by Naomi Niles
"Not really," I stated. Taking her face in my hands, I looked into her eyes and said softly, "We need to talk."
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Rachelle
"What do you want to talk about?" I asked as I clutched my stomach. Tate looked so solemn, it had to be something bad. I should have known things were going too well in my life. Maybe Tate blamed me for kicking Missy out of the house or had seen the way Blake and I nearly kissed when he held me so close. Maybe he was breaking up with me because of all of it.
"Follow me." Tate strode across the bedroom to his dresser and pulled something out of the top drawer. He turned around and showed it to me, and I gasped with surprise. It was the last thing I expected to see: the contract of employment I had signed when I was first hired as Halle's nanny.
"Why do you want to talk about my contract?" I swallowed.
"Because, it's time I did this."
I was shocked as he suddenly ripped it in half right in front of me, and then tore those halves into even smaller pieces, letting them flutter to the floor like bits of confetti.
"What are you doing?" I cried out and tried to catch them as they fell, failing miserably. "Does this mean you don't want me here anymore?"
"No, of course not," he said. "I'm tearing this contract up because I don't want to lose you."
"I don't understand?" I opened my hands in confusion and let the few bits of paper I was holding fall to the floor along with the rest.
He wrapped his around me and held me close. "You're so much more than Halle's nanny now. You take care of her as if she was your own child, and she loves you just like a mother. You've turned my house into a home.
“Most incredibly of all, you love me with all my many faults and make me feel happy and whole. How could I possibly force you to remain obligated under this contract?"
"You don't make me feel obligated," I said, but Tate shook his head.
"I know I have. You can't tell me there weren't times you did things you wouldn't have if it hadn't been required by this damn contract." His eyes were insistent. Thinking of the dress code and the time I would have quit if I hadn't needed the money for Mama, I couldn't deny it.
"Okay, so maybe I was a little, but that's the way it is with any job. You do things you don't always want to do."
"I don't want you to feel that way about being with me. I don't want your time here to be like going to a job where you have to do things you don't like." His eyes filled with pain, and I reached out to touch his hand.
"It's not like that. Maybe it started out that way back in the beginning, but things between us have changed," I comforted him, and he looked back at me with hope.
"Really?" He blinked.
"Yeah, just look at me." I spread my arms wide and spun in a slow circle, showing off my outfit. Running my fingers through my short hair, I grinned at him flirtatiously and said, "No more skirts or ponytails. No more dress code at all. I'm no longer changing myself to fit into the role you want me to play. I'm fully and completely myself when I'm with Halle and when I'm with you."
"Good. That's the way I always want you to be. Tearing up the contract makes it official. You have no obligation to dress or act a certain way. You're free to do what you want in all things. I'll still deposit your nanny salary into your checking account each month to provide for your mother, but there are no rules or strings attached to it. None of the old rules of employment apply, even the one where I said you can't date other men."
So he had seen the way Blake and I almost kissed, and he is jealous. I felt so empowered, I couldn't help but tease him just a little.
"Oh really?" Sashaying around him with a sexy swing of my hips, I ran my fingers through his dark brown hair and said, "So if I happened to run into an old boyfriend from the apartments where I used to live who was handsome and muscular, and he and I spent a lot of time together while you were at work, and he and I happened to pick things back up again where we left off, you'd be totally fine with that?"
Tate bristled noticeably, and his eyes darkened into an angry glare, but he tried to act cool. "What you do is completely up to you. I said no obligations or strings, and I meant it."
"Well good, then that's what I'll do," I taunted. He snapped his head, looking startled and more than a little angry and hurt.
Unable to keep up the ruse, I giggled as I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and pressed my body against his chest. Smiling up at his handsome face, I said, "Blake Barnes and I barely knew each other, except for a brief passing in the stairwell a time or two. Picking up where we left off means going right back to being strangers who pass in the hall sometimes. You're the only boyfriend from my past, and the only one I want for my future."
