Victoria The Billionaires Maid

The drive to Oliver’s place didn’t take long. He lived about a mile away from me, also on the lake. The Hamilton family home was about a mile away on the opposite side of Oliver’s. We were like three points of a triangle of dysfunction with beautiful views of the water.

I pulled up behind Oliver’s BMW and parked in the circular drive. To torment myself some more, I checked my silent phone. No response from Ally.

Surprise, surprise.

I jogged up the steep flight of stairs to the porch and went inside without knocking. I followed my little girl’s laughter into the kitchen, already smiling. No matter what kind of shit brewed in my gut, hearing Laurie was the way to put me in a better mood.

Especially when she was covered in chocolate chip batter from making cookies with my not so stern, older-by-six-minutes brother.

“Well, look who it is, L-monster.” Oliver swung Laurie up onto his hip and carted her over to me. He was all smiles, but his eyes were a little wild.

I knew that look well.

“Daddy!” Laurie said, already extending her arms to me and leaning half out of my brother’s hold.

“Hiya, sweetie. Sorry I wasn’t here sooner.” I grinned and took her from Oliver, setting her on my hip as he had done.

Every now and then it occurred to me how similar our mannerisms were. Oliver didn’t have any children, of course. I wasn’t sure he ever would. He’d used my experience as reason to double and triple bag ever since. For all I knew, he could’ve gotten snipped, he’d been that freaked out about unplanned procreation.

But he was a damn good uncle, as evidenced by my little girl’s giggles as she recounted her night with my brother.

“We watched movies. Poor Dory. And Hank. Unca O loved Hank.” Laurie looked back at my brother for confirmation. “Didn’t you?”

“I did. So much so that I decided I need Hank bedding for my Alaska King bed. I may have to get it handmade, but such sacrifices are made for love.” Oliver ruffled Laurie’s messy blond curls. “Right, baby girl?”

“Unca O has the biggest bed ever.” Laurie held out her hands as far apart as she could, tilting precariously on my hip until I righted her. “He said it has enough room for all his favorite big ladies to come over for sleepers.”

“Sleepovers,” Oliver corrected, winking at me before he turned away to clean up the cookie mess on the counter.

I narrowed my eyes at O’s back. “That sounds fun. We should do that sometime. What do you think? You, me, and”

“Ally! She’ll come over for a sleeper. And her friend. The one with the bouncy hair.” Laurie grinned. “Like Goldilocks.”

“Your hair isn’t too far from Goldilocks’s hair yourself, princess.” Oliver turned back to brush a kiss over Laurie’s hair while mouthing the word “no” at me.

“That sounds fun. I’m not sure Ally and Sage could make it, but we should ask them. And we’ll get lots of snacks. All your favorites. Cheetos, and caramel popcorn, and gummy worms. Wouldn’t that be fun to eat all of that in Uncle Oliver’s big special bed?”

“This is how you repay me,” Oliver muttered, shaking his head as he swept the tray of cookies into the oven.

“Yes. So much fun. And we could get a puppy too.” Laurie’s big blue eyes glowed. “Puppies love sleepers. Right, Unca O?”

“Sure. Why the heck not? Might as well get a marching band in there too.”

“I’m sure it could be arranged. I’ll get back to you.”

Oliver flipped me the bird behind Laurie’s back and I swallowed a laugh.

Half an hour later, we were eating warm chocolate chip cookies while Laurie played on a blanket in the living room. Dory was on TV again and Laurie was babbling happily as she dressed the dolls Oliver had bought her to leave at his place.

And I was shoving cookies in my mouth faster than I could speak, so hopefully I wouldn’t have to.

“Out with it. If I’m on overnight babysitting duty, you’re at least going to tell me which townie is now off-limits.”

I picked up a stray chocolate chip and popped it between my lips. “You have a filthy mind.”

“Yeah, and you are long overdue for a reckless night. I hope it was worth me missing three hours of sleep because L kept waking up.”

“Fuck, more nightmares? That’s a new thing. Well, relatively new. The last six months or so. I chalked it up to her seeing a movie she shouldn’t have.”

“Yeah, some of those porn chicks have traumatized me too.” Oliver gave a mock shudder, but I could tell from his furrowed brow that he was worried.

“How bad was it?”

“Not awful, but she was spooked, so I read to her and she eventually fell back asleep.”

“Just once?”

Oliver shifted on his stool. “Three times.”

“Ahh, fuck.” I raked a hand through my hair, guilt swarming my belly like drunk locusts. While my little girl had been crying in her sleep, I’d been fucking Ally.

Father of the year material for sure. Jesus.

“I’m sure it’s just a phase. Kids go through tons of them. Remember that year you wouldn’t eat anything but bologna and cheese sandwiches?”

“It wasn’t a year, more like three months, and this is a bit worse. I wonder if-”

Oliver held up a hand. “Don’t even say it. If you mention that bitch, my good humor will be ruined.”

I leaned forward. “Regardless, she’s her mother. And maybe there’s just no getting around that fact.”

Hearing myself, I frowned. What business did I have trying to set up this arrangement with Ally? My needs-and even Laurie’s-weren’t all that mattered. I’d told myself I could be both parents to my children, but maybe that was crazy talk. I couldn’t magically become the children’s mother. And when it came to the baby I had with Ally, he or she would have a mother. The best mother. Even without seeing Ally have kids of her own yet, I knew that just from watching her with Laurie. So how could I ever consider Ally might want to have a baby and walk away?

Christ, I was a selfish fuck. No wonder Ally didn’t want to talk to me. I’d thought up the most insane plan ever and I’d asked her to make the ultimate sacrifice for a few pennies. All right, a lot of them, but still. Exchanging a child for a college education was nuts.

Ally wasn’t Marj, and asking her to make a deal like that proved that I didn’t deserve a best friend like her.

I just fucking hoped she’d give me another chance.

“Seth?”

Shaking my head, I held up a finger at my brother and yanked out my phone. I texted Ally as fast as my fingers would work.

I’m so fucking sorry. More sorry than you’ll ever know.

She didn’t respond, and by now, I almost didn’t expect her to. I couldn’t have screwed up this situation any more if I’d tried.

I jerked to my feet and almost without thinking, tucked two cookies in my suit coat. Chocolate chip was Ally’s favorite.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

Oliver rose, clearly reading my intentions to split. “You’re leaving? Just like that?”

“Yeah, I have shit to fix. I’m sorry, man. I really appreciate last night.” I clapped him on the shoulder and went to talk to my daughter.

She wasn’t in a hurry to go, of course, but I mentioned a possible hot fudge sundae at the diner in her future if she came without a fuss. More sugary snacks weren’t the best idea, and I’d probably pay the price for the rest of the weekend, but desperate times.

Oliver shook his head before I carted Laurie and her bag of toys and clothes out the door. “Whatever you’re up to, I hope it ends well.”

“Me too. I’ll call.”

I was already halfway down the steps with Laurie, who was waving frantically at my brother. “Bye Unca O! Bye bye!”