Page 18 of The Secret

“Of course you will!” Penn laughed. “What about Dasha?”

“Dasha?”

The evil glint in his eye told me he knew what he was suggesting, because he liked to remind me of any occasion when I hadn’t made the best decisions. “Yeah, maybe you should rethink that situation. She wanted to settle down, remember?”

I scoffed.Dasha.

Even though she’d graced more than a few magazine covers, Dasha wasn’t so much a model, more one of those girls where you never really knew what they did. But because she was so extraordinarily beautiful - on the outside - it was never questioned. We’d crossed paths a few times at the end of last summer, bumping into each other at events as we moved in similar circles, briefly flirting but never going beyond that. It also hadn’t been immediately obvious how vapid and narcissistic she was, because when conversations take place after enough alcohol to sink the U.S. Navy, it’s not that easy to tell.

Then, on one more very drunken night at the New York Rangers’ legendary Halloween party, it happened. She’d looked smoking hot in a masquerade mask and a dress that left nothing to the imagination. One night had led into a few weeks – not quite dating, because you can’t really call it that when the time spent together is confined to the hours between eleven p.m. and five a.m. - which was about all I could manage before I became concerned for my life.

And the very legitimate worry I might be skinned alive.

“Absolutely not. First off, you know she wanted to settle down with my money. Second, I’ve never met anyone with less maternal instinct. Third, she would always pick fights with me, which, admittedly, would then end with fucking insanely explosive sex, but,” I held my finger for a pause, “and I hate myself for saying this, it was too much. The pay-off wasn’t worth it. My back got totally scratched up from those talons she had, and I had to get some antibiotic cream from the doctors. It was like having sex with a velociraptor. Plus, she hated Barclay, especially when he tried to sleep on the bed. And after the final fight about fuck knows what, I had enough and threw her out.”

Rafe started laughing hard.

“Fuck, I bet that was funny. I wish I’d seen how angry she’d been. I told you not to go near her. She’s always been an evil bitch, and this is a classic example of you letting your dick control your decisions,” he added, as though he’d never done the same thing. He peered over to where Barclay was sleeping. “Poor Barc, you’re a good boy, aren’t you?”

Barclay lifted his head up to look at Rafe, his tail thudding once before he went back to sleep. He was also very tired, having been up almost as much as me. He still wasn’t entirely sure about what was going on, or who this new creature was taking up all my attention.

“When’s the nanny coming?”

“Today, after lunch. The car’s going to collect her.”

“What’s she like?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know; Mum and the girls organized her. Wolf and Franks really like her, and Mum met her and started talking about her as though she was the fucking Messiah. But honestly, if she can give me some time to sleep, then I really don’t care.”

My eyelids started feeling heavy again so I walked over to the patio doors off the kitchen and opened them, blasting myself with the fresh March air.

“Once I can sleep, then I can think.” I stood in the doorway, allowing the cold wind to hit me. “Raferty, I’ll give you a name for her tomorrow.”

“One fit for a president, apparently,” muttered Penn.

“Who’s the president?” asked my brother-in-law, Jasper, as he walked into the kitchen carrying my two-year-old niece, Flossie, in one arm, and a baby cat seat holding my three month old nephew, Macauley, in the other, which he placed on the kitchen table.

“The newest member of your family, by all accounts,” replied Rafe as he hugged Jasper. “Hey, man, how’re you doing? Good game last night. Sands is making a good captain.”

Jasper, married to Wolfie, was a retired NHL player, having captained the New York Rangers for a long time, and where he’d spent his entire career. Following retirement a few years ago, he then rejoined the staff as an assistant coach, and was having a lot of success. The Rangers were currently top of the league tables and heading for the playoffs.

“Thanks. Yeah, he’s doing a good job now that he finally started taking things seriously.” He placed Flossie on the floor and she promptly ran over to me, her arms lifted high for me to pick her up.

“Hi, Floss.” I kissed her cheek. “I like your dress. How are you?”

“Good.” She kissed me back then wriggled in my arms until I put her down on the floor, and ran off.

I called after her, “Granny is in the playroom.”

“How are things here?” Jasper hugged me and walked over to what I’d named The Bottle Station, which was essentially the baby equivalent of a cocktail bar. He examined everything that was laid out. “Girls do this?”

I nodded.

He looked toward the door, before back at me, lowering his voice. “When the girls are out one day, I’ll come over and go through what you actually need. I’ve found some good baby hacks they don’t know about, but have saved my ass on more than one occasion.”

I laughed. “Mate, I’ll take anything.”

He started making up a bottle. “Where is my new niece anyway?”

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