Chapter Six
CHAPTER SIX
Annabelle
T he loud pulse of music fills the air as Daisy and I make our way through the crowded entrance of Monroe's. Friday night means the bar is packed, but I welcome the distraction. I've been on edge since that kiss with Nolan. We've been dancing around each other like awkward teenagers ever since. It's enough to drive me to drink.
"God, I needed this," Daisy sighs, slipping into our booth near the back. Her blonde hair catches the dim lights, and I notice how she's dressed up, tight jeans and a silky top that shows just enough to remind everyone she's still got it, baby in tow or not. "Do you know how long it's been since I've been anywhere without a diaper bag?"
I laugh, sliding in across from her. "How's little Tessa doing?"
"Growing like a weed and screaming like a banshee," she says with that perfect mix of exhaustion and pride only new mothers have. "Jasper's watching her tonight. I told him it was his turn to handle the midnight meltdown."
"Brave man," I say, flagging down a server.
Daisy leans forward, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I pumped enough milk to last the night. Jasper looked terrified when I showed him the bottles lined up in the fridge."
"Are you..." I gesture vaguely at her perfectly made-up face, "drinking tonight?"
"Hell yes," she grins. "Pump and dump, baby. I've been saving this night for weeks. First real night out since Tessa was born, and I'm gonna make it fucking count."
We order our drinks, a vodka cranberry for me and a margarita for Daisy, and clink glasses when they arrive.
"To freedom," Daisy toasts. "Even if it's just for a few hours."
"To freedom," I echo, though my mind wanders to Nolan's house, to little Ashlynn sleeping peacefully, unaware of the chaos they've created in my heart.
"I texted Jasper a few minutes ago," Daisy says after taking a long sip. "Abel's there too, for moral support. Apparently, they've got the football game on with the volume down low so they don't wake Tessa. Two grown men tiptoeing around an eleven-pound baby."
I laugh at the image. "Jasper's going to be fine. He's a natural."
"Oh, I know. I just like making him sweat a little." She wiggles her eyebrows. "Speaking of sweating, how's the arrangement with the hot boss going?"
I nearly choke on my drink. "It's... complicated."
"Complicated how? You basically live in his house, take care of his kid, and get to stare at those arms every day. Not to mention he's got a great head of hair, and tattoos too. I mean what else do you need? Seems pretty straightforward to me."
Before I can answer, a familiar voice calls out, "There you are."
Val weaves through the crowd, her dark curls bouncing as she approaches. She's wearing a tight red dress that turns heads as she passes, but Val has always been oblivious to the attention she attracts.
"Sorry I'm late," she says, sliding in beside me. "Client meeting ran over." Val works at Get Baked, the most popular bakery in town, and she's damn good at what she does. Lately she's taken over working with brides who order their wedding sweets from them. She orders a whiskey neat from the passing server and turns to us with gleaming eyes. "So, what did I miss?"
"Annabelle was just about to tell us about living with the hottest single dad in town," Daisy says.
Val's eyes widen. "Oh my god, yes. Please tell me everything. Is he as broody at home as he is in public? Does he sleep shirtless? Have you seen the abs up close? I've watched him lick his fingers after eating a cinnamon roll a few too many times."
My cheeks burn, and I take another long sip of my drink. "It's not like that. I'm his nanny, not his girlfriend. Besides, you fuck Vaughn. What are you even doing looking at another man?" I tease her.
"Vaughn keeps me very satisfied. We're talking about you. You want to be his girlfriend," Val says, not a question but a statement.
The alcohol emboldens me, and I find myself nodding before I can stop. "We kissed," I confess quietly to Val. Daisy already knows from our previous dinner.
The squeals from Val draw looks from nearby tables.
"When? How? Details, now," Val demands, leaning forward so eagerly I'm afraid she might knock over our drinks.
"It was a couple weeks ago. After dinner. It was..." I close my eyes briefly, reliving the moment. "Perfect. Until he apologized."
"He apologized?" Val looks scandalized. "For what? Being attracted to a gorgeous woman?"
I shrug, trying to appear more nonchalant than I feel. "He's my boss. There are boundaries."
"Fuck boundaries," Daisy says, waving her hand dismissively. "Life's too short. Trust me, having Tessa taught me that. You have to grab happiness when you can. And I mean with him, I'd grab it with both hands and climb it like a GD tree, know what I'm saying?"
She and Val high-five.
"It's not that simple," I argue. "There's Ashlynn to consider. If things got weird between us, I'd have to leave, and she's already lost so much."
Val finishes her drink and waves for another, raising her eyebrows at me. "Or maybe you're exactly what both of them need."
"I don't know how to approach the subject," I admit, the words tumbling out easier with each sip. "We've been avoiding each other since it happened. There's plenty of time to talk about it. We just… don't."
"Sounds like he's scared," Daisy observes. "Men are simple creatures. They want what they want until they actually get it, then they panic."
"So what do I do?" I ask, suddenly desperate for their advice. "I can't stop thinking about him. About the kiss. About..." I lower my voice, "what might have happened if he hadn't stopped."
"Seduce him," Val suggests bluntly, making me laugh despite myself.
"Very helpful, Val." I'm not the type of woman who has ever been secure enough in herself to seduce a man. Much less one who looks like Nolan.
"I'm serious. Put on something sexy, wait up for him one night. Make it impossible for him to resist."
"Or," Daisy interjects, the more practical one, "just talk to him. Tell him how you feel. Clear the air."
I shake my head, my stomach plummeting.. "I can't risk it. What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he just got caught up in the moment?"
"Men don't just get caught up in moments like that," Val grins. "Not men like Nolan. Vaughn literally chased me out of my apartment and had me ready to drop my panties in the alley way next to Get Baked."
"What do you mean, 'men like Nolan'?" I ask, purposely ignoring how she's God's favorite. I'd kill for Nolan to chase me like that.
"Serious ones. Responsible ones. The kind who think everything through before they act." She leans in closer. "Which means when he kissed you, Annabelle, he'd been thinking about it for a very long time."
The thought sends a shiver through me, and I drain my glass, welcoming the warm buzz spreading through my limbs.
"Another round?" the server asks, appearing at our table with Val's drink.
"Definitely," we chorus, and as the night deepens, so do my confessions. With each drink, I tell them more, how I notice the way his shirt pulls across his shoulders when he reaches for something high, how the sound of his laugh makes something tighten in my chest, how sometimes I catch him looking at me when he thinks I won't notice, how hot the tattoos are he sports.
By midnight, the room is spinning pleasantly, and my inhibitions have dissolved into the bottom of too many empty glasses.
"I should call an Uber," Daisy says, checking her watch. "Jasper just texted. Tessa's been fed and changed and is actually sleeping. Which means we might get to have some uninterrupted sexy time."
"I should head out too," Val agrees, checking her phone. "Vaughn's here to pick me up."
A sudden, crushing loneliness grips me. "You're both going home to someone," I say, not bothering to hide the wistfulness in my voice. "I'm going back to an empty apartment across town from the man I can't stop thinking about."
Val and Daisy exchange a look I'm too tipsy to interpret.
"You could come crash at mine," Val offers, but I shake my head.
"No, I'll be fine," I insist, even as I pull out my phone. The screen blurs slightly as I scroll to Nolan's contact. Before I can second-guess myself, I hit call.
I should go home. I should call an Uber and go back to my empty apartment and try to forget the way his lips felt against mine. But tonight, with liquid courage coursing through my veins, I make a different choice.
One that will change everything.