Page 49 of The Keeper

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I jolted upright, my pulse skittering as Brooklyn crossed her arms. Her expression was unusually serious.

“Sorry, but I could see you spiraling, and I needed to stop you before you reached the point of no return,” she said. “Listen, best kiss you’ve ever had is high praise. And I totally get Noah’s appeal—he has that super hot, brooding thing going for him—but there are layers here. He’s not just some fit footballer you can have a fling with. He has a daughter, whom you really like, but that only makes things more complicated. Let’s say you and Noah decide to date. If it’s casual, then you risk breaking Evie’s heart if you two break up. If it’s serious, like really serious, then you’re on track to be a stepmother. Which isn’t a bad thing, necessarily, but it’s a lot of responsibility. Putting everything else aside, is that something you’re ready or willing to do?”

I swallowed. Brooklyn’s questions sobered me up faster than a slap in the face.

I’d been so focused on the minutiae of my relationship with Noah that I hadn’t considered the long-term ramifications. Forget whether we liked each other or not. What was the endgame once I knew the answer?

Because Brooklyn was right. Dating a single dad was totally different from dating someone who was child-free. I didn’t want to hurt Evie, and as much as I adored her, I wasn’t ready to be a stepmother. I wasn’t ready to be a mother, period. How was I supposed to raise another human being when I didn’t even have my own life figured out?

This wasn’t about just me and Noah. It was about her too. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter how good the kiss was or whether we liked each other. Unless I was willing to see this all the way through, I had no business even entertaining the thought of something more with Noah.

“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “I haven’t thought about it.”

Brooklyn’s face softened. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad about the kiss. I just don’t want you to get hurt or end up in over your head.”

“We’ll be here for you no matter what,” Scarlett added, her expression sympathetic. “But…be careful, okay? Noah isn’t like Asher or Vincent. He has a lot going on.”

“I will. You’re right.” I forced a smile. “This was the wake-up call I needed, so thank you.”

I left Scarlett’s house soon after. She was getting tired, and I had to wake up early for a yoga class. (That was part of my Find Your Passion challenge.)

The first thing I noticed when my Uber dropped me off was the strange car parked outside Noah’s house. The living room lights were on, and I spotted shadows moving behind the curtains.

I frowned. Noah never invited people over. Who could be visiting this late at night?

I punched in the gate code and walked up the stone path, my curiosity growing with every step. Part of me dreaded seeing him. I’d counted on him being asleep by the time I came home, so him entertaining company was a surprise. I had no idea how to feel after my conversation with my friends, and I needed time to untangle the mess in my head before I faced him again.

Another part of me was dying to see how he’d react after what happened. Would he be awkward, stoic, or indifferent? Would he pretend it never happened at all? Whatever the answer, it would at least give me an idea of where we stood. Personal feelings aside, I still had to work for him for another month.

But if I wasn’t prepared to confront him yet, there was a good chance he wasn’t ready to see me either. That was the only upside to running into him so soon after our kiss.

Plus, I really wanted to know who that car belonged to.

I got my answer a minute later, when the front door opened right as I was about to slide my key in. I found myself face-to-face with an older couple. He was dressed in an expensive-looking suit and leather shoes; she wore a pristine wool dress and jewelry that probably cost more than my annual salary. They stared at me with twin expressions of judgment.

“Hi,” I squeaked.

“Hello.” The woman took in my pink football shirt, jeans, and beat-up trainers. She spoke with a soft American accent, and her pursed mouth suggested she found my appearance wholly lacking. “And you are?”

I fought an instinctive bristle at her tone. “I live here. Who are you?”

She opened her mouth, but Noah came up behind her and cut her off. “The Andersons were just leaving.”

The Andersons? I racked my brain, but the name didn’t ring a bell. While I was trying to place them, the man said something to Noah that wiped the already-strained civility off Noah’s face.

“She’s Evie’s nanny,” he said, his voice coated with Arctic frost. “It’s her night off. She’s free to come and go as she pleases.”

“We can see that.” Apparently, the man found me as lacking as his wife did.

“Think about our proposal,” the woman told Noah. “We’ll be in touch to coordinate details.”

The couple left without sparing me a second glance.

“What lovely people,” I said after they were gone. I stepped into the house and locked the door behind me. “What was that? Who are the Andersons?”

“They’re Evie’s grandparents. On her mother’s side.” Furrows lined Noah’s forehead. His mouth was tight with anger.

I sucked in a sharp breath. Holy crap. All thoughts of our kiss slid straight to the back burner as I processed what he said.