was no other choice. My family needed me, and I couldn’t just check out on them. That would have been all kinds of wrong,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.
“Not everyone thinks the same way you do, Bella,” William growls out, pinning me with his brooding gaze.
Crap. I’m guessing I hit a sore spot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say anything offensive,” I quickly apologize, not realizing I might’ve rubbed the shortcomings of his crappy ex in his face.
“Don’t pay Mr. Grumpy Pants any mind, Bella.” Ashley waves her hand toward William. “Now, let’s talk about the schedule. Harper is up by seven a.m., naps at noon, dinner at five-thirty and in bed by seven. William heads out to the office at eight forty-five a.m. and returns at five-thirty p.m. That is, unless he’s out of town for business. How will that work with the schedule you have going on with the boys?”
“Matt and Max are both up at six a.m. sharp. Yay me. Which means I’m usually up by five or five-thirty a.m. if I want to get ahead of the curve. If it’s okay with everyone, we could be out the door by six forty-five and here in time for Harper’s wakeup call.” I take a sip of coffee and continue with my train of thought. “We could all have breakfast here, then set out for our daily activity, whether it’s out of the house or something here in the back yard. We’ll all be back inside for nap time, followed by learning activities and dinner.” Ashley and William both nod, so I continue. “I could prepare dinner, but the boys and I don’t have to eat here, if it’s too much of a strain. Plus, I’m sure Dad will start to miss my cooking.”
“Anything in this kitchen is at your disposal, including the food, so don’t be shy about it. Chef will be out on maternity leave until the fall, so I know William will appreciate all of the help you can give when it comes to cooking. That man can burn water.” Ashley snorts as she slaps her knee. “Anyway, feel free to take any leftovers home to Aiden, that way you’ll kill two birds with one stone.”
“You really are the modern day Mary Poppins,” William blurts out, half in awe and half in sarcastic disbelief.
“I don’t know about all that, but my college major is Child Psychology, so I guess it’s in my nature.” I wink and point at William.
I winked?! What the hell is wrong with me? I feel my cheeks burn under his scrutiny. Talk about being socially awkward. Quickly turning around, I face Ashley, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Ashley glances back and forth between William and I, narrowing her eyes. Something flashes across her face, but it’s gone before I can ascertain the emotion behind it. “What college are you going to, Bella? Is it out of state or local?”
“It’s local. Dad said he’d be finding care for the boys before I start this fall, but I still wanted to stay close. You never know when they’ll need me.” I play with a strand of my hair, thinking of the twins. “Frankly, I think I need those boys just as much as they need me. They were my anchor throughout the whole grieving process. They gave me a purpose to keep going and I could honestly say I’d be a different person today if it wasn’t for them.”
I wipe a rogue tear and apologize. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be a downer and get emotional on y’all. If the schedule sounds good then I can be here with the boys Monday morning.”
“You are not a downer, Bella,” Ashley coos. “I think she’s the perfect fit for Harper, don’t you William?”
“Yes.”
That’s it. That’s all I get. A one-word answer letting me know I have the gig. God, I hope the rest of our interactions aren’t like this. Awkward AF.
After discussing pay and other logistics, we catch up on what little of my social life I’m willing to share, which isn’t much. Let’s be honest, they wouldn’t be thrilled to know the truth about my extracurriculars. We quickly move on to Ashley’s life back in Palm Beach. She apparently is dating some hotshot lawyer and is smitten. It seems there might be a wedding in the near future.
Realizing what time it is, I place my empty cup down on the island and step off the bar stool. “It’s been so nice catching up, but I have to get back before the boys burn the house down on Dad’s watch.” I chuckle. “I’ll be back Monday morning. Please call if anything changes between now and then.” I wave goodbye to William and walk toward his sister on my way out. “Hope to see more of you, Ashley. It was so nice spending time together.” With a hug and a squeeze, I’m out the door, ready to shake the awkwardness of this morning’s encounter.