by Kennedy Fox
“…or I can’t be wearing shirts like this around you?” she quips, not paying any attention to how frustrated I’m becoming. “I think I can handle Jackson, so stop worrying yourself.”
“Whatever, Mila.”
She straightens up and looks me dead in the eyes. “You’re my boss, and you can make any crazy rules you want when it comes to your baby, but you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t wear, unless you’re instituting a dress code for me, and if that’s the case, I want a raise and a clothes allowance then.”
I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest that’s rising and falling rapidly. “How much for you to wear baggy overalls and turtlenecks every day?”
“You’ve got jokes, do you?” she mutters, not amused. “Why not just put a chastity belt on me, too, while you’re at it?”
I grunt, thinking that’s not a bad idea actually.
After Maize’s strapped in, she picks up the car seat, and we walk toward the door. I grab the handle from her and carry her instead. Even though Maize’s almost four months old, she gets heavy in this thing. Mila grabs her coat and the diaper bag off the chair and looks over her shoulder at me. “I’m not changing.”
“Fine, suit yourself. I’m willing to bet after five minutes around my brother, you’ll wish you would’ve.”
“We’ll see,” she tells me as she walks toward the truck. I open the back door and try to snap Maize’s seat in, but the damn thing won’t click in.
“Dammit,” I curse, fiddling with the base that never seems to work for me. Alex had to come to help me the first time because I didn’t realize the car seat faces backward or even how to buckle it in.
“Let me do it.” Mila pushes her tiny self between the door, and our bodies are so close, I can feel her heart beating against her chest. Noticing our proximity, I step back and let her in. “You have to put the back end in first and then push it forward until you hear the click.” She does it in a matter of seconds and then tickles Maize’s belly and smiles. She adjusts her straps once more and tucks in her pacifier.
The drive over to my parents’ is awkwardly silent. Mila stares out the window, not saying much to me, and I wonder if I really pissed her off. Everything seemed fine this morning when I left for work, so I’m sure she’s annoyed with how I reacted to her outfit, but I couldn’t help it. There needs to be boundaries, especially if she’s living in my house and will be around my brothers. I know how Jackson acted around River and Emily when Alex and Evan first brought them around, and it was primarily to piss them off. However, Mila isn’t mine, which, to Jackson, means she’s available for the taking—but she definitely isn’t.
I’m tempted to ask her what her problem is just to get her to speak to me again, but as soon as I open my mouth, her phone buzzes, and she’s lost in it as soon as she gets a text. We arrive at the house, and once I park, Mila gets out, unlatches the base, and I carry Maize inside.
As soon as we enter the house, Mama is greeting me at the door with open arms. She hugs and kisses me as if she hasn’t seen me in years and does the same for Mila. “Good to see you, honey. John treating you well?” she asks.
“Yes ma’am,” she says, but keeps it short.
The smell of roasted chili fills the room, and my mouth waters thinking about Mama’s homemade cornbread.
“Can I take her out?” Mama asks and reaches for Maize before I even respond. Mila kneels, unstraps Maize, then shows off her shirt.
“Oh, my goodness gracious, look how cute she looks in that,” she says, grabbing Maize out and holding her close. Maize smiles up at Mama as she makes goofy faces.
“Mila picked it out,” I tell her with a smile.
“Mila, honey. I already love you.” Mama holds Maize close to her chest and talks about how much she loves the way babies smell. She’s at her happiest with her grandkids, and though none of us were remotely prepared for another baby to be added, Mama’s been my biggest supporter.
“Bowls are on the counter. Cheese is in the fridge. Help yourselves,” she says just as Jackson and Alex come barreling in.
Mama gives them the evil eye, and when they see Maize, they bring their volume from a ten to a one in an instant.
“Mila, this is Alex, my youngest brother,” I introduce. Alex gives her a smile, and she holds her hand out to shake his, but he pulls her into a side hug. “We’re huggers ’round here. You’ll learn that soon enough. Nice to meet you. Thanks for saving my brother’s ass.” He lets out a small chuckle.
