Chapter Thirteen
***Autumn***
I’dhadsexwith two of the Phoenix brothers and made out with the third one. That was fine. Everything was fine. Nothing weird was going on under their roof at all. It was probably completely normal for the nanny to be involved in one way or another with almost all of the men in the house. I wasn’t the whore that Stacy had called me. Not even a little bit.
Groaning, I pushed off the side of the oversized black SUV that Griffin was sending the kids and me away in. It was apparently visitation day with Stacy, something Griffin hadn’t thought pertinent to mention to me while kissing my face off. I hadn’t known anything until Con showed up and took Grace. He was taking her to see her mom for the day, and I was taking Caroline and Jones to see theirs.
I wanted to strangle Griffin. It was taking every ounce of self-control I had to not quit right then and there. I didn’t want to come face to face with Stacy again. She was mean and hurtful. Especially when she called me names that I was internally struggling with. I really didn’t want to see her just hours after sucking face with her ex-husband. Oh, why had I let that happen?
I turned into the side of the car and tapped my head against the tinted windows. “You fucking idiot, Autumn.”
The window rolled down, making an awful noise as it tried to drag my forehead down with it. Of course, Griffin was sitting on the other side of the window, a smirk on his handsome lips. “I get the feeling you’re unhappy about something.”
I blushed but did my best to act cool, like I wasn’t mortified. “Why am I going to meet with your ex-wife if you’re going?”
“I’m not going in. Stacy is volatile, at best. She sees me and goes nuclear.” He shrugged. “I just need to make sure she doesn’t try anything.”
My heart ached at the vulnerability I saw on his face in that moment. He was a confusing man. Aloof with his children, cruel to others at times, he seemed cold and distant, but there was something in his voice right then that was soft and warm for his kids. It was good to see. Finally.
I rested my hand on top of his forearm. “I won’t mess up again. I know the rules now. I wouldn’t let anything happen.”
He held my gaze, searching for something, and finally nodded. “I can see that.”
“But you’re still going.”
He nodded. “Stacy isn’t normal. I just have to be sure that things go smoothly.”
I grunted. “Fine. Just know that your ex-wife is mean and I’m not happy about having to meet with her.”
“Once you let down your boundaries, they’re just down, aren’t they?”
I opened my mouth to reply and then stopped. He was right. I was treating him like we were old friends instead of employer and employee.
“Relax. I’m kidding.” He lowered his voice. “Besides. If either of us is going to be charged for crashing boundaries, it’s me.”
I smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. “So, I can just speak freely from now on? Tell you how I really feel?”
He actually winced. “I don’t know. That feels threatening.”
I was still laughing when Jones came out and scowled at me. “What is it, Jones? You and your sister were just supposed to be using the bathroom and coming on out. Where’s Caroline?”
“Isn’t it your job to know that?”
I rested my hands on my hips and shook my head at him. “Jones, you’re not being very nice. We have a long summer to get through, especially if you’re going to hate me the entire time. Now, get in the car with your father and get buckled in. I’ll go find your sister.”
“She’s in the bathroom, crying again.” He stomped past me. “She said she wants to stay here. She’s an idiot.”
I caught his arm and stopped him, bending down so I was on his level. “Listen to me, Jones, because I’m only going to say this once. You need to be nicer to your sister. She’s the only one you have, and she’s going to remember the way you treat her and talk to her for the rest of her life. Do you want her to remember you as the mean little boy who bullied her when she needed you most? You give me all the attitude you want, but do not call your sister names. Do you understand me?”
He glared up at me. “I don’t have to listen to you. You’re no one.”
“Jones.” Griffin got out of the car, his face pinched with anger. “You’re going to listen to her.”
Shoving back from me, Jones ran away from us. “I hate you both!”
I sighed from where I’d landed on my ass and looked up at a crestfallen Griffin. “He doesn’t mean that.”
Taking my arm and pulling me to my feet, he grunted. “Sure seems like it.”
“I can’t even tell you how many times I see children shout that at their parents. It’s just part of it. Didn’t you ever shout that at your dad when you were little?”
“No. He ran a tight ship.”
I dusted off my ass and watched as Jones ran around the house and towards the beach. “I loved my father more than anything in the world, and I went through a phase as a kid where I told him that I hated him because he made me get up and go fishing with him every morning. I didn’t actually hate him. Just like Jones doesn’t actually hate you.”
“Should I…” Sighing, Griffin ran his hands through his hair. “I should go get him, right? Try and talk to him?”
I smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Yes. Don’t get angry with him if he’s not the nicest right now, though. Be prepared for some pre-teen sass.”
“Pre-teen?” Shaking his head hard, he started off in the direction Jones went. “When the fuck did I get so old?”
I stared after him, telling my brain to remember the asshole version of Griffin. I couldn’t afford to see him as lost and confused. He wasn’t a man who needed saving and I was no freaking lifeguard.
Going to find Caroline, I shut that part of my brain down. I was focused on the kids. Taking care of the kids was all that mattered. I’d had some slip-ups of the male variety, but that was behind me. I was kid-centric, child-focused, damn near baby obsessed. No men, no penis, no anything else. Especially no thinking of the Phoenix men like they were mine to help.
I found Caroline and found out that she didn’t want to go see her mom because she didn’t like her outfit and she was afraid her mom would be mad at her for wearing it. That was astounding and made me want to punch Stacy even more, but it wasn’t my fight. I just had to keep reminding myself of that. I got Caroline changed and back downstairs just as Jones was stomping his way back to the car with a defeated-looking Griffin behind him.
Looking at our ragtag little group, I blew out a big sigh. I was going to have to do something to keep the kids from falling apart in the car. The last thing I wanted to do was listen to a screaming match in an enclosed space.
“Okay, so we’re running a bit late to meet your mom, but how about after we see her, we go out and get ice cream?” I was reaching and bribing, but ice cream was great. Not good enough for rich kids, though, apparently, judging by the lack of enthusiasm as they both climbed into the car.
“Ice cream can make you fat.” Caroline sniffled and looked down at her body. “I don’t want to be fat.”
My blood boiled as I cut my eyes to Griffin, furious that he’d allowed his psycho ex-wife to infect their daughter with that bullshit. “You’re beautiful, Caroline. You’re healthy and perfect, so a scoop of ice cream won’t hurt you. You, either, Jones.”
“I don’t want ice cream.”
I reached deeper into my bribery kit and pulled out a big gun. “Okay, then, if ice cream doesn’t cheer the two of you up, I’m going to have to call in a big favor from some friends of mine. Like, a really, really big favor.”
“What kind of favor?” Caroline wiped her eyes and sat up straighter.
Griffin looked concerned. “Yeah, Autumn, what kind of favor?”
“A big one.” I pulled out my phone and sent a text to a coworker of mine who worked with several animal shelters in the area. “You’ll just have to wait and see what it is.”
Jones crossed his arms and looked out the window. “It’s probably something stupid.”
“If you still think it’s stupid when we get there, you’re more than welcome to stay in the car and sulk.” I shrugged. “We’re going to see your mom first, though. That’s exciting, right?”
When no one answered, I rolled my lips between my teeth and squeezed the bridge of my nose. It was going to be a long afternoon.