Chapter Twenty Three — Pete

I decided to call Katie; it had been a while since we spoke. Sure, we’d texted since I upset her and left for San Fran, but after Rick told me she’d never been out of state apart from her trip to L.A, I knew I had to talk to her and convince her to take a trip with Rick and clear the air before she came. I couldn’t see her passing on a trip of a lifetime.

“Hey,” I said as soon as she picked up. I double-checked with Rick if it was good to call. He was at home, bored. His trips to the club were practically non-existent, and he wasn’t in the mood to open a new one. He seemed to have a change in heart in opening a few of them and wanted to do something new, the question was what.

“Pete, glad to hear from you. Rachel has just gone to sleep. Wait.”

I could hear the door click shut. She giggled silently and I could hear her walking away, most likely from the twins’ room. “I swear Rachel has had a shot of Coke or Dr. Pepper. She was Ms. Energy, today. She just wouldn’t stop all day.”

I checked the time. “Yeah, a little weird for her to be napping at this time.”

“I know. I think I may regret it, and I won’t be able to put her down tonight.”

“You’re so good. I wouldn’t think like that. I’ll be too happy about wanting to have a few z’s before I had to do whatever I had to do next with them.”

She laughed. “Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a great uncle.”

It was at that moment I realized there seemed to be no awkwardness between us. Not like when I last left her. I felt bad for doing that I needed to work hard on the way I spoke to people. Women in particular. Especially one who was so special to me.

“I’m glad we’re good. I was a bit worried because of the last time we spoke. Well, we're face-to-face.” I sounded nervous and was struggling to get the words out. “I said all the wrong things.”

She cleared her throat. “About that. I wanted to say I was the jerk. You were just pointing out the obvious, just saying the truth, and I was the one who was acting all defensive and shit. I was the jerk for making you feel bad for saying the truth.”

“Sensitivity is not my style.”

She choked, “So, I noticed.”

“Touché! Please forgive me, and even more, please have patience with me. I’ll get there eventually, especially with your support.”

I sounded desperate, wanting to please her, and making sure I didn’t cross the line. The idea of her leaving was something I couldn’t bear. I’d never had a woman so important to me in which the prospect of losing her was too painful.

“Rick said you were there and he was even talking about us all going there to visit you. I was going to call to ask if it was okay after what happened when you were here last.”

“That’s exactly why I called you. I even found a great creche and reserved spots for the twins. I’m sure they would love it there. This way you can see the city, we can go out at times, and it would be fun.”

“Oh my. I’m the nanny. You shouldn’t be finding creches for the twins. I should be looking after them.”

I shook my head. “I think by now, you’ve figured out that you’re a lot more than just the nanny. You shouldn’t sell yourself short. You mean more to us than just looking after the twins. Otherwise, we wouldn’t invite you to come here.”

“No one’s ever made me feel the way you guys make me feel.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that, especially because I could hear her sniffing on the other end of the line.

“Rick tells me that your mom wants to visit for Thanksgiving. If she’s a mean cook like you are, then why book a hotel? Why not let her come stay with us.”

“So, you’ll make my mom stay here in exchange for cooking. Sounds just like Stan.”

“That’s not fair! Anyway, think about it. No pressure. Besides, it would be good to have some more female company in the house.”

“We’ll think about it…”

We talked about the twins and Rick being bored. Katie complained he was like a bear with a sore head. The conversation was natural, as it’d been when we were in the hotel. I felt silly not wanting to pick up the phone earlier and call her. Everything about being with Katie felt right. There was no doubt about it in my mind; she was becoming a lot more than the nanny, she was starting to have a special place in my heart.

***

I decided to do a little digging into all the things we could do while Katie and Rick were in San Fran, and every single time, the only thing that kept popping up were dirty thoughts. Nasty ones. About the three of us together.

I knew Rick and she had been together, and the crazy thing about it was I wasn’t jealous. We’d never shared women; we were ex-SEALs and passionate about joining together. We lived together too. But sharing women felt like we were crossing the line, yet this was exactly what we’d done with Katie.

I sat down after pouring myself a bourbon. My thoughts drifted from thinking about us walking over the Golden Gate Bridge to where we were going to eat and organizing their trip over the next few days. They were only coming for a long weekend, but the things which were on my list needed to be done over a week or maybe two.

Seals, Chinatown, Pacific Heights Views, picnic in the park, visiting the rock, the fantastic bars and restaurants. Too many things, and I had to think about the twins, too. They were around for the four days, and I didn’t want them to be left behind. I could easily ask Aunt Elizabeth to look after them, but this project that I would be starting soon would mean I would be based here for at least one year. I’d told Rick I had an opportunity here, but I figured once he got here, then I would lay it all out in the open.

Maybe the conversation I had with Stan showed how much he’d changed and grown up in the last three weeks. He was a man standing on his own two feet, all his energy was spent on hating us, but he said now his focus was on him. He realized he had blamed us for his hurt and pain. Now he was alone, and he had no one to blame.

Fuck!

He even told me he’d started doing yoga and it helped him immensely by allowing him to meditate and focus. He even suggested I give it a try. He said he’ll come home for Thanksgiving. I could have asked him where he was staying, or even at least what town. I didn’t know if he was in L.A. or if he was back home in Oregon. None of it seemed relevant hearing the happiness in his voice. I had to double check a couple of times to make sure it was him. My brother, happily speaking to me, something which hadn’t happened since we were kids. It was nice to hear him talk that way about life. I swirled my drink with a smile on my face, thinking about Stan being happy, the way I’d tried to make him so many times.

I took a swig as my thoughts darted back to Katie. The idea of her being here made me excited, because I’d never been on a date, let alone lived with one. For the first time, I felt the same desperation that Stan had felt when she came to live with us, making her cook and blackmailing her. I could never say or think that what he did was right, but there was something special about her. Something which made me want her around all the time.

It was a flight or a long drive, either way, the distance between L. A. and San Fran didn’t mean it was impossible for us to have a bit of a long-distance relationship, even if it meant sharing her with a brother or two.

Either way, this trip wasn’t only about talking about Stan or my new job, it was about our relationship with Katie. I had a feeling no matter what, Rick would agree—Katie should be part of not just the twins’ lives, but all of ours. We’d bonded more in the last few weeks than we’d done in such a long time. It was down to Katie. The woman who was more than a nanny to the twins and to us.