Handled
By Annie
Not even eight on a Sunday morning, and Nathan already found himself awake. Sleep had been a fleeting thing throughout the night. There was just too much... weirdness. He hadn't been able to let it go. Hell, hours later, and it was still turning over and over in his mind.
What the hell was going on here?
He could hear her moving around downstairs. Nanny Carrie. She'd informed him early on that she was a morning person. No matter the day, there was just too much to do and enjoy to spend all that time sleeping in. At the time, he'd still been too wrapped up in his own problems and shortcomings to pay her any attention beyond thinking that she needed to take it down a notch or two. The perky was grating. But later on, well, it kind of reminded him of Haley. The way that Haley would face each day feeling like there was much to accomplish, the way that, even back in high school, she liked to be up no later than 6:30 and he was such a lazy bones for never being up before 7:30, or hell, 8:00 if he could manage it.
Glancing over at her now, Nathan reached out to touch her shoulder, his fingertips grazing the skin of her back as she curled up onto her side away from him. Haley always looked so pretty in her sleep, her face relaxed and natural, washed free of the makeup and the stress she wore during the day. Even she, after the last four years of wrestling with a small child, had learned just how precious the gift of sleeping in was.
What they needed was a day. A family day. She'd been out of the house so much lately, and that was a good thing. She'd been a mom and wife more than anything else at such a young age, always taking care of things for him so that he could run off and work on his dream. It was time for him to do the same for her, but she wasn't going into the studio today. They could picnic or spend the day by the pool. Maybe take Jamie to the movies. Something like that.
It sounded nice. A family day. How much he'd missed those while he'd been too busy with his head stuck up his ass to realize just what he was missing out on, just how much he was hurting the two people that mattered the most to him. He wasn't doing that anymore. Nathan wasn't letting anymore bad decisions hurt his family.
It was hard to do things quietly these days. He just didn't have the strength in his legs and in his back to move gracefully or quietly right now, but he didn't want to wake Haley up just yet. So, it took him a couple of minutes, trying to get out of the bed, put on a shirt and some sweatpants, and then get out the door. But she was dead to the world, and never even stirred.
Nathan's cane thumped against their wood floors as he made his way down the stairs and toward the kitchen. He was sure Carrie could hear him coming. It was hard for him to do much sneaking up on anyone these days, but she didn't seem to notice him as he rounded the corner and stood in the doorway. She just went about her business.
It gave him pause. This was the problem in this whole mess. Nathan was committed to Haley absolutely. He had been since high school, since that day they'd stood on her front lawn and she'd completely called him out on his bullshit. But he was good looking, he knew that, and he'd been a star basketball player basically his whole life. He could spot the signs of a slutty come on from a mile away. But that one last night, in the bedroom he shared with his wife, he just had not expected that. Hadn't seen it coming at all.
This was Carrie, and she hadn't been around that long, but she'd kind of become a fixture in the house. Jamie loved her and it was because of her being around that Haley could do all of this stuff that she was doing now. Plus, she was one hell of a cook. But beyond that, Nathan hadn't really paid her all that much mind. He didn't have reason too. She wasn't here for him.
So, when he'd called for Haley last night, and she was the one to show up... it had been uncomfortable asking, but he was trying not to let these feelings of helplessness drag him down so completely. He was trying not to let this injury that he'd brought upon himself stop him from... anything anymore. It hadn't seemed like it would be as wrong as it felt afterward. Haley wouldn't have liked Carrie doing that for him. What had seemed innocent then... it just wasn't.
He hadn't seen the signs before that though. There hadn't been any need to worry. Hell, he and Carrie hardly ever even talked. Haley was more the one to deal with her, but then there she'd been, on her knees in front of him, tits pushing up out of that way too low cut shirt, and her hands on his legs. Where the fuck had that come from?
He didn't handle it well, and he was kicking himself in the ass for that now. He'd just been too stunned, and he hadn't wanted to believe that she was actually doing what she was doing. For crap's sake, she was their fucking nanny! So, he'd apologized for Haley. He'd let her almost mock his wife as she'd walked out of the room, their bedroom, and talked about being turned on.