"Really?" He grinned broadly as he squeezed my slender body tightly to him.
"Really." I smiled back, and we kissed each other deeply. He lifted me up into the air, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he backed me up against the nearest wall, pinning me there as we kissed with all the fiery passion we felt for each other.
Chapter Seventy: Rachelle
I woke the next morning feeling happy and refreshed and stretched my muscles slowly. They were a little achy and sore, but in all the best ways. I loved my vigorous love-making sessions with Tate and hoped I could always wake up feeling this way.
I sat up in bed and looked down at him, sleeping beside me with his mouth slightly agape, snoring ever so softly. It was a soothing sound, and I kissed his forehead gently, being careful not to wake him up. It was rare for him to sleep in, and I wanted him to get all the rest he could.
As much as I knew he loved going to work every day, I could tell the long hours were taking a toll on him. He wasn't as young as he used to be, and the surgery he had after being stabbed by Stuart had been tougher on him than he cared to admit. It had been a good thing that he stayed home as long as he did so his body had time to recover.
His career gave him purpose, however, and that was its own kind of medicine. He needed to go to work every day, and as long as it made him feel so happy and fulfilled, I supported him in it. So, I would take care of his home for him and make it a peaceful place for him to relax.
Suddenly, there came a knock on the door, and I unlocked it for Halle. So much for peaceful sleeping in.
"Daddy! It's morning!" Halle came bounding into the room with her usual exuberance. Morton stood in the doorway watching her with his usual somber expression, but I knew how much he adored her.
Catching her in my arms, I held my forefinger up to my lips and whispered, "Shhh. Don't wake your father. Let him sleep in for once. Come with me down to the kitchen, and we'll make him a special breakfast for when he wakes up."
"Giraffe pancakes!" she suggested a little too loudly. I winced, hoping she hadn't awakened him.
"Shhh. Yes. We can make giraffe pancakes," I whispered. I wrapped my robe around my body and rushed to shepherd her out the door, but it was too late.
Opening his eyes, Tate stretched his arms and smiled at us. "Giraffe pancakes sound great. Wait just a minute for me to get dressed, and I'll help make them."
"No, go back to sleep. We can handle the cooking, and you can eat when you wake up."
"It's too late for that. Besides, I like spending time with my family before I have to go to work."
"You're going to work again today, Daddy?" Halle's lower lip stuck out in a sad little pout.
"I'm afraid so, sweetheart. I left early yesterday so we could have a day at the zoo, so I really have to be there today. We've got a big meeting to discuss the manufacturing details of our new product line."
"Oh, I see." She nodded her little head with a serious expression like she truly understood, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from giggling. This made Tate nearly laugh, too, and he scooped us both into his arms, tickling us until we were all three of us laughing aloud.
"Okay, enough of this," I finally said after we all had a chance to settle down. I took Halle by the hand and lead her towards the door, sa
ying to her, "Daddy has to get ready for work. Let's you and I get the pancake batter ready, and he can help us make giraffe pancakes after he's dressed for work."
"Can I crack the eggs?" she asked happily.
"Certainly." I smiled at her as she clapped her hands and ran ahead of me with Morton following behind. Then I blew Tate a kiss and said, "See you downstairs."
"Are you sure you don't want to help me shower?" He grinned at me playfully.
"Then you'll be late for your meeting. How about we save that for tonight?"
"Deal." He shot me a sexy wink, and I left the room smiling widely, until suddenly I smacked right into a bulky bodyguard waiting just outside the door.
"Blake." I stumbled back with surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to run into you like that. Are you alright?"
Holding my shoulders gently, he chuckled lightheartedly and said, "You could never do anything to hurt me. I just wanted to make sure you're alright."
"I don't think you should be so familiar with me. I'm with Tate, and there can never be anything between you and me." I removed his hands from touching me and stepped back away from him to widen the distance between us.