Dad enters through the back door, goes straight to the sink to wash his hands, and then darts over to where Mama and Maize are. He holds out his arms.
“No, sir. I planned this lunch so I could get a little love from my grandbaby.” I shake my head at their antics as I grab two bowls. After filling them both, I set them down on the table and then grab the shredded cheese.
“You want some homemade cornbread?” I ask Mila over my shoulder, and all she does is give me a nod. I groan out in frustration but decide now’s not the time for a heated discussion.
Mama sweet-talks Maize but reluctantly hands her over to Dad a minute later. Out of everyone in the family, he’s surprised me the most. From the moment he saw Maize, it was love at first sight, which made me so happy and relieved. When I told Dad the news of being a father, I was so damn nervous about his reaction. Since I had called Mama first, she told me it was my responsibility to tell him too. Maize and I were sitting in the living room that first night, and when Dad came in from the pastures, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. I stood, carrying Maize over, and told him she was mine. He was silent at first but then patted my shoulder and said he wanted to go clean up, then we’d talk. I told him about Bailey and the note, and that I was all she had now. He turns to mush now anytime she’s around. Dad helped raised four boys and a girl, so I know firsthand how soft he gets around girls. Courtney got away with murder growing up, and I suspect that won’t be any different with Maize either.
It’s actually brought us closer, which is nice too. Dad’s quiet and a hard shell to crack on his best days, but Maize has brought all of us together. He lights up when he sees her, and a smile that I’ve never seen before fills his face. Maize and Dad have a special bond that I don’t think can ever be broken.
I break my attention away from my parents quietly arguing over who gets to hold and feed her and look over at Jackson. Just as I suspect, once he lays his beady eyes on Mila, he starts in with his flirting, but this time, he doesn’t go light. He’s full on trying to piss me off. We sit around the table, holding quiet conversations as Mama and Dad get their alone time with Maize.
“So Mila, you got a boyfriend back home?” Jackson asks, and Alex rolls his eyes. We can all see through his bullshit. But Mila, being as polite as she is, appeases him. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was flirting back, which irritates the fuck out of me.
“No boyfriend,” she answers with a seductive smile.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day considerin’ I’m single and ready to mingle.” He shoots her a wink, and I think I see her blush before lowering her eyes back to her food.
“Enough,” I pipe in. The room grows silent, but it’s short-lived.
“Sorry, my brother’s a bit of an asshole. Quiet a majority of the time, but still an asshole. Though he’s got the same good looks as I do, he’s a total party killer.” Jackson leans over and tells her loud enough for everyone in the room to hear except Mama who’s paying zero attention to any of us.
“Jackson,” I warn, pushing him back in his seat. “Shut the hell up and eat.”
“Have you always been a nanny?” Alex asks her with a smile, changing the subject, which I’m thankful for.
“Actually, no. This is my first time. I have six brothers and sisters and helped my mom with my younger siblings growing up. I also help my older sister with my nephew when she needs me. Recently, I graduated from college with a teaching degree and hope to teach elementary kids in the fall in Geo
rgia,” she tells Alex, and that’s when I realize there’s still so much I don’t know about her. I knew she had a large family and a degree, but I didn’t know she was from Georgia. I figured she wasn’t from around here since her accent is a bit different, but I had no idea she was from out of state. Thankfully, Mama hired her and probably knows everything from her blood type to her social security number, but it makes me feel like a dick for not asking basic questions and learning more about her. Though it’s only been a few weeks, the realization sets in that I practically have a stranger living in my house.
“Wow, seven of you? I bet your mama is crazier than ours,” Jackson says with a laugh.
“I heard that,” Mama says over her shoulder.
Mila chuckles in agreement. “My mama is fierce. With one look, she makes us all shudder in fear. Taught us manners at a young age and how to follow the rules.” On the last word she turns her head and looks at me. “But as the third Carmichael kid, I wasn’t one to always follow the rules.”