Man, that was a mistake.
He'd been uncomfortable at dinner, that comment she made about looking good in the pool, about how his rehab had been going well. It wasn't her place to make it, like she was his wife, like she knew even a little bit of what he was going through. Haley had cocked her head a little at it. Nathan wasn't always quick on the uptake, but he'd seen it. She hadn't liked Carrie saying that.
Being honest with himself, at that point, the whole thing had given him this kind of gross feeling in his stomach. Was he reading this right? Carrie seemed to like Haley too. He'd seen them talking sometimes, helping each other out in the kitchen or whatever. Why would she be doing that? Why would she think that she could come onto him? Maybe it wasn't what he was thinking it was. It couldn't be.
For the most part, by the time he'd put Jamie to bed and met up with Haley in their bedroom, he'd been able to push it aside. He was just blowing it all out of proportion. Sometimes some of Haley's friends had made comments in the past about him, just joking ones or whatever. He knew Haley didn't love those, but mostly, they were innocent. Maybe that's what this was too.
They'd flirted, him and Haley. In their bedroom. That was something they were doing again sometimes. It was cautious still. There was only so far he could manage with sex right now, but Haley said she didn't mind doing most of the work, and he was grateful for that. He'd deprived himself of his wife's body for nearly five months, and holy shit, but what had he been thinking there?
He was going to protect her from clowns. Check under the bed, check in the closet, check the balcony, and come back in for the reward. That's what he was going to do. Haley always gave the sweetest rewards. But he'd stepped out onto the balcony, and that gross feeling had come back and suckerpunched him in the stomach.
Naked in their fucking pool. But she wasn't wearing her bikini, so that wasn't breaking rules, right? It made him laugh in a this isn't funny at all kind of way.
It was this myriad of emotions that played on him. Anger that she'd blatantly go against what Haley asked her, amazement that she'd even have the the balls to do it, anger again that she was being such a hobag in his backyard... but also worry. Haley liked her so much. Haley was depending on her so much. She was not going to like this. This was going to hurt her, when she'd had too much hurt lately.
When he'd gone back inside, Haley had already turned the lights off, but she'd been waiting for him. The physical side of their whole rebuilding process... well, sometimes it was slow. When he'd first started wanting that again, wanting to kiss her and flirt with her, to touch her again, it had been hard for her. He knew that. Four months was not that much time, but it had sure done a lot of damage. It had been hard for her to tell him no, but she wasn't comfortable. He knew that. Mostly, she'd just try to avoid it.
But since that talk they'd had last week, the kiss they'd shared and the promise he'd made her, things had been better. They were having sex again, which was awesome. But sometimes too, they did other things. He'd just kiss her, touch her a little like they did back before they were married. A few nights previous, she'd crawled between his legs and blown him until he practically had to beg her to stop. That's kind of what he'd been angling at with the whole being a hero, checking for clowns thing.
But with what he'd seen out on that balcony... a whole new anger rose now for that bitch being such a fucking cockblock.
Nathan had contemplated saying something. Hell, even now, he could see that it was probably a mistake that he hadn't. There were a lot of good things about having Carrie around, and all of them were benefits to Haley. Maybe it wasn't what he thought it was. Maybe he could just handle it himself. Maybe... But that gross feeling was back in his stomach and it was not going away.
So, he'd kissed Haley and told her that he was tired, that he'd just been pushing a little too hard lately with the physical therapy. There had been this look that crossed her face, something almost like fear for a second, but Nathan hadn't known what that meant and he'd been too caught up in Nanny Slutty to think to ask. So, he'd just pulled her into his arms, curled himself around her as best he could with his bum legs, and held her until she'd fallen asleep. It had been a long time after that that he'd finally dropped off himself, and even then, it had only been for a short time.
And as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen now, all those thoughts from the previous night tumbled around in his head. Something needed to be said. It had to, but maybe it wasn't...