"I'm just protecting you like Mr. Holland instructed me to," he said defensively, and I felt guilty for being so blunt. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but he had to know how uncomfortable I was with his intimate flirtations.
Just then, Tate appeared at the top of the stairs looking dashing in his tan suit by Ralph Lauren. He walked down the stairs and took me by the hand, not in a possessive manner, but a loving one. Blake took the hint and backed away to a respective distance, and I felt my whole body relax.
"You got dressed fast." I smiled at Tate, making it clear I was happy to see him.
"Well, we did decide I didn't need a shower until tonight when I got home." He winked at me, and I had to stifle a giggle.
We went to the kitchen to find Halle standing on a chair by the counter with Morton by her side, picking eggshells out of the pancake batter.
Grinning brightly, she cried out "Look, I made breakfast all by myself!"
"I told you to wait for me, and we'd make pancakes together," I admonished, but she was clearly so proud of herself it was impossible to be mad at the precious little girl.
"It's okay; I was with Morton! I'm never alone. I have you and Daddy, and Emma and Morton, and Mommy all to take care of me," Halle justified, and an awkward silence fell over the room. Looking from me to Tate, Halle asked, "Can they all have breakfast with us?"
"Well, Emma and Morton both have work duties to perform," Tate explained gently, and I held my breath hoping that would be the end of it.
"How about Mommy? I haven't seen her in a long time. She must be really hungry. I'll go wake her up!" Halle said enthusiastically, and my stomach felt like I'd been punched in the gut.
Tate's voice was gentle and loving as he said to her, "Listen, sweetheart, Missy had to go away again. I'm sorry, but I'm here, and I will never go away."
"And, I'm here, too," I said, feeling like complete crap for being the one to kick her mother out of the house.
I had never understood how Tate could enable Missy to live her life as a junkie by letting her stay in his house and provide her with an allowance, but having to explain to Halle that her mother had left her again made it all clear. There was nothing worse than breaking a child's heart, and I would have given anything at that moment to have been able to say that Missy was in her room, sleeping off a hangover, rather than tell her child that she had left.
I expected Halle to cry or fall onto the floor kicking and screaming, but to my surprise, she just shrugged it off.
"Okay, well, that just means there's more pancakes for us." She smiled easily, and I felt a weight physically lifted from my chest, making me suddenly able to breathe again.
"That's right, sweetheart." Tate kissed her left cheek, and I kissed her right.
"It sure is." I smiled. It was incredible how resilient the heart of a child could be, and I admired Halle for her strength of character, ability to forgive, and positive attitude. The world would be a far better place if more people could have the attitude of this sweet little girl, and was indeed a better place because she was in it.
We cooked up the pancakes together as a family, with Tate pouring the batter into goofy shapes and claiming they were zoo animals.
"This one's a giraffe doing a cartwheel," he said, making Halle laugh aloud. "And this one is a giraffe and a zebra dancing the tango."
I fried up the bacon and set the table with orange juice and whipped butter. Then Halle carefully carried the serving platter piled high with uniquely shaped pancakes to the table and set it in the center.
"Breakfast looks terrific." Tate beamed, taking his seat at the head of the table. "Let's eat!"
"Oh no!" Halle cried out in despair as I helped her into her place.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"My giraffe! We can't eat giraffe pancakes without her!" Her hazel green eyes that so matched her father's suddenly filled with tears.
"It's okay. I'll go get her." I started towards the stairs, but Halle stopped me.
"No, she's not in the nursery!"
"Where is she?" I asked, knowing the little girl never went anywhere without the precious stuffed toy.
"I took her to the zoo. She's still in the car."
"Okay. It's no problem." Tate wiped the tears from her red cheeks with a cloth napkin. "Calm down. I'll go to the car and get her for you."
"It's okay." I put my hand lovingly on his shoulders. "You need to eat breakfast so you can get to your meeting on time. I'll go to the car and get her."