I narrow my eyes at her but don’t say a word. She’s testing me, and Jackson is eating it up like a fat kid at a buffet.
“A rule breaker. You sound like my kind of woman,” Jackson adds, and they have a laugh together, which makes me roll my eyes. If they keep it up, they might roll straight out of my head and hit the floor.
“Your kind of woman is loose and will fuck anything with a dick, even a dirty one,” I lean over and mumble to Jackson, purposely trying to get under his skin.
“Mama!” he says, and she turns and looks at him with a death stare.
“You’re over thirty, and you’re gonna play the tattletale game? I oughta…” she warns him.
Mila laughs. “Yes, that exact look. My mama has the same one.”
Mama winks at her and walks into the living room with Maize, leaving us to our antics. Dad follows behind her, and I know being left without any adults to intervene is bad news.
I try to stay quiet and hope everyone else will too, but when Jackson asks Mila on a date in front of me just to get me stirred up, I lose my shit.
“So whaddya say? You, me, drinks.” He works his charm like he always does, reaching over to brush a piece of hair out of Mila’s face. Fuck this.
“Jackson, shut the hell up. She doesn’t want to go on a date with you.”
He smiles at me as if I didn’t say a word, and Mila turns her body toward me, shooting daggers at me. “You don’t get to decide what I do and don’t want to do, either,” she hisses between gritted teeth.
“Finally, a woman who has balls.” Jackson laughs, then glances over at me before bringing all his attention back to Mila. “So is that a yes?” he asks eagerly—desperation in his tone which makes me want to knock him on his ass right here in the kitchen.
“Sure, just let me know when,” Mila tells him in her sugary sweet tone, driving a knife into my last nerve.
Alex stands, excusing himself from the shitstorm, and I stand as well. I’m annoyed and frustrated with this whole situation, but she’s right. I can’t tell her what to do outside of taking care of Maize, but if she wants to go on a date with my horny brother, there will be rules put in place that she will follow before that happens. I can’t risk Jackson fucking her only to break her heart, then her leaving me and Maize high and dry after it all comes crashing down. And knowing Jackson’s reputation, that’s exactly what will happen.
Jackson can make a sweet, innocent girl become a crazy lunatic. I’ve seen it a dozen times over the years and even more since he’s lived with me. Considering we’re identical twins, I’ve even experienced the craziness firsthand, and I’ve honestly wondered how many times he’s pretended to be me to get out of a confrontation. Probably more than I want to know.
As they continue talking and flirting, I place my bowl in the sink and go into the living room where Mama is rocking Maize in the wooden rocking chair she’s had since my older brother Evan was a baby. Seeing her love Maize with so much of her heart, even after everything, makes me so damn happy. My little girl is so loved. I’m so lucky to be a Bishop and to have such a supportive family, even when mistakes happen and babies are born in secret.
“She’s perfect,” Mama says.
“Isn’t she? I love my little Maize Grace.” I bend down to kiss her head that smells like fresh baby soap.
“I wasn’t talking about Maize.” Mama gives me a pointed look.
I narrow my eyes at her, then shake my head. I really hope she’s not trying to play matchmaker like I’ve suspected all along, and she’s just talking about how great of a nanny Mila is. Not wanting to open that can of worms, I keep quiet because if I give any hint that I think she’s even remotely attractive, the grandma brigade will start planning a wedding before the first date. I’ve seen how this works too many times.
Mama shrugs when she doesn’t get a response from me and continues as if she knows something I don’t. “You better not let Jackson ruin this for you,” she says, nonchalantly. “You’ve got a good thing going.”
Chapter Eleven
MILA
I didn’t really plan on going on a date with Jackson, and once John’s out of earshot, I tell him as much. We share a good laugh about making John squirm, and he seems to have the same idea as me. Though, if I wasn’t working for John and looking for a good time with no strings attached, Jackson would be a good distraction. The man oozes confidence like no other, and he’s not afraid to say exactly what’s on his mind—a big change from his brother. Not many men I’ve met are like that. But Jackson is one of those lady-killers—number one heartbreaker—and I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime. The fact that I’m still off-limits to everyone hits me full force. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride—it’s been my life motto since I can remember.
