All Chapters of Belong with them: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

AmyURGH! That man is so infuriating! I only asked him about using the kitchen to confirm that it was okay before going into his personal space because many people do not like that.Just like my Abuela. She despised it when someone dared to enter her kitchen. Before her passing when I was just six, I vividly remembered her sternly cautioning even my Mama to be careful and not disrupt her kitchen. And my Mama, her only child, was practically flawless when it came to kitchen prowess.Mr. Crawford seems like a person who would be very anal about HIS things, so I asked before I could do something in the kitchen. There was something intimate about entering someone’s bedroom or kitchen, and I didn’t want to overstep my bounds.“Everything okay, dear?” Mrs. Veil asked, breaking me out of my reverie as I realized I had already made my way to the kitchen.“Hmm... yes, everything’s fine,” I replied, with a reassuring smile, hoping she didn’t misconstrue my request as an attempt to avoid her cook

Amy“Son of a biscuit eater,” I huffed, rolling up my now red-painted, silk camisole before tossing it into the washer. I was fuming, not only due to the strange, exhausting but charged interaction with my dagnabbit boss last night but also my darn abysmal luck!After my strange interaction with Caleb Crawford the night before, I rushed to my room. As I sifted through my opened boxes of clothes, I realized that I had left my paint supply bag open. And the next thing I know, all my clothes are covered with paint and glitter. How could I be this careless? And the best part was I did not even realize that I left paint on my clothes and to top it off, I have no decent clothes left.The only thing left for me to wear at night was the sexiest lingerie I owned. I huffed, remembering the debacle that followed afterward. How dare Mr. Crawford insult me like that? Who did he think he was, speaking to me in such a condescending manner?I admit that it wasn’t the most appropriate attire to be near

AmyI practically jumped out of my skin when I saw the red substance dripping from my head. My immediate reaction was to bring my hand in front of my face, only to find it covered in red liquid. I screamed once more, my heart racing as I rushed toward the mirror. The red paint formed liquid droplets, steadily dripping down from my head to my face and pooling on the ground below.What the fudge is that?Instinctively, I brought my palm closer to my nose, and a strong paint smell hit me, making me cringe. Oh my God, it’s paint! It wasn’t a head injury or something!The loud knock on my door made me jump again. “Amy? Are you okay in there? I heard a scream.” Jim’s voice filtered through the door.“Hmmm... Yeah... I mean no... I will be outside in a minute. Can you please wait for me in the living room?” I replied, still trying to process what had just happened. I hurried to the shower, frantically checking all the bottles to make sure there was no more paint lurking in there. When I reali

AmyI hummed as I dressed in my comfy tan-colored drawstring pants with a white camisole and strappy sandals. I applied some lotion all over my body and began my minimal makeup routine.It’s been almost a month since I signed the permanent employee contract to be Liam’s nanny and tutor. When Mr. Crawford gave me the contract after apologizing for his earlier behavior, I was skeptical.He did blast me without any apparent reason and then almost fired me when I stood up for myself. But within twenty minutes, he was back, apologizing and offering me a permanent employee contract. It all seemed quite fishy. However, the reality was that I needed this job.Without it, I had no money or prospects, and on top of that, I didn’t want to leave Liam. The precious little boy had carved out a permanent place in my heart. We did not start out great, but when I was on bed rest, we bonded amazingly.Liam had taken care of me, offering magical kisses that might not have healed my physical injuries, but

AmyI sighed as I slumped to the ground, keeping a watchful eye on Liam. The park was alive with the laughter of children playing, and Liam’s infectious smile added to the joy around. He spotted me, waved enthusiastically, and sprinted in my direction.“Slow down, buddy,” I chided, as he stood before me, panting.“Amy,” he whined, “Water. Water. Water.” His urgency to rejoin his friends was evident.Furrowing my brows, I questioned, “How do we ask if we need anything, buddy?”“Sorry,” he gave me an apologetic smile. “May I have some water, please?”“Good boy,” I smiled, ruffling his sweaty hair. As I reached for my bag, a realization hit me—I had left it in the car. The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the playground.I looked at Liam and replied, “I forgot it in the car. Give me a minute and I will be back. Don't go anywhere.”He nodded, and I asked Jim to look after Liam while I grabbed the bottle. Before Jim could reply, I ran towards the car in the parking l