Six Single Dads' Nanny: A Holiday Reverse Harem Romance (Love by Numbers Book 5) Read online

  She lifted her head finally. “I’ll do it.” Jordan broke the silence.

  I locked eyes with her. “Really?”

  Jordan nodded. “Yeah. It’s like I said, I want to be immersed with kids. What better way to do it than with seven babies as opposed to two?”

  She smiled and it took everything in me not to lean across and kiss her. I was hopeful that she would be open to being our shared lover as well as our shared nanny, but I was so relieved that she was willing to be our nanny, that I didn’t want to risk it by proposing anything additional for the time being. I reached into the desk drawer on my left and pulled out the file I had of the Single Dad Club kids’ dietary restrictions, extra-curricular activities, allergies, meds, and each of their father’s descriptions of their quirks and personalities.

  “I’m thrilled you’re willing to do it.” I handed the folder over to Jordan. “Here’s everything you need to know about the kids. Obviously, you’ll learn the most about them by interacting with them, but this will give you an idea about their schedules and what their individual needs are.”

  Jordan nodded. “Excellent. I’ll study it tonight. When would you like me to start?”

  “If you can take some time to read it over this week and then give me a call with any questions by Friday afternoon. If you’re comfortable with it, we’ll have you meet them after we pick them up from school on Friday. We’ll also give you the keys to the Stan Van,” I said.

  Jordan snickered a minute, and it hit me that I just threw one of the kids’ phrases at her with no explanation. “The what?”

  “The Stan Van,” I repeated, imagining the twins cracking up as I said it. “When we first decided to combine our nannies into one position, we bought a van for the nanny to use. I handed the keys to the nanny and made a Freudian slip, calling it a ‘Stan’ not a ‘Van.’ The kids thought it was hysterical, and so it became the ‘Stan Van.’”

  Jordan giggled. “That’s so cute.”

  “You’ll have the van at your disposal. Feel free to use it for whatever needs you have so long as you’re getting the kids where they need to go, and we’ll make sure it gets a full tank of gas over the weekend so you’re good to go on Monday,” I told her.

  She nodded. “Wonderful. It sounds like you guys really have done everything to make things go smoothly.”

  “Well, we’ve done what we can, but we’re glad we have you to come in and do what we can’t for them,” I responded, and I meant it. Our kids deserved a woman in their lives. I stood up and held out a hand for her to shake. “Welcome to the family.”

  Jordan stood up, clutching the folder close to her chest. She took my hand, and I tried to keep my body from setting ablaze at her soft skin. “Thank you. I’m happy to help.”

  Not as happy as we will be if we can get you play house with us too, I thought to myself as I led her out of her office and down to her car, wondering how I was going to go about getting her to sign on for daddy care too.

  3

  Harrison

  My whole body was buzzing with excitement at the thought that we finally had a new nanny, and if we were lucky, one that wouldn’t just look after our kids, but us too. Ethan was a reserved and resigned kind of guy, and didn’t often show excitement, but his voice bubbled with something when he called me to tell me that I needed to pick up Oliver and Cade and head over immediately to discuss. He couldn’t stop talking about how gorgeous and smart she was, saying that she was going to be perfect for the kids.

  It wasn’t as if I didn’t think that was important, but I wanted to know how perfect she was going to be for us too. He hadn’t made any mention of what she thought of the other half of our arrangement, and it made me fearful that she wasn’t okay with it.

  “For fuck’s sake, I hope this one sticks,” Oliver spat out. “I’m sick of the revolving door, and I know Ty is too. These kids deserve something stable, you know? And we do too.”

  Oliver was the brute among us. He was different from me in almost every way he could be. We were both tall, but he still towered over me at 6’2” compared to my 5’11” and he had light blond, feathery hair, which was much different from my dark brown buzz cut. He was a cop and truly believed that some problems required a bit of violence to solve, while I was a firm believer that there was a logical solution to everything. That aside, he felt like a brother to me, even though he didn’t realize I’d previously been a navy seal and worked in the FBI.