"Thanks, darling." He kissed my cheek.
"Yeah, thanks, Mommy-Rachelle." Halle beamed, and I felt my heart skip a beat. It was the first time she had ever called me that, and it felt wonderful.
"I'll be right back," I said, and turned my back on her before she could see the tears of emotion brimming in my eyes. I practically skipped to the garage, but when I opened the door, I nearly tripped on something.
"What is this?" I stooped down to move the object out of the way. It was heavy and sticky.
I dropped it and looked down at my hands, which were now covered in blood. A scream tore from my throat and echoed through the house. Blake was there within seconds, with Tate right behind him.
"What is it?" the two men cried out together in unison.
"It's Missy," I said in a trembling voice, and they both looked down to see her dead body lying at my feet on the steps of the garage.
Chapter Seventy-One: Rachelle
My scream of horror was still echoing through the air as I trembled in the doorway of the garage, trying not to vomit or faint. Blake and Tate both arrived at my side instantly.
Blake bent down to check Missy’s vitals, but it obvious there was no saving her. She'd been shot multiple times in the chest, the gaping wounds leaving no way to even try to resuscitate her. He simply shook his head and covered her body with a nearby tarp from the shelves in the garage before he got on his phone, issuing orders to his men.
I was numb as Tate pulled me into his loving arms and held me against his firm chest. Sobs wracked through my body, but my eyes shed no tears. My gasps were a physiological response to the shock I was going through. One moment I had been casually walking through the garage door on an innocent errand to fetch Halle's stuffed giraffe from the car, and the next, I was unexpectedly tripping over Missy's dead body.
It was enough to send anyone into shock, but I had Halle to think of. She was just in the other room, and so I had to be strong and keep it together. I drew courage from Tate as he held me and calmly stroked my hair until my breathing began to slow back to normal.
It was a strange feeling. I had disliked Missy Stevens from the first moment I'd first met her so many months ago. Her neglectful treatment of Halle and the stories Tate had told me of her blatant use of drugs only served to fuel my distrust and anger towards her; and she
had no love for me either, calling me a whore right in front of Halle.
It had been a relief to have her gone from the house, but I never would have kicked her out so forcefully if I had known it would end in her death. As much as I hated Missy, she was still Halle's birth mother, and I didn't want her to be killed.
"I didn't mean for this to happen," I hitched, and Tate's arms just held me tighter.
He kissed my forehead lovingly and said, "I know. It's not your fault. It must have been Stuart Haynes."
"Get inside, quickly." Blake seemed to agree as he sternly shepherded us back into the mansion and closed and locked the door. "Stay away from all windows and doors. My men have secured the area and contacted the police. Take the child upstairs and stay there. Morton will go with you."
"Where's my Giraffe?" Halle looked at me with expectant eyes as we entered the dining room, where she sat behind a big stack of pancakes with her bodyguard Morton by her side.
"I wasn't able to get it for you. I'm sorry." I had to choke back my tears as I thought of the reason why. The emotion in my voice made the child panic, and her face went white with fear.
"What's going on?" she cried out. "I want Giraffe. I want Mommy."
Tate and I exchanged a meaningful look. The demand was Halle's typical response to being upset. In times of emotional distress, the three-year-old child always cried out for those two things: the stuffed Giraffe given to her by her beloved nanny Rose, who had been murdered by Stuart, and her birth mother, who had just suffered the same fate. It was a cruel irony, and one we were completely helpless to do anything about. Halle needed comfort, but there was none we could give her now except for our unconditional love and constant presence.
"Not now, sweetheart. We need to go up to the nursery," Tate said firmly, and he tried to pull the child out of her chair and into his strong arms.
"No, I don't want to go. I'm still eating breakfast. I want my Giraffe. I want Mommy. I want to stay and eat pancakes with them." She gripped her chair with both hands as she screamed and thrashed in a full-out tantrum.