After I thank Mrs. Bishop with a hug for a delicious lunch, we walk out to the truck. John has to get back to work, and Maize needs her afternoon nap. We ride in silence, which is obviously driving John insane. He’s squeezing the steering wheel, and his lips are in a firm line. God, those lips. Always pouty and looking delicious.
Shit.
Not delicious.
John catches me staring at him and looks as if he’s trying to read me, but before either of us can get a word out, Maize starts fussing in her seat.
Looking over my shoulder, I do my best to reach her behind John’s seat. “Oh shoot, she lost her pacifier.” Unbuckling my seat belt, I turn my body and can almost grab it, but it’s wedged between her leg and the bottom of the car seat.
“It’s okay, sweetie.” I try to soothe her, but it only makes her scream louder. I know we’re almost back to the house, but I hate hearing her cry like that. She’s hungry and tired, and I know she’ll fall asleep within minutes of rocking her. “I can’t quite reach it,” I say, turning around, so I’m completely facing the other direction. I lean over the center console, angling my body as far as I can, but it doesn’t work. Since she’s behind the driver's seat, I can barely reach her, so I put one knee on the center console and brace my other leg on the seat. As soon as I reach for the pacifier, I let out a relieved breath, until my bracelet snags on the car seat, keeping my hand firmly in place.
Maize’s screaming bloody murder in my ear, so I place both knees on the console to try to grab her pacifier with the other hand. The bumps in the road make it more of a struggle, but eventually I grab it. “There we go.” Sticking my finger inside of it, I place the pacifier back in Maize’s mouth and wait for her to take it.
“That girl has some strong lungs.” John finally speaks.
“Yeah, probably takes after her uncles.” I snicker.
Once I’m sure Maize’s settled, I slip my finger out of the pacifier and try to unhook my bracelet as John hits another pothole. “Shit.” I’m stuck on my knees, bent over the center console with my ass right in his face. I could tug hard, but it would probably break the tennis bracelet Gigi gave me for Christmas last year. This is exactly why I don’t ever wear jewelry. John starts laugh
ing hysterically, and I can only turn just enough to see his profile. “Are you seriously laughing at me right now?”
He brings a hand up and smacks my ass. “Best view I’ve had in a long time.”
I groan, trying to swat him away from me with my free hand. “You’re an asshole.”
“I warned ya,” he gloats.
“Warned me about what?”
“Wearing that would get you in trouble, and now your ass and thong are hanging out of your pants as we drive by all the ranch hands on their lunch breaks.” He’s still laughing, and as soon as I’m able, I’m smacking that grin right off his too-perfect face.
To emphasize his point, he begins honking, and when I look out the side window, I see half a dozen guys hootin’ and hollerin’ at us.
“Oh my God.” My cheeks heat. “I’m so gettin’ you back for that.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that, sweetheart. Jackson’s my twin brother, remember? I have years of getting even.”
A low groan releases from my throat as he continues to fuel my anger. “Can you pull over and help me?”
“Nah, I’m enjoying this a little too much, and we’re almost home.”
I try with everything I have to get unhooked, but considering I can’t see what my bracelet is stuck on, it’s no use. Maize looks at me with big blue eyes, and it makes me smile.
Minutes later, we arrive at the house, and as soon as he puts the truck in park and turns it off, he turns toward me so I can see his face over my shoulder.
“I’ll help you on one condition,” he states, looking tempting and serious all at once.
“What?”
“You don’t go on a date with my brother.”
I narrow my eyes, waiting for the punch line, but it never comes. Didn’t I just tell him not thirty minutes ago that he wasn’t the boss of my personal life? Why does he even care?
“Hmm…which brother?” I taunt, trying like hell to keep a straight face.