  “Are you guys still sold on the shared nanny/lover thing?” Cade asked from the back seat. “That didn’t go so well last time.”

  Cade was the baby of the group. He’d only been around for one nanny, not including Jordan, and he only slept with the last nanny once. For a while, he was still convinced he could have his own relationship and still balance everything else working and fatherhood required. He was shocked at first to learn that we shared women, but grew accustomed to the idea relatively quickly. We didn’t blame him for costing us the last nanny, but when he got involved with her, she became too engrossed with him, and started to ignore the kids and the other guys.

  It wasn’t as if I didn’t get it. We were a good looking group of men, but Cade probably boasted the best looks. He had a slender form compared to the rest of us who were more muscular, a form he got from running. He had scratch-free, chocolate skin, and deep brown eyes that could read deep into people, which he needed in his job as a prosecutor. He was obscenely intelligent, and didn’t miss a beat.

  “Maybe you’ve forgotten what happened last time you tried to have a girlfriend,” Oliver responded. “Went over real well when you found her with your friend’s dick up her ass.”

  “God,” I hissed. “You’re a behemoth.”

  Oliver flicked me off. “It’s true. Besides, even though I’m clearly the best of the six of us, when I get to share a girl with you guys, I really turn it on.”

  “And you’re humble,” Cade joked and we laughed.

  We arrived at Ethan’s and helped ourselves inside. One of Ethan’s rules for the Single Dad Club was that we all have keys to one another’s homes. It was partially so that if one guy had to take care of multiple kids, it could be done with ease, but it was also so that any guy could jump in when one of them was with their woman, and wanted to throw a friend into the mix. We were skeptical at first, but it proved to be useful.

  “In the den,” Ethan called out.

  We found Ethan in his den, the only part of his house where his boys weren’t allowed to play. He’d broken out a bottle of whisky and had poured a few glasses. We each grabbed one and found a spot to sit.

  “So, tell us about her,” I initiated, once we were all settled.

  Ethan passed handed a folder to Cade. “Her name is Jordan Kent. She’s got a bachelor’s degree in Child Psychology and an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Development.”

  Oliver let out a loud, exasperated groan. “Are we seriously gonna do this?”

  “What’s wrong with you?” Ethan asked.

  Oliver rolled his eyes. “You know that we aren’t worried about her education.”

  “I am,” I responded to him.

  Cade passed the folder that Ethan had given him to me. I opened it to a picture of Jordan and gasped immediately. She had long blond hair and ethereal eyes. She was beautiful, but she reminded me of Eva, my ex-wife. She was definitely my type, and my cock started to react to that fact as I looked her over, but my heart raced, unsure of how to feel. I loved my wife until the day I lost her, and wasn’t sure of my ability to remain objective around her. It scared me wondering what Trey might think of her.

  “You okay, Harrison?” Cade asked.

  I looked up, unsure of how long I’d been staring. I slapped the folder closed and handed it over to Oliver. “I’m fine.”

  Oliver let out a hollow whistle. “This will do just fine.”

  “What do you two think of her?” Ethan asked, ignoring Oliver.

  I opted not to respond. I wasn’t sure what t
o say. I was often the quiet one in the group, choosing observation over conversation, so when I didn’t reply, Ethan didn’t push it. He turned his gaze to Cade who nodded with approval.

  “Reading through her credentials, I think she’ll be great for the kids. They really need a woman around,” he explained.

  Oliver tossed the folder onto the coffee table in the center of the seating area. “Is that seriously all you guys are thinking about? Her college education?” He looked at Ethan. “What did she say about the other part of the job?”

  Ethan sighed. “We didn’t get that far. Don’t forget we started this club to find a nanny for the kids, not to find a nanny for ourselves.” Oliver opened his mouth to protest, but Ethan continued. “I know that we’ve all gone without for a few months, and believe me, no one is thinking more about ending that dry spell than me, but we have to exercise a bit of restraint. For the kids.”