And there it was. Carrie still hadn't looked up at him, just continued to take dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away, prancing around his kitchen in tiny shorts and a tank top. She bent to put a pan away in one of the lower cupboards, shorts riding up higher and ass sticking out. It was a show. It was for him. In his own home with his wife and his kid asleep upstairs.
“Morning, Carrie.”
She straightened up immediately, holding a hand to her chest as she made a deal of gasping. “Nathan! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in.”
He didn't say anything to that, just gave her kind of a look as he walked into the room, nodding at his cane as it thumped against the floor.
“Oh, right.” Carrie laughed, biting at her lip a little. Looking at her as he was now, after the way she'd acted the day before, Nathan thought that she was probably trying to be cute, to look innocent. “I don't know where my head is. Daydreaming a bit, I guess.”
“Yeah...” Nathan sat down at one of the counter stools, giving her a bit of an appraising look.
“Did you want me to go ahead and start breakfast? Maybe some eggs and bacon smile-y faces?” She winked. “I don't think Jamie or Haley will be up for awhile, but I don't mind firing it up for just you.”
His eyebrow rose at that, and he couldn't help but wonder how many comments like that he'd missed, if there had been others. It was subtle, kind of, if he hadn't been looking for it he might not have noticed, but it was there. It was definitely there. “No, no that's fine. I ah.... I actually wanted to talk to you about something. If you could sit for a minute.”
“Oh, of course!” She gave him a bright smile, coming around to sit down on the stool closest to him, Her arm brushed up against his and that smile, it never wavered. “What can I do for you?”
Nathan shifted in his seat, putting enough distance between them that she couldn't just accidentally touch him. “I saw you last night.” He cleared his throat. “I - Out at the pool.”
“Oh...” Carrie's answer was breathy and her body moved, her shoulder lifting up in a kind of a shrug. It was a flirt. She looked at him from beneath her eyelashes, a small smile playing at her lips. “I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I thought everyone was asleep already. I never would have done that if I'd known you were still awake.”
He didn't respond to that right away. Didn't know exactly what to say. She'd known he saw her, of that Nathan was sure. She was flirting with him even now. Even if the words she said were innocent enough, it was in the way she was looking at him, the way she moved. Those signals were clear.
First things first. “Well, even if that's true, which I don't think it is, Haley asked you not to swim in the pool in a bikini.”
She bit her lip again, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “So, I didn't,” she said softly.
Anger flared up in Nathan, and he could tell that she saw it. Her smile faltered for the first time. “Carrie, Haley asked you not to swim in the pool in a bikini because she felt it was inappropriate. I would think it goes without saying that swimming naked would fall under the same category.”
“Oh, I... I...” Carrie stumbled over the heat in his words. Her hand went to her chest again, her tank top form-fitting and giving off just a hint of cleavage. Nathan wondered if she was actually trying to draw attention to her boobs at a moment like this. “I'm so sorry, Nathan. I really didn't mean anything by it.”
“This isn't your home.” For the first time since he'd walked in the room, every pretense dropped from her face. She seemed to be a little shocked at that. “Haley likes you a lot, and Jamie does too. We appreciate your help around here, and while you may be living here for now, this is not your home. This is Haley's house, her home. When she asks something of you, you do it. You don't disrespect her like you did last night.”
“Nathan, please.” She reached out to lay a hand over his forearm. “I really meant no disrespect. I like Haley so much, and I appreciate the job you guys have given me. Really, I didn't mean anything by it. It won't happen again.”
He gave her a long, hard look, searching for the sincerity on her face. The problem was that she'd seemed so sincere before, but she'd still crossed that line last night. Nathan didn't know how far to trust her. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Carrie nodded at him, the smile returning to her face. More shy this time and less of the slyness. But that was still there a little too. Her hand that still rested on his arm moved a little, sliding back and forth a few times before giving him a squeeze.
