I can do this.
Chapter 16
Finn
Parking in front of the house, I turn off the ignition as Tucker unbuckles his seat belt and jumps out of the car. We had a couple of errands to run before stopping at the diner in town to have a late dinner. After we finished eating, I let him talk me into going into the ice cream parlor next door and getting a treat before bed, so he’s more than a little antsy to get inside and dig in.
Ash’s car is gone; he’s been out of the house nearly all day. It’s something I really shouldn’t be wondering about, yet it would seem that everything in regard to Ash lately has me curious, and I don’t know why. The more I trynotto think about him, the more it would seem he finds his way to stay front and center in my mind. It’s fucking annoying.
“Daddy, there’s a box!” Tucker announces, pointing toward the shoebox-sized package sitting on our welcome mat.
“There sure is.” Must be the replacement part I ordered for the chicken coop. Of course, the one part that breaks isn’t onethey sell at the store in town. Had to order it offline and wait entirely too long for it to be delivered.
Swiping the package off the porch, I tuck it under my arm as I unlock the front door. Tucker zooms inside with the bag of ice cream hanging from his tiny hand.
“Shoes,” I call out, stopping him in his tracks before he has a chance to go into the kitchen. Groaning dramatically, he throws his head back, smacking his hand to his forehead like me making him take off his shoes is putting him out. Pinning him with a look as he drags his feet back over to the door, I tell him, “Save the dramatics, bug. You know the rules.”
He kicks them off and takes the bag out onto the back deck, sitting on the edge of the top step, not wasting any more time cracking open his cup of cotton candy ice cream. Nothing sounds more unappetizing than that, but whatever. Of course, because he’s four, and four-year-olds can’t eat ice cream without making an absolute mess, he gets it all over himself, and I have to give him a bath before getting him ready for bed. It turns into a whole big production when Bubba tries to jump in the tub with him, splashing water and bubbles all over the bathroom floor.
By the time I get him in bed, I’m ready to pass out myself. Ash still isn’t home, and it’s driving me nuts. Where the hell is he? As far as I know, he’s not with his sister. She tried texting me earlier, and I still haven’t responded. I need to do that, but… I’m not in the mood to deal with her.
Meandering out into the kitchen, I get some water, spotting the package I left on the island. With a groan, I reach into the drawer and grab the box cutter. I guess I should fix the coop now before the sun goes down. Lord knows I won’t have any time during the week to get it done. As I’m working the box open, my ears perk up at the sound of a car pulling up outside.
About fucking time he’s home.
Pulling the cardboard flap open, my heart sputters in my chest, and I manage to choke on my own spit as I take in the contents inside. My hands freeze along with my brain for a second, and when I check the name on the outside of the box, I curse under my breath.
Not the part for the chicken coop.
Not for me at all, in fact.
Fuck.
“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
My head snaps up, gaze colliding with Ash’s mismatched eyes, and my pulse races as my mouth dries. Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Not only did I open my nanny’s mail, but it is quite possibly the worst package I could’ve opened. I watch in slow motion as his gaze drops to the box in front of me, and the color drains from his face as realization must hit him. “What is that?” he asks, voice barely above a whisper.
“I thought it was the part I ordered for the chicken coop,” I reply instead of answering him.
His jaw clenches as his eyes meet mine again. “And is it?”
“No,” I grit out. “It is not.”
Ash’s face twists up in a way I refuse to believe is adorable. “It’s for me, isn’t it?”
Reaching a hand into the box, I pull out one of the items—a clear confetti dildo. “Well, it’s certainly not for me.”
A pained sound between a groan and a whine comes out of Ash as he takes in the dildo in my hand. “Why the fuck did you open that?” he hisses after a moment, storming over to where I’m standing and ripping it out of my hand. “It’s a felony to open somebody else’s mail, you know!”
“I just told you I didn’t realize it was for you.” Glancing into the box again, I pull out the next thing I see. I don’t know why I can’t seem to stop. This box isn’t for me, and I should be thefurthest thing from curious about what Ash bought for himself, but I…can’t stop. “Are these…nipple clamps?”
“Oh my fucking gosh,” Ash groans, snatching those from me next. “This cannot be happening.”
“What the hell is this?” I ask, pulling out a clear, silicone tube-looking thing that reminds me of the jelly toys I used to play with as a kid, except longer. Ash tries to take it from me, but I step back, holding it up as I peer over at him with my head cocked. “What do you do with this?”
