Page 12 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“Then come sit down so I can get you guys breakfast,” she said.

I watched my son get off the couch and sit down by his sister at the table. I was holding the mug of coffee in my hand as I stood there in utter shock. My kids had never been this obedient before. Ever. How the hell was this woman doing this? How was she taking command of my rambunctious kids?

“I found it!” Joshua said.

“Good job, buddy! Now clean up the mess you made in your room,” Natasha said.

“But I’m hungry.”

“Then you’ll eat once you’re done cleaning up,” she said. “And if you don’t do a good enough job the first time, then you’ll have to redo it after school.”

“Aw, man,” Joshua said.

But then I heard him march back to his room.

“What would you guys like for breakfast?” she asked.

“Cereal and milk,” Clara said.

“Is that what you really want? Because once I make it, that’s what you’re eating,” she said.

“Yeah,” Clara said.

“And you, Nathaniel?”

“Could I have peanut butter toast?” he asked.

“Of course you can. But once I make it, you’re eating it,” she said. “Want any juice?”

“Apple juice!” Nathaniel and Clara said.

“Can I have some apple juice?” Joshua asked.

“Are you done cleaning your room up?” she asked.

“Yeah. It was just some shirts. I put them back in my drawer,” he said.

“Good job, kiddo. You get some apple juice. What about food? You hungry?”

“Can I have a banana?” Joshua asked.

“Yes, you can. And for you?”

Natasha turned to me and waited to take my order. Like she was some kind of waitress. I knew I was staring at her with a dumbfounded look on my face, but I couldn’t help it. She was a beautiful young woman standing in my kitchen with jeans that hugged so many curves and she was commanding my children like she’d been here for years. I was in awe of what she was able to do with them already and she had only been in my house for a couple of hours at the most.

“I’ll grab an apple on the way out,” I said.

“Suit yourself. For the rest of you, breakfast will be up in about five minutes,” Natasha said.

I was leaving for work as Natasha piled the kids into the car. I tried to keep my mind on things regarding the merger, but it was hard to concentrate. I was still blown away from the morning’s activities, and part of me wanted to throw my arms around Logan. If this was how it was going to be every fucking morning, then that woman was going to earn every single penny I was paying her.

And then some.

We were a couple of days away from sealing the merger. The formal meeting between my board of investors and theirs went well. We plotted out logistics, like downsizing and merging names and having a headquarters both in San Francisco and in Frankfurt. The meeting ended with final talks of pricing for what we would pay their board of investors to hand over everything to us, so it was only a matter of our lawyers drawing up the paperwork.

And I couldn't wait to get home and ask my kids about their first day with Natasha.

When I walked into my house, the smell that greeted me was decadent. Lemon and thyme and just a hint of honey. Garlic and something akin to green beans w

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