His Nanny Mate By Eve Above Story
Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Another Woman

Moana

Somehow, I managed to fall asleep that night. In the morning, I woke up with a headache after the nightspent in emotional distress.

Edrick and I had kissed last night in the darkness of the kitchen. Even now, I could still feel his handson my waist and could feel his body pressed up against mine. Even now, I could still taste his lips andhis tongue, and I had spent the night dreaming about him. The sun was shining through my bedroomwindow, but I just wanted to go back to the darkness of the night before and be with Edrick; I hadn’trealized it before, but I was admittedly lonely, and his touch was welcome. I hadn’t been with anyonesince our one night stand and didn’t realize how starved I was for intimacy with another adult.

To add insult to injury, I felt like an i***t for thinking for even one moment that Edrick was beginning tofall for me. The way he doted on me while we went shopping together despite the tabloid incident…The way that he scared away the creepy man at the mall and put his arm around me protectively,genuinely worried for my health and safety… The way that he kissed me so gently in the kitchen. Wasany of that even real, or was it just a moment of weakness on his part? Was he lonely, too, and justlooking for intimacy?

As I laid there, I remembered that Edrick and I promised to take Ella to the orphanage today so shecould play with her friends. Even though I didn’t particularly want to see Edrick after our kiss in thekitchen the night before, I knew that I would have to see him eventually, so I groaned and got up andheaded to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and ease my headache.

When I walked through the living room, however, the soft sound of snoring caught my attention. Ifurrowed my brow and peered over the couch to see Edrick sprawled out; he was dressed up with his

shoes on as though he’d gone out, and there was an empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the floor next tohim.

I was astonished. Ella couldn’t see him like this; it would confuse her too much to see her father passedout drunk on the couch, so without taking a second thought, I snatched the empty alcohol bottle up offof the floor and abruptly shook Edrick’s shoulder.

Edrick’s eyes snapped open and he groaned as he came to his senses. Before he even had a chanceto say anything, I shoved the bottle in his face and frowned deeply.

“I know that you got upset last night, but this is unacceptable,” I said, gesturing to his appearance.“Your daughter will be awake soon. It’s a good thing I found you before she came out here.”

Edrick’s eyes widened momentarily as he looked at the bottle. He slowly sat up and swung his legsover the side of the couch, then stood after pausing for a moment. He didn’t seem to want to look atme.

“I’m sorry,” he said, taking the bottle out of my hands. “It’s really not as bad as it looks; the bottle wasalmost empty, and I just got too tired. I wasn’t drunk.”

As he reached for the bottle and leaned closer to me, however, I suddenly got a whiff of somethingother than alcohol: something sickly sweet and flowery. Perfume. Women’s perfume, to be exact.

Did Edrick have a one night stand last night, right after our kiss in the kitchen?

The smell of the cheap perfume made my head reel, and I instantly became nauseous. I quicklycovered my nose and mouth with my hand and stumbled backwards, shaking my head vigorously astears welled up in my eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Edrick asked, taking a step toward me. As he did, the smell of the perfume hit mynose again, and I covered up a gag with my hand. The smell was too strong, and I could only imaginethe father of my baby sleeping with a strange woman at the bar, or even a prostitute. I couldn’t tell whatmade me more sick: the smell or the thought of him being with someone else.

To think that Edrick not only went out drinking right after our kiss in the kitchen, but also had a one nightstand on top of it… It made my heart hurt. Inside of me, Mina became stronger, but not out of love thistime; rather, she became stronger with rage, like a lion pacing in its cage at the zoo. I could tell that shefelt just as betrayed as I did right now.

But I had to hold my head high for Ella, and despite Edrick’s confused look as I stepped away from him,I lowered my hand and tilted my chin up confidently.

“Don’t forget that we promised Ella we’d take her to the orphanage today,” I said. My voice shook a littleas I spoke, but I tried to hide it. After everything, I couldn’t let Edrick see me get emotional over his onenight stand with another woman, even though Mina was reacting strongly to the cheap scent as well.

Edrick only sighed and walked over to the kitchen, where he tossed the empty bottle in the trash. Ifollowed him, waiting to see what he would say about his promise to poor little Ella.

And, to no surprise, he said exactly what I expected.

“Maybe we should go another day,” he said quietly, running a hand through his hair and straighteninghis shirt.

My jaw dropped. For Ella’s sake, even more than my own, I was furious. How could he really be sowilling to drop his plans with his daughter because he irresponsibly went out, had a one night stand,and got too drunk to even make it to his bedroom?

By this point, I forgot all about how this supposed one night stand even made me feel, and I felt theneed to argue for Ella’s sake. She needed to spend time with her father; clearly she was beginning tofeel abandoned.

“Just because you got too drunk last night doesn’t mean that you get to just disappoint your daughterlike that,” I said. Without thinking and without caring about the smell that made me sick, I stormed up tohim and grabbed his tie, taking him by surprise. “You should be ashamed of yourself. What will Ellathink?”

Edrick stared down at me with shock written plainly across his face. “I told you I wasn’t drunk,” he said.“What’s gotten into you?”

I realized what I was doing and quickly released my grip on his tie, then turned on my heel and walkeda few paces away. I paused then, clenching and unclenching my fists as I blinked away the tears in myeyes.

Finally, I turned back to face him.

“I really can’t believe you,” I whispered. “To have a one night stand like that, not only right after youcame onto me, but also on the night before you’re supposed to have a wholesome day with yourdaughter… It makes me sick.”