Page 83 of Beneficial Misfortune

“Hey, Kitten.” I’d been so lost in my thoughts that Desmond scares the shit out of me. With a squeak of surprise, I reach out to grab the banister before I can tumble down the stairs face first.

“Damn, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Desmond says, reaching out to steady me, and I shake my head.

It’s not his fault I’m so on edge right now. I’m already a jumpy person, as is, and that’s without knowing someone's watching me.

“No, it’s my fault I wasn’t paying attention,” I assure him, attempting to plaster a smile on my face and failing.

Desmond stands looking me over for a moment, and I nervously shift my weight from one foot to the other under his gaze. Normally, having his eyes on me is exciting, but right now, it’s terrifying. He, Alex, and Nathan read me so well that I can almost guarantee I won’t be getting away with keeping quiet.

“Katherine, what’s wrong?” My head snaps up at the sound of my full name from his lips. It’d been a while since he called me Kat, let alone Katherine. Instead, they all seem to enjoy their nicknames. Even Nathan has one now.

“Mommy!” Addison’s voice rings out around the room a second before she slams into me, almost taking us both to the ground.

“Hey honey,” I say, soothing her hair back when she looks up at me. “Did you have a good day with Uncle Alex?” I ask because they seemed to be enjoying themselves this morning, but it also seems like a fantastic distraction right now.

“Woah, Princess, when did you get so damn fast?” Alex asks as he jogs around the corner, huffing and puffing dramatically.

“Oh! You said a bad word!” Addison says, turning to point an accusing finger at Alex, who chuckles. I’ve yet to see the swear jar they have for ice cream, but I have a feeling it’s got to be huge with their mouths.

Funny enough, it’s even worse when she’s not around. It’s not as if they aren’t trying, and it’s adorable.

Bending down, I scoop Addison up and pull her close. She melts into my hug, and honestly, I needed this; I needed a moment to breathe.

“What do you say we give Uncle Alex a break this time?” I say, pulling back to meet her eyes. “I’m pretty sure he’s just jealous you're so much faster than him now because he’s so old.”

Addison’s eyes go wide before she breaks out into a fit of giggles, and I swear it’s the most contagious thing in the whole world. I’m not sure who could possibly hear her laugh and keep a straight face.

I hear Desmond chuckle behind me, and when I meet Alex’s gaze over Addison’s head, I find him glaring at me, but his eyes tell me he's not really mad.

“Old, huh?” Alex asks, stalking toward us with his eyes narrowed, and Addison begins to squirm in my hold, no doubt knowing exactly what's coming.

Alex gets a few steps away before he lunges forward, and Addison’s scream rings out on the high ceilings as he tickles her without mercy.

“Mommy said it!” she cries, panting and fighting for air between giggles, and Alex pauses.

“She did, didn’t she?” he asks, turning his gaze to me, and I can’t help but take a step back. Addison giggles before all but pushing out of my arms, and I regrettably let her down.

There goes my shield.

“Alex.” I hold my hands up, trying to keep him from attacking me the way he had Addison. I don’t make it far, though, before I run into a solid form behind me, and I know without looking, it’s Desmond. Of course, he would help him.

“Cheater,” I hiss at him over my shoulder, unwilling to look away from Alex.

“Call it what you want, Kitten. I enjoy seeing you smile. Sue me.”

Addison stands to my right, a huge smile on her face as her eyes volley back and forth between me and Alex, and I know I have one of two choices.

I stand here and let Alex tickle me like I’m a child, or I run.

Can I escape him? Probably not. But it sounds better than standing here and taking it.

Without giving myself another second to think about it, I take off. For just one glorious second, I get to see the look of shock on his face before he’s behind me, and I need to pay attention to where I’m going.

I run, skidding into the dining room, thankful I’d skipped socks. In socks, I have no doubt I would have flown across this floor with how polished it is. Taking a sharp left, I run through the kitchen and right to the sliding glass door that leads to the deck. It takes me longer than it should to pull the door open, and I can hear Alex’s heavy steps as he closes in on me. Before I can panic too much, the door finally opens, and I burst out of it like my ass is on fire.

Or, you know, like there’s a man chasing me to try to tickle me.

“You should know I enjoy a good chase, Cherry,” Alex yells, and I dare glance back to find him still at the deck. He’s not far behind, but it also doesn’t look like he’s taking this very seriously, yet. I might have said Alex was old, but I have no doubt he could catch me if he wanted to. He’s in great shape, and I’ve seen his stamina firsthand. “But not as much as I’ll enjoy catching you.”

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