Victoria The Billionaires Maid

Ally’s [POV]

She was a super smart kid and often spoke in a manner that seemed far beyond her years. But sometimes she was just a four-year-old.

“Well, that’s not good. Why don’t you grab it and we’ll go down and make some breakfast for Daddy?”

Laurie crawled across her rainbow rug to the ruffle of her bed. “There you are.”

“You are,” I corrected.

“That’s what I said.”

I snorted. She picked up her teapot and set it on the table then proceeded to take each of her stuffed animals off the table.

“You can bring down one of your friends.”

She looked up at me with her arms full of Care Bears. “But Ally.”

“We’re going to make pancakes. It gets too…” I trailed off when she dropped three out of the four in her arms and ran for the door. “Sticky.” I crossed my arms. “Laurie?”

She halted. “Yes?”

“Is that how you treat your toys?”

She scrunched up her face and hugged Share Bear tighter. “Um, yes?”

“I don’t think so.”

She sighed dramatically. “Okay, but only because I should put my friends on my bed.” She set Grumpy Bear and Leo on the bed. “There, just like Daddy.”

“Grumpy?”

“No. Friends in bed. All snuggled like you and Daddy.”

My eyes widened and I choked. “Uh, let’s go downstairs, okay?”

“Okay. Can we have chocolate chip pancakes?”

“How about a banana?”

She put Share Bear in a headlock as we neared the stairs. “Ohh. I’ve never had those before.”

“Never? We need to fix that ASAP. How about banana with peanut butter?”

She squinted up at me. “I don’t know. That sounds gross.”

“Banana and Nutella?”

“Now we’re talking.”

I laughed and took her hand as we went down the stairs. “Sounds like a plan.”

When we got downstairs, I pulled out the ingredients for pancakes. I’d been with Seth when he picked out all the things for his kitchen. I knew where almost everything was.

Well, except for the cinnamon.

I opened the doors and backtracked to the pantry.

“What are you looking for?”

“Cinnamon.”

“Oh.” Laurie zoomed out of the kitchen into the hallway. She came back with a white bag full of supplies. She couldn’t quite lift it, so she dragged it along the floor. “Daddy went to the store for cookies stuff.”

“Thank goodness for Daddy,” I murmured as I reached for the bag.

“I got it.”

I held up my hands. “All right.” I watched her as I pulled down the cast iron skillet and started the bacon.

She huffed and I prayed the bag wouldn’t explode as she dragged it over the threshold and every grout line of tile. When she stopped in front of me with the biggest smile ever, I decided right then and there that I’d have cleaned up five pounds of flour and sugar for her without complaint.

“When did you get to be such a big girl?”

“I’m four, silly.”

“You sure are.”

She looked up at me with the bag straining from her fingers. “Okay, you can have it now.”

I lifted the bag onto the island counter. “You’re such a big girl, I’m going to make you help me with the mixer.”

“You are?”

“Yep. Where’s your stool?”

She zipped away again and pushed the stool Seth had bought so she could help him cook. How many times had we both cooked dinner with her? A dozen. More?

Had to be more.

And yet Laurie seemed even taller now. She was growing out of her baby face and chubby legs and arms. My eyes misted. She wasn’t even mine, but I was mourning the loss of the baby I’d…well, I’d helped raise.

The nights when Seth was beside himself with worry, the triumphs, and even the meltdowns. I’d been here with him more than not.

Until my mom had taken a turn for the worse. There had been little room for anything other than her at the end and I’d missed out on a lot with Laurie. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed this little girl until now.

She climbed up on her chair, then held up her hand. “Oh. Forgot.”

She clambered down and I had to stop myself from helping her as her feet dangled before she dropped to the floor. Instead, I busied myself with flipping the bacon and pulling off more strips from the package.

I tightened my hold on the tongs when she skimmed too close to the counter. She was so very independent. Allowing her to do things for herself was one of the hardest things I’d had to learn. She made a beeline for the far wall. There were two adult-height hooks with a black and white apron on each, then a shorter one adorned with fairy wings that held a smock and two child-sized aprons. One purple with yellow flowers and a hot pink one with white butterflies.

Laurie went right for the pink.

I grinned and followed her. “Think your Daddy would mind if I borrowed his?”

“No. Just don’t touch Unca Ollie’s black ones. He no like people touching his stuff.”

I grabbed the white one and looped it over my head. Seth was quite a few inches taller than me, so I had to tuck it up a little higher before wrapping the strings around my waist.