She stood up, then, walking around the counter and heading back to the dishwasher she was working at unloading before. “Its lucky for Haley she has you. Its kind of rare to find a man who is so behind his wife, you know. Gives a girl faith.” Giving him another one of those big smiles, those ones that were starting to grate on his nerves, she kind of shrugged. “It must be kind of hard for you sometimes, though. Haley's so nice, but she's kind of on the uptight side, you know.” She laughed a bit. “Maybe its just the stress from being gone from her home so much.”
Nathan hadn't really cared much about her before, but it was in that moment there that he decided that he officially did not like this woman. What a stupid bitch, to push at his limits so much in the last day, get called on it, and then push at them some more. “Carrie. Haley is my wife.”
Carrie gave him a bit of an odd look at that, letting out a small giggle. “I know.” She reached up to put away a glass, the hem of her tank top sliding up to reveal a tan strip of skin.
“Carrie.” He just said her name, waiting for her to stop and turn back to him. Nathan's eyes met hers, but he didn't return the smile. “I would never do anything to hurt her, and I don't like other people trying to hurt her either.”
“Oh, Nathan, I didn't mean anything by it,” she was quick to say, rushing back over to the counter, and reaching across to touch his arm again. “Haley is really wonderful. I'm sure that you're lucky to have her, too.”
“That's not what I meant, but yes, I am lucky to have her.” Nathan grabbed her hand and placed it back on the counter. “What I meant is, you're coming on to me, and I don't like it. You don't have a chance.”
Carrie was quick to cover it up, but he could see that flash of shock in her eyes. He doubted very much that she ever expected to be called on these little digs, on all the little moves. “What? No...”
“I'm not stupid, Carrie. Last night in my bedroom, in Haley's bedroom -”
“I was just trying to help you out. You called for help, and its part of my job -”
“No.” Nathan held up his hand, stopping her. “I called for Haley, and you're not here for me. You're here for her and for Jamie.”
A little bit of the softness she always carried dropped away. “You asked for me to help you. I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't asked.”
Nathan heard the insinuation there, the idea that he wanted her attention. “I understand that I let that happen. I over did myself at therapy and I was a little stuck. So, it was my bad to ask you for that help, but I sure as shit did not ask to hear about you being turned on out at the pool. I did not ask for you to flash your tits at me in my own damn backyard.”
Carrie looked away from him, a flush taking over her cheeks. Her breathing grew a little deeper and she seemed to be taking the time to compose herself. He'd backed her up into a corner. “Look, Nathan. Maybe you misunderstood me or read something that wasn't there. I know that you're married, and I love your wife. I really did not mean anything by it. I mean, you have been out of the whole flirting scene for a long time, haven't you? You're making a big deal out of nothing.”
“No, I'm not. Making a big deal of it would be firing you right now. And honestly, the thought has crossed my mind.”
Her eyebrows shot up and she seemed to gather for the first time just how serious he was being here. “No! I love this job. I love Jamie -”
“I get that, I do. And Haley and Jamie love having you here too, but you're not going to be here if this bullshit keeps up.”
Carrie's eyes were watering now, and he had to wonder if she was for real or if this was some kind of manipulation. It was amazing how much his opinion of this chick had dropped in just the last day. Its not like he thought she was crazy or anything, but she was a bitch for sure. One of those girls that were always told they were so pretty, and they could and should get any guy they wanted. It was sluts like this that he'd gladly left behind for Haley.
“Look, I get that you're helping my family right now. I appreciate what you do for Haley and that Jamie likes you so much. I do. But that's as far as anything I have for you goes. Will ever go.” Nathan took a deep breath himself. He was pretty sure that she was getting the message. He just wanted to be done with her already. “You don't come into my bedroom anymore, and you don't walk around here in a bikini or anything like that. And unless its something concerning Haley or Jamie, then you and I don't really need to be around each other. Because I'm not interested in playing games with you.”
Carrie stayed quiet for a second, but finally, her eyes met his again. “I'm very sorry if you've felt I've done anything inappropriate, Nathan. It really was all innocent.” Her voice was softer as she talked now, more timid almost. “But if that's what will make you comfortable, okay. I think you're over-reacting to something that's not there, but... I'm just here to make things easier on you guys.”
