Chapter 73

I understand where Neil is coming from, I guess. I did sell the clothes the brothers had gifted me. But he doesn’t have to be such a raging dick about it right now.

He’s trying to punish me by giving me an impossible schedule. It’s annoying, sure, but the fact that he’s including Mia in on this ridiculousness makes me seethe.

“Look, if you want to take things out on me, that’s fine. Whatever,” I snap. “But leave Mia out of this. None of what I did should fall on her.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “Not everything about this is a punishment for you. Structure is important for everyone, including Mia. She needs to learn young.”

“She’s a baby, Neil.”

“She’s old enough to start learning. We need to instill proper values in her now before it’s too late.”

Too late? She can’t even talk yet!

I wave the list in my hand. Mia makes grabby hands for it. “She physically cannot do this. It has nothing to do with learning or anything else.”

Neil’s jaw clenches. His mouth seems set in a permanent frown. “I started learning when I was her age. I faced strict discipline if I fell out of line. I’ve already been much more lenient than those that raised me.”

The implication of what he’s saying strikes me like a physical blow. Suddenly my anger ebbs, but only to be replaced by pity.

What kind of life Neil must have had, to think this kind of behavior is not just normal, but preferable.

“If I could adhere to a schedule when I was young, then so can Mia,” he says.

“What you had was a shitty upbringing,” I argue. “Kids should be allowed to be kids.”

Fire sparks in Neil’s eyes, and suddenly he’s looking at me like he wants to throttle me.

“Maybe it seems strange to you, but then, Hayes’s are raised to be refined, upstanding citizens of society, not gold-diggers who like to play in the mud.”

“I’d rather play in the mud than be a stick in it. And I don’t give a shit about money, so stop calling me a gold-digger.”

“You obviously care about money, Chloe, or you wouldn’t have done what you did.”

“I have my reasons.”

“Which are?”

He waits patiently for my answer, standing still as a statue. He might stay like that forever, waiting. I might have to keep him waiting because there’s no chance in hell that I’ll tell him the truth.

Neil, at least, might have more compassion for Tide than Archer ever could, but I’m still not eager to share my secret about helping him. Neil can be understanding sometimes, but he’s still a Hayes first. Asshole is a dominant gene among them.

“None of your business,” I say.

It’s a weak comeback. He knows it. His eyes narrow.

Yet before he can belittle me further, Mia starts to fuss in my arms. She smells a bit funky, like she needs a new diaper.

I silently thank the universe for giving me such an easy out for this conversation. Then I say to Neil, “I need to change Mia and give her a bath.”

Neil steps closer, like he wants to argue with me, but I watch the moment he catches Mia’s scent. He stills. His nose scrunches up, and he looks like he might be sick.

“Yes. Fine. Go.” He steps backwards again, putting more space between himself and Mia. “But this isn’t over.”

Yeah, I did think he’d let me get off this easily, but it’s as good as an escape as any, for now.

I back out of the room and scurry down the hall. Fortunately I don’t see anyone else on my route to Mia’s room. I quickly enter the attached bathroom and close the door.

I start the water in the bathtub as I take Mia to the changing table and begin to clean up the mess she’s made of herself. She giggles and coos, and reaches up at me with both hands. I take her hands and shuffle them a little, playfully, until she giggles more.

When the water fills the tub a few inches, I lower Mia down and begin to bathe her.

She’s still in a playful mood and splashes some water at me. I immediately regret wearing a white shirt today, but other than that, it’s fine. Her good spirits lift my own, and I encourage her to keep splashing, even giving a few splashes of my own.

We’re laughing and playing, and everything is fine for a few blissful moments.

But then, a rather big splash, catches high in the air. Some water droplets fall onto the fire alarm built in above the toilet. The entire thing shorts. A tiny puff of smoke escapes the unit.

And suddenly, chaos ensues.

A shrieking alarm blares in loud bursts. Mia immediately starts crying. I try to soothe her while reaching for my phone. I need to tell the brothers that this isn’t a real emergency, but an accident. Yet the phone is on the counter, and I can’t step away from Mia in the tub for even a moment.

I reach for a towel instead. Before I can grab it, the sound of footsteps grow closer, shoes slapping at the ground. Someone’s running, and they’re coming this way.

The door bursts open and Neil is there.

His wild-eyed gaze darts from me to Mia to the shorted alarm, and then back to me. “What the hell did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” I say. “That cheap-ass fire alarm shorted with only a few splashes of water.”

Neil frowns at the alarm like it personally offends him. Then he lifts his phone and begins to text. A few short moments later, the blaring alarm sounds abruptly cease and I can think again.

I soothe Mia by rubbing gently at her back. Quickly, with the loud noises vanished, she returns to her previous good mood and starts splashing again.

Neil’s being suddenly very quiet, so I glance up at him.

He’s staring at me with a strange sort of expression. Like he’s physically pained almost.

I know by now that he doesn’t like mess, but this is clean soapy water Mia and I are playing with, not anything harmful.

“Neil?” I ask, and his eyes lift to my face. Only then do I realize he wasn’t looking there before. I glanced down at myself, curious what he saw before that had him so distracted.

The water has made my shirt entirely see-through.

But surely Neil wasn’t looking at that.

I try to meet his eye, but he can’t quite return my gaze, always glancing to the side away from me.

What’s he thinking? Was he truly checking me out? No, that couldn’t have been. Not Neil, so by the book and controlled.

Yet, even so a blush comes to my cheeks.

I want to slap myself. What is wrong with me? First Archer, and now Neil? Why can’t a control myself around these guys?

Yes, they are unbelievably hot, but for the love of the Gods, they’re jerks. Plus, they don’t even see me that way! I’m just a tool!

Archer made that abundantly clear yet again, when he teased me just to leave me confused and wanting.

I need to get a hold of myself. Just because these guys are smoking hot does not mean that they should have this level of control over me and my libido.

I refuse. I absolutely refuse to give in.

Neil wasn’t looking at my breasts and that is that. End of story. I’m imagining things that aren’t worth imagining.

I turn back to Mia.

“Chloe,” Neil says, and the single word radiates anger. He sounds really pissed off now.

I don’t turn around. I’d rather not see it on his face.

Unfortunately that doesn’t block his words from my ears. “How can you be so reckless?”