The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 67

Rebecca led the children straight up to the second floor of the house.

She settled the little ones onto the couch, then slipped into the bathroom to splash some water on her face and tidy up.

When she came back out, she found the kids huddled together, whispering conspiratorially.

“Mom, since we’re staying here, when’s our stepdad coming?” Aiden looked up at her with wide, curious eyes.

Rebecca crouched down, ruffled his hair, and smiled. “He has some things to take care of, but once he’s finished, he’ll come here. So for now, we’ll be living here for a little while.”

Aiden nodded, only half understanding.

Just then, Ethan piped up, his voice full of excitement. “Mom! Mr. Dennis wasn’t lying—there really is a playground here! I want to go play!”

Rebecca turned to see Ethan’s eager face and couldn’t help but laugh. “Go ahead, but be careful, alright?”

Ethan nodded and took off with his brothers, racing toward the backyard.

Rebecca stood by the tall windows, watching the four children darting around the garden, their laughter ringing out. Warmth filled her eyes. Once she saw a housekeeper nearby keeping an eye on them, she turned away and began sorting through their things, determined to get their new life organized.

Out in the playground, Ethan was zooming down the slide when he caught the sound of a few housekeepers gossiping nearby, cracking sunflower seeds and whispering. He heard them mention his mom’s name.

Curiosity instantly took over. Ethan tugged on Noah’s sleeve and whispered, “Noah, come on. Let’s see what they’re talking about.”

Without waiting, Ethan crouched low and snuck behind the slide.

Noah hesitated, thinking eavesdropping was rude, but worried Ethan might get into trouble, so he reluctantly followed.

They crept closer. Ethan, quick-eared as ever, soon picked out what the housekeepers were saying.

Emma, the elderly housekeeper from earlier, spat out a sunflower shell and sneered, “Those four brats think they can become Mr. Austin’s sons? What a joke. Do they even know who Mr. Austin is? There’s no way he’s going to play the sucker and take in four fatherless kids.”

Two younger housekeepers chimed in, “Exactly. If you ask me, Mr. Austin isn’t coming back at all. His wife’s plain as oatmeal and the kids aren’t his—what man would put up with that?”

Ann wrinkled her nose, “Then why’d Mr. Austin even marry that woman?”

Noah hesitated, then nodded. “You’re right. We can’t let them badmouth Mom. But…”

His eyes narrowed, a flash of mischief sparking in them. “We’ll have to do this on the sly.”

Just then, Aiden and Evan wandered over, curious about their brothers’ whispered plotting.

“Noah, Ethan, what are you guys talking about? We want in,” Aiden said, peering up expectantly.

“Yeah, don’t leave us out of the fun!” Evan chimed in.

Ethan glanced at them, his anger still simmering. “Those three housekeepers were saying terrible things about Mom and us. We can’t just let it slide!”

“What? They actually dared to say bad things about Mom?” Aiden’s little fists balled in outrage.

“That’s awful! We’ll show them they can’t mess with us!” Evan agreed, determined to join in.