Chapter 4

Devon's POV 

"Soph, time to wake up. Don't forget Isabella's coming today." I said while gently shaking my daughter. 

I heard Jace purr in the back of my head just from hearing Isabella's name. ~Why did you tell her to get here at 12, why not at 8?~ Jace huffed in frustration. 

Knowing Jace's impatience, I just brushed off the comment. Sophie got up and started jumping in excitement. I could feel Jace smiling at his pup's excitement. 

"Soph, Sweetie why did you call Isabella, mommy last night?" I gently asked her. 

"Because I feel like she’s, my mommy." She answered quietly while nervously looking down and twiddling her fingers. 

"Soph, it's best not to call her that for now, okay Baby?" I gently said while taking her small hands in mine. 

"Okay, Daddy." She sadly whispered. 

"Okay...time to take a bath." I told her while picking her up and taking her to her joint bathroom. 1 Hour later 

"What would you like for breakfast, Soph?" I asked her while checking the time on my phone to see that it was 09:20. 

"Waffles!" She excitedly yelled. 

Chuckling, I started preparing the batter and the bacon. 

"Soph, you can go play on my tablet while I prepare breakfast." I said while flipping the bacon. 

"Okay Daddy." she said while climbing off her chair and making her way into the living room. 

1 Hour later 

"You can go play now, Sweetie." I said while I put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. 

"Daddy, can you play tea party with me?" She asked with her puppy dog eyes. 

Sighing I answered, "Sure Sweetie, let me clean up a bit first." I said with a smile as I bent down to her level and kissed her forehead. 

"Okay." She said excitedly running to her room. 

I honestly don't need to clean the house seeing as I have two maids that come to clean the house three times a week. The only things I have to take care of our Sophie's toys which are scattered around in the living room and the misplaced couch pillows. 

Sophie and I played tea party before we comfortably sat in the living room to watch Frozen 2. I was about to fetch us more snacks when I heard the doorbell ring. 

Pulling my phone out, I saw that it was already 11:55 so it must have been Isabella. As I was walking to the door I smelt Isabella's caramel scent, confirming my suspicions. 

When I got to the door, I pulled my mint-flavoured gum out of my back pocket and popped one into my mouth, for safety purposes 'wink'. 

"Hey." I said as I opened the door with a wide smile on my face. I could also hear Jace purr at the sight of our gorgeous, mate. 

Our mate's natural caramel scent was intoxicating. It was a dangerous drug to Jace and I. 

"Hi."     Greeted     our     mate     with     a     warm     smile. 

She looked beautiful absolutely exquisite in her white and flowery, flowy summer dress, waistlong jean jacket and brown, leather sandals. 

"Please come in." I said opening the door wider as an invitation for her to enter. 

"Thanks." She said as she walked in. 

"You've got a beautiful home." She said as she looked around at her surroundings. 

"Thank you." I said as I led her into the kitchen. 

"Please sit." I motioned towards the pedestal chairs. 

"Would you like any snacks or anything to drink?" I asked my gorgeous mate while opening the fridge. ~You mean OUR gorgeous mate~ said Jace with a snort. 

'Yeah, OUR gorgeous mate' I agreed with Jace. 

"Umm, sure." She answered with a bit of hesitance. 

~Our mate is adorable, but I don't want her to hesitate when it came to asking for anything from us and most especially if we are the ones offering~ said Jace in my head. 

'Nor do I' I agreed with him. 

"How do Oreos sound? I could even get you some milk or anything of your preference to go with them." I offered. 

"Sure, Oreos sound good, and you can surprise me with the drink." She said with a big smile. 

I'm glad to see that she is getting more comfortable around me. Having my mate uncomfortable around me is something I most certainly don't want and nor does Jace. 

"Here you are, Oreos and a glass of cold milk." I said while putting a plate of Oreos and a glass of milk in front of her. 

"Thank you." She said while nervously cracking her fingers. 

"I'll go get Soph, then we'll take you on a tour around the house. " I said sending her a small smile while walking to the living room. 

"Soph, Honey guess who's here?" I asked her while tickling her sides. 

"Who?" She asked while giggling trying to get my hands away from her sides. 

"Go look in the kitchen." I said picking her up from the carpet and onto her feet. 

With those words, Sophie shot out of the living room with lightning speed clearly excited to see who was in the kitchen leaving me chuckling at her antics as I followed her into the kitchen. 

"Hello, Miss... Isabella." She excitedly said, but you could hear the displeasure in her voice from having to call Isabella, Miss Isabella instead of ‘Mommy’. But this was for the best for now. 

"Hello Sweetheart, how are you?" Asked Isabella while getting off her chair and bending to Soph's level to give her a hug. 

"And you can call me Isa, Isabell, Isabella, or Bella, there are soooo many to choose from." She said dramatically drawling out the ‘so’, most likely to lighten up Sophie's mood and it did exactly that because Sophie gave out a giggle. 