He didn't like that she was bullshitting with him, but regardless, the message was sent loud and clear. “Okay, then...” Nathan braced himself up against the counter, grabbing his cane and standing back up. “We're going to do a family day today. I'm not sure what, but I'll see what Haley wants to do.”
“Okay, that sounds great.” Carrie straightened herself up as well, forcing some of that perky back into her face. “A picnic by the pool might be nice. No bikinis, I promise. Wouldn't want to make anyone uncomfortable.” She said it with a smile, but there was just the slightest rise in her eyebrow. Her ego was stung.
“No. I said this was a family day. You are not a part of my family.” Nathan knew that there was a line between what was necessary and what was cruel, but he didn't care so much about crossing it just now. She'd gone too far herself. “It will be just me, Haley, and Jamie.”
Her fists clenched just a bit, but he had to give Carrie credit for being able to still keep a bit of a smile. “Oh, well. Okay. That will be nice for you. I'll just...”
“Leave,” he finished for her.
“What?”
It had been awhile since Nathan had been able to be a bastard to someone who truly deserved it, and to be honest, there was a part of him that reveled in it. “Leave. Get whatever you need for the day, and stay gone. I don't want to see your face again until tomorrow.” He limped around the counter, waiting until he was within just a few feet of her before he spoke again. “And Carrie, while you're gone, you think hard about whether you want to stay here or not, because one more wrong move by you, whether its just a misunderstanding or not, and I'll boot your ass.”
Nathan didn't look back at her as he headed out of the room. That mess was taken care of, as far as he was concerned. Now he was just focused on the day ahead of him.
Haley wasn't in the bed when he walked back into their room, but he could hear her moving around in the bathroom. It was still only eight though. They had a little bit before Jamie would wake up, some time just to themselves. Nathan was sure to lock the door behind him before crawling back into bed.
A few more minutes passed before she came out, and when she did, her hair was still wet from her shower and she was clad in only a towel. Perfect.
“Hey, there you are.” She gave him a warm smile as grabbed a brush off the dresser and sat down in the armchair across the room. “What were you doing out of bed so early?”
“I was downstairs, talking to Carrie.” Nathan's heart warmed at the picture she made, running a brush through that soft hair he loved so much, her skin still a little pink from the warmth of her shower, and so much of it bare for his viewing. “Come do that over here.”
Haley didn't answer his request, just twisted her lips a little, taking a moment to think about something. “Carrie, huh? She's pretty great, right? You like having her around?” She stopped her brushing. Just sat there, too upright to be comfortable, and looked at him.
“I guess.” Nathan did not want to talk about her. He'd had enough of that bitch already for the day. “Seriously, what are you doing over there.”
She still didn't come. Just stood and started to rifle through her drawers pulling out panties and a bra. What was she doing? His aim here was to get her out of all of her clothes and she was putting them on.
“Because you seemed to be getting along pretty well with her. You guys looked like you were having fun in the pool when I came home the other day.” Haley had dropped the towel while she was speaking, pulling on her panties and now putting on her bra. Man, she looked amazing naked.
“What? Why are you putting on clothes? You know I hate it when you do that.”
She did smile at him that time, rolling her eyes and giggling a little bit. Finally, Haley was doing what he asked and coming over to the bed. “I asked what you think of Carrie. She's nice, right? You seemed to be getting along well with each other. You know, in the pool and at dinner last night. That's good.” She sat down, still out of arms reach and looked at him expectantly.
“I don't know, Hales.” Nathan reached out, wrapping his fingers around her small wrist and tugging her over towards him. “I don't really think much about her. She's not really here for me. Just for Jamie and to help you out.”
Haley stopped short of letting him pull her completely into his arms. She sat up next to where he was laying, still holding his hand, but that was it. She was obviously bent on having some sort of conversation right now, but why did it have to be about Carrie? Nathan was so over freaking Carrie.