  “The kids will be fine, Ethan, but if I don’t get some pussy soon, I’m going to get fired for police brutality,” Oliver snapped back.

  I’d had enough of Oliver’s one track mind for the day. “If that’s true, you shouldn’t be on the force.” Ethan, Cade, and Oliver turned to look at me with Oliver’s eyes piercing with rage. “I know you’re a better cop than that, and so do you. We will not use this woman like a piece of meat. I’d rather get to know her first rather than just fuck her and cost ourselves a wonderful woman. We don’t even know if she’ll agree to that yet.” Oliver sat back in his chair a bit, taking in my words. “You will just have to continue dating your hand for now. I know you well enough to know that your son comes first. Keep it in your pants so that we can make sure the kids are covered, then we’ll deal with the other piece.”

  A silence fell over the room as everyone sobered under my words. “He’s right,” Cade interjected.

  Oliver rolled his eyes. “If she’s gonna be good for the kids, then that’s what’s important.” He gulped down his entire glass of whisky in one huge gulp. “But now that I’ve seen her, all I can think about is what I want to do to her.”

  “You aren’t the only one,” Ethan replied, “but we promised we’d be thorough and that we’d be careful this time. So no one will make a move on her until she’s comfortable with the kids and I’ve had a chance to explain things to her. Agreed?”

  “Agreed,” Cade and I replied in unison.

  “Oli,” Ethan growled.

  Oliver crossed his arms and pouted like his daughter might. “I agree.”

  “Good,” Ethan said. “Besides. If we let all of the sexual tension build up for now,” he began, us all eyeing him with anticipation, “then it’ll be that much sweeter when we can finally release it…”

  4

  Jordan

  I’d all but made flashcards to memorize the names of my new families, fathers and children. I hadn’t met any of the dads but Ethan yet, but when I called Ethan to inform him I was ready to start earlier in the day, he told me he asked all the dads to be there for a grand introduction. It was a little intimidating, the thought of meeting them all at once, but he assured me it was the best way to do it, especially considering it was Friday, and the kids were certain to be a little rowdy going into the weekend. No one knows a child better than their parents, so I didn’t argue, just told him that I would be making sure I had everyone memorized before heading over.

  There was Ethan Coleman, the dad who’d interviewed me. He was a structural engineer and worked for the city of Dallas. Some of the crispness of his home made more sense once I learned that. He had twin boys who were six named Davin and David. Ethan also included that he was half Jewish. He hadn’t passed many Jewish traditions on to his children, but used his Jewish heritage to educate his children on the importance of not judging someone because they are different. I had a lot of respect for that and wanted to make sure that I continued that practice with them. The twins were athletic and were on a baseball team, that practiced on Saturdays and had games on Sundays. They were the only family I’d seen thus far, and I’d made a mental note that Ethan was gorgeous and to watch myself around him.

  Rogan Paulson, had a six-year-old daughter named Danielle who Rogan described in his letter as not very outgoing. She was the only one of the kids that didn’t have an extra-curricular, much to her father’s dismay. Despite being a C.E.O. of an accounting firm, he described himself as really outgoing and athletic and was concerned his daughter didn’t share the traits. He was concerned she was becoming a loner and had made several attempts to get her to do stuff after school. I found that it was rare children had no friends, so I set a personal goal to figure out what Danielle liked and who her friends were to help her father feel better about her socialization.

  Cade Milton and his daughter Nova, were apparently new to the group. Nova had a lactose allergy, something that she shared with her father. As a result, the family led an entirely dairy-free life. I spent a good deal of time researching lactose-free foods as well as foods and drinks that people tend to not realize have dairy. Cade was adamant that Nova was good about avoiding dairy, but she was only six after all, and as her nanny, it was my job to protect her, so I wanted to be well versed in that allergy. Cade was a prosecutor for the city who claimed his daughter was more outgoing than he was. She also had ballet on Saturdays fairly close to the same time the twins had baseball, which was going to take some time to juggle effectively.