Laurie pulled the pink strap over her head and twisted around in circles to try and get the ties around the back. When she made three rotations, she finally huffed. “Can you help me?”

I laughed and crouched down in front of her. “Of course. Turn around.”

She spun around and lifted her hair out of the way. She smelled of baby shampoo and watermelon. I dragged her in for a quick squeeze and tickle. She giggled until I lifted her to set her on the chair.

“I can do it!”

“I know you can, but I need to get you in front of the mixer real quick. Your dad is going come down as soon as he smells bacon and coffee.” I reached for the coffeemaker that was always full and ready to go in the morning. One thing Seth never skimped on was his java.

Laurie wrinkled her nose. “Coffee is gross.”

“Coffee is heaven, but it’s not for little girls.”

“I’m a big girl.”

“Yes, but not quite big enough for coffee.”

She made a little humming sound. “I do want it anyway.”

“Coffee is mana from heaven.”

The deep voice behind me made my skin instantly flush. Seth slipped his arms around my waist and dragged me back against him. He tucked his chin into my neck. “I thought I liked the T-shirt, but those boxers are giving me ideas.”

Right then, I was very glad I had an apron on. I elbowed him and Laurie giggled.

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Hi, Munchkin. What are you making?”

“We’re gonna make nana pancakes,” she said.

“Banana pancakes? I could go for those.” He flicked his finger under the apron and stroked across my belly. “Are you having a craving maybe?”

I rolled my eyes and slipped out of his arms. I felt weird cuddling with him in front of Laurie. Weird because I wanted it so very badly.

Her eyes tracked over us and a lopsided smile tugged at her lips. “Daddy has scruffles.”

I slid my palm over my neck. “He does.”

“You have red marks all over. Did Daddy play tickle monster with you?”

Seth snorted and covered his laugh by turning toward the bacon on the stove.

“Don’t eat all of the bacon.” I glanced over my shoulder and sure enough, he had a piece in his mouth.

“Just one.”

I moved to Laurie and poured flour and cinnamon into the mixer.

“I can do it!”

I winced. “Sorry, kiddo. You can crack the eggs. Hang onto your chair.”

“M’kay.”

I swung over to the fridge for supplies and with my arms full, I couldn’t avoid Seth’s ambush. He cupped my face and settled a soft kiss on my lips. He tasted like toothpaste and bacon and all of that was wrapped in his toasted sugar scent.

“Daddy!” Laurie’s giggle filled the room.

“Sorry.” He turned and did the same to his daughter, you know, without the tongue part though.

My system had little time to readjust from the highest highs of touching him, and sleeping with him all night, and now to domesticity. It was all so jarring. For so long we’d made sure to keep things platonic. I’d been careful not to allow our interactions in front of Laurie to be too familiar and now it seemed like every boundary was gone.

Was it just my imagination?

Or maybe I just wanted it that much.

“Ally, we need to start making the pancakes.”

“Right.” I blinked out of my stupid overthinking moment and grabbed the bananas on my way by. I dumped all the fixings on the counter and went to work teaching Laurie how to make banana pancakes.

By the time we were done, we both were covered in flour and my arms were dusted in cinnamon. The three of us soon figured out a system for the pour, flip, and finish of each silver dollar pancake.

Seth stole a kiss when I passed him the cup of Nutella.

“Hey. None of that.”

He leaned down with a smile and nibbled at the corner of my mouth. “Was just getting the bit of chocolate there.”

“Uh-huh.” I flicked out my tongue to find he’d been telling the truth.

“Now, don’t tease a man. I have other things I want to do with that tongue.”

My stomach jittered and my heart pounded. Before he could lean down again-and God, did I want him to-Laurie yelled from the dining room for the chocolate spread.

“Coming,” Seth said against my mouth.

“Not yet.”

His smile slid from sweet to calculating. “Oh, I’ll fix that soon enough.”

“Daddy!”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

I laid my hand against his chest. “Go on. We’ll finish later.”

“Oh, you will. Again and again.”

I swallowed as he backed through the swinging door. I quickly washed my sticky hands and grabbed the bacon to follow him when I caught the telltale colors of our high school on an envelope stuffed in the napkin holder on the counter.

I set the bacon down and slid the card out. Seth’s bold checkmark was the first thing I saw. I scanned upward and my stomach pitched.

Reunion.

God, how could it be ten years already?

Ten years and I’d done absolutely nothing.

I dropped the invitation and had to curl my fingers into my palm. For God’s sake, they were shaking.