“Well, she helps you, too. She helps us all. Carrie's really wonderful. You think so too, right? You seem to.” She gave him kind of a tight smile. There was something going on with this, and for the first time since she'd come out of the bathroom, Nathan actually tried to pay attention to what she was saying, not just what she was wearing.
“I think its wonderful that her being her makes things easier on you. But...”
“Yeah, its just...” She paused, making a little face before going on. “I asked her not to wear a bikini in the pool anymore.”
“I know. She told me.”
“She told you?”
It just hit him then. The face that she'd made last night at Carrie's comment. The tension in her now. How could she be... “Haley, are you...?” He could see it on her face, the way her cheeks flushed and her eyes shifted away from his. Holy shit. That little witch had even managed to get herself under Haley's skin. Unflappable, amazing Haley. Just when he thought he couldn't dislike her anymore.
Her mouth and her hands went into overdrive, waving around like they did whenever she started up a ramble. She'd grown out of her babbling ways to some extent over the years, but it still came out at times. At those times when something was really, truly bothering her. “It's not that really. Its just, she's so great with Jamie and I saw you guys out at the pool... and I don't know. I'm probably over-reacting, aren't I? I'm sure I am. I just feel so out of sorts lately, and she's always so together and she's such a great cook and she's so pretty.” Her eyes met his again, and the uncertainty in them hurt his heart a little. “I'm sorry, honey. I'm just being crazy. I saw you guys out at the pool, and it made me feel... it just made me a little uncomfortable. I know its not a big deal and I'm being a total moron. I'll stop being a moron now. I'll just -”
Nathan had to stop her now. Knowing Haley, she would continue to talk until he put a stop to it, and this whole thing had gone far enough. “You're not being a moron, baby. You're the least moron-like person I've ever met. And I'm sorry that made you uncomfortable. I was playing with Jamie and -”
“No, Nathan, It's fine. I know you weren't -”
“No, Hales. Its not fine.” In all the frustration over Carrie, Nathan hadn't stopped to think. It had been innocent, that day in the pool. He was just playing with his son, and his son's nanny just happened to be there. But he'd given two different women one very wrong idea. “I didn't mean anything by it, but you know that I would never, ever do that to you. You are the only woman I want.”
Some tension seemed to seep out of her, her shoulders finally relaxing a bit. “I know, its just with the last few months... and that bikini... sometimes I forget.”
“Then, I need to tell you more often.” It was something that Nathan had never really been able to grasp, these insecurities that Haley got sometimes. She was the most amazing person in the world to him, the biggest heart and the most perfect body. She truly was everything that he could ever want. How she didn't understand that, he didn't think he'd ever know.
It took her a few more seconds of thinking, but then there it was. Finally!
Haley launched herself at him, her hands grasping at his face and holding him still as she kissed the hell out of him. Like he would want to be anywhere else but right here.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly when she pulled back a few moments later.
His hands smoothed up over the skin of her back, loving that silky feeling beneath his fingertips. “Baby, you never have to apologize for that.”
Haley's smile was just a little on the shy side as she pushed away from him, moving to sit up. Nathan was quick to stop her though, grasping her elbows and keeping her near. “Where do you think you're going?”
“We should probably get moving. Carrie's already up and Jamie will be up soon, too.” Haley was always the practical one.
“No, no. I gave Carrie the day off. We're going to have a family day today, just the three of us.” The smile she gave him was nothing short of brilliant. “And we've got time before the boy gets up. And anyway, I locked the door so he can't get in even if he does wake up.”
Haley gave him a little smack. “Nathan!”
“Haley, baby. I got plans for you this morning.” His fingers started on the clasp of her bra. That would be the first thing to go.
Her nose wrinkled in the cutest way even as she shifted so he could remove the offending article of clothing, tossing it on the floor. “Plans, hmmm? What kind of plans?”
Nathan didn't even bother responding, just smoothed his fingers through her hair, and tugged her lips down to his. He was finally going to get his.
The End