  Oliver Hunt was a police officer and brought his six-year-old, Tyler to the group; Ty for short. He described himself as the man having the least time to spend with his son and feeling really bad about it. He was very candid about his “selfish, bitch ex-wife” leaving abandoning he and Tyler, so it made him feel even worse that he couldn’t be around more often. As a result, he tried to keep Tyler busy with lots of after-school and weekend activities. I knew that one of the first things I wanted to do was find out how much Tyler enjoyed his busy schedule. Kids deserve attention, but it was also easy to get overwhelmed at that age, and I wanted to make sure that he was doing things he enjoyed, not just to distract him from the fact that neither of his parents were around.

  Richard, nicknamed Ricky, was Lowe Wynters’ five-year-old son. From what I could tell, he was the most involved with his son, often taking his son with him to work to teach him the ins and outs of the automotive industry as a C.E.O. of his own company. His son liked cars and buildings and was part of his school’s lego league. Fortunately for me, lego league took place after school during the week as opposed to on the weekend, but it also seemed like I would end up spending the least amount of time with him. I would have to be intentional about spending time with Ricky whenever I could to make sure I bonded with him the way as the others.

  Last, but not least, was Harrison Rowe and his son Trey. I was the most curious about these two. In all of the guys’ letters, they alluded to the mothers of their children in some way or another. Ethan, Rogan, Cade, Lowe, and Oliver were all separated or divorced, but Harrison didn’t mention Trey’s mother in his letter. Not even once. It made me a little nervous. I wasn’t sure if I should ask about it or not, or if I should just pretend as if the woman didn’t exist? Harrison was also a C.E.O. of a construction company, but didn’t speak about it in the passionate way the other guys discussed their jobs, almost as though it was a means to an end. The vagueness about their lives aside, Harrison and Trey were a normal, father and son. Trey participated in martial arts on Saturdays, which meant something else to manage on that day.

  I mapped out the kids’ weekend activities and figured out the best way to time everything to get everyone where they needed to be on time. I identified a cute little ice cream parlor across from where the twins played baseball, and it also served gelato in case I had Nova with me. It was only a hop skip and a jump from Trey’s martial arts studio and Nova’s ballet studio, and was in a good central location to accommodate whatever Ty had going on for the day. I felt like I had a good handle on it.

  I packed my notes, one of my favorit
e psych books, and some other materials for the day into my backpack, and then I got dressed in a comfortable, but professional, pair of jeans and a zip-up hoodie. I decided to go with my hair down for the day to give my best impression, but it would probably be up a lot more going forward. Taking a deep breath, and feeling prepared for the afternoon, I made my way down to the car and over to Ethan’s place.

  As I was getting out of my car, another one was pulling up. Compared to my hand-me-down 1996 Toyota Corolla, he felt like a king pulling up. He was in a shining, metallic gray Rolls Royce Phantom. The door opened and a man climbed out, somehow looking more luxurious than the car itself despite just being dressed in a pair of dark gray jeans, work boots, and a long-sleeve black shirt. He had cut jaw with perfect right angles, and medium-length black hair that fell down the sides of his head and rested on his shoulders. His eyes landed on me as he climbed out and a warm half-smile tipped up.

  “Hello!” he greeted.

  I felt like I’d been karate chopped in my throat. He looked like a true, blue, male model. Watching him stand in front of the car with the wind blowing through his hair and a smile on his face, he looked like a walking car commercial.

  “Hi,” I replied, much too quiet for him to hear.

  “What?” he said as he started to walk over.

  “Hi!” I replied louder, not like an idiot. “I’m Jordan.”

  The beautiful man held out a hand. “Ah, Jordan. It’s lovely to meet you, I’m Lowe.”

  Lowe Wynters, Ricky’s dad. “Nice to meet you,” I responded.

  “I was really hoping to be with Ethan at your interview the other day, but we thought it was best to let him do it on his own. You know, ease you in,” he explained.

  I nodded. “It was a bit of a surprise to learn that it was seven kids, not two, but I’m excited. I loved reading your letter about Ricky. I can’t wait to meet him.”