"How about you go finish the movie while I talk to Miss Isabella? I'll call you when it's time to give her the tour." I told Sophie while handing her favourite Beef flavoured Simba crisps and a Raspberry-flavoured juice box. 

"Okay, Daddy." She said with a grin as she took her snacks and went back into the living room. 

"So are you still up for watching over Sophie until I can find her another nanny or at least for the week." I gently asked her though I wanted her to say yes more than anything. 

"Yeah, I'm still up for it." She softly said while cracking her fingers. 

I just wanted to reach out and hold her hands in mine to calm her nerves. 

"In fact, I would like it if you would permanently look after her or at least as long as you're available." I nervously cleared my throat. 

Please say yes, "Umm, sure. I am free this whole year...well unless there's a change of plans." She softly smiled. 

"Great, so now to establish your payment and working hours. You work from Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 6 pm. There might be days when I get home early and you will be relieved of your duties however that will not affect your wages." 

"Though on days where I get home late, you will get paid for the extra hours. If you are needed on a Saturday or Sunday, your wage will increase by 25% for that day. 

Your wages are 60 Erasis' per hour which equates to 540 Erasis' per day. Is that okay with you?" I asked her. 

"Oh and before you answer, may I ask how old you are?" I asked. 

She can't be that young, probably 16,17,18, or 19 years at most. 

"Eighteen, actually today is my birthday." She said with a nervous smile while twiddling her fingers. 

~What? This is our chance to bond with our mate. Let’s take her out somewhere~ Jace impatiently exclaimed. ~It's our luck that we got to meet with our mate on such an important day, don't ruin it? ~ He finished before he went silent. 

"Okay I'll get my lawyer to make us a contract, but for now let me take you on a quick tour of the house then we can go celebrate." I said already standing up and grinning at my mate. 

"You don't have to do that." She quickly replied. 

"But I want to, so let me get Sophie. We'll show you around the house then we'll be on our way." I said with a soft smile before going to fetch Sophie for the tour. 

"Soph, time to show Miss Isabella around the house. “I told her. 

"Yayyyy!" She excitedly yelled climbing off the couch. 

"Okay, let's go Princess." I said as kissed her forehead and picked her up as we walked into the kitchen to fetch Isabella for the tour. 

"Okay, we'll start with the basement." I told her. 

~~~~~ 

Isabella's POV 

Walking into the basement, I was shocked by the size and by the interior of it. 

"This is our cinema, as you can see." Said Devon with a smile. The room was stunning but had a homely feel to it. There was a huge C-shaped couch that faced a huge TV on the wall. 

Square-shaped tables were placed in front of the couch and there was a chandelier on the ceiling offering some light. A popcorn machine was put to the side of a room along with a slushy machine and a table with popcorn cups and slushy cups. 

"Wow, it's so spacious, and don't forget, gorgeous." I said awed by the beauty. 

"Thanks." Chuckled Devon as he walked out of the basement with Sophie still in his arms and me following behind. 

Devon showed me the first floor which consisted of the kitchen, living room, dining room, playroom, and bathroom. 

The second floor consisted of the office, library, and Master bedroom with its joint bathroom, as well as Sophie's bedroom which had its own joint bathroom, and four guest rooms with joint bathrooms. 

The library had a joint door to Devon's office. 

"Now that we're done with the tour, where would you like to go for your birthday?" Asked Devon as he put Sophie down and took his car keys and house keys from the kitchen tray. 

"I don't know, where would you like to go Soph?" I asked her as I looked at her. 

"The movies!" She excitedly yelled out as she jumped around while wearing the most adorable grin. 

"Are the movies fine with you, Bella?" Asked Devon as he looked at me with a smile. 

I don't know why but hearing him call me, ‘Bella’ made my insides feel like jelly. It made me feel giddy inside. My gosh, it felt more special being called ‘Bella’ by him than by anyone else. Devon made me feel things I've never felt before. It feels like I have this strong connection with him like an uncontrollable pull. I felt like a coin being pulled into a magnet. He gave me a euphoric sensation. 

He feels like home, and it feels like there is more to him than meets the eye. There's this mysteriousness and an aura that commands respect. The oddest thing though is that I feel like nothing can harm me when I'm with him. I feel safe and just at home. It's crazy because how does one feel safe around a complete stranger? 

The next thing I know, there are fingers being snapped in my face. "Earth to Bella." Said Devon with a small smile looking genuinely concerned. 

"Huh? did I miss something?" I nervously asked with a nervous laugh. “Just zoned out for a bit is all. The movies are fine." I said with a reassuring smile. 

"Okay, let's go then." Devon grinned, opening the door for Sophie and I to leave the house before following behind us and locking the door behind him. 

"Are you excited?" I asked Sophie as she looked at me and nodded excitedly with a grin still plastered on her face. 

"Yeah, I am." She giggled. 

To be honest I was quite excited to be spending my birthday with Sophie and Devon. They felt like family... or maybe, I’m just losing my mind, I mentally face-palmed myself.