Wife By Benefits ✔️

Chapter Five





A SOFT but hard object hitting Nathaniel's right shoulder snapped him off his brooding thought. Unconsciously rubbing where the ball had touched.

"Come on man, get your head in the game!" James shouted at the far end of the basketball court, staring at him disapprovingly.

"Sorry." He leans down picking up to ball tossing it back at him.

"Okay, that just about enough". Dylan spoke from James's side. "You're going to tell us what wrong with you." He strides to where Nathaniel stood.

Nathaniel shrugs it off, trying to dodge the question, but both his brothers weren't having it.

"Forget it."

"No."

Nathaniel groans in frustration. "I said forget it." He pressed on snatching the ball off James' hand to resuming playing.

"We not moving from here until you speak," James said not resisting the glare Nathaniel shot his way.

Nathaniel wanted nothing more but openly speak with them—but as usual, his pride hit the better of him. Spending minutes playing—he had expected his brothers to join.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see them both seated on the floor with their backs against the wall.

Playing off his frustration on the game, Nathaniel finally stopped when he'd gotten the relief he sorted.

Trudging towards his brothers he leans down picking a towel and bottled water. Gulping half of the content down his throat he sighs in relief before wiping the sweat off him.

Carefully eyeing his brothers Nathaniel moved sitting by their sides with one stretched forward and the other bent with his arms resting on it while he held onto the bottled water.

"Samantha moved in to take care of the kids." Nathaniel finally said out after a while.

Dylan's furrow his brow on confusion. "Samantha? As in your sister-in-law?" Nathaniel nodded. "So? I don't see no cause to be brooding about that."

"No, it's just-" He paused growling in frustration "-She's been everything since this hard time and I kept being ungrateful and worst of it all I kissed her before leaving for work"

Jame kept silent while Dylan bewilderedly pointed on his lips. "On her lips?"

Nathaniel cursed. "God no, of course not. What do you take me for? A p*****t?" He dryly remarks.

"Where then?"

"On her cheek." He pinches the bridge of his nose.

"And now what?"

"Now-I'm scared I've made things uncomfortable for us." He said raking his long fingers through his dark hair.

Earlier today Nathaniel felt happy and contented with where his life was heading and he had given his kids a kiss and unexpectedly kissed Samantha on her cheek.

It was when he drove off the street he'd recollected his action. For once he'd thought it was his wife. It felt like a whole family, but his heart shattered at the thought of never having that again.

"Why?" Nathaniel snaps his gaze at James who spoke for the first time.

James has always been known as one who doesn't speak much, even if he was known to be the casual brother. Dylan, among the Carter, has always been the outgoing one of them all. While he Nathaniel was the serious, arrogant type.

"Why? I don't know the answer to that but it best remains rhetorical."



DIGGING DEEP Kenneth placed the seed in the ground covering it with a helpful amount of sand, his little face focus at the task at hand.

Samantha chuckles at his adorable face while wetting the covers soil seeds at the same time watching over Olivia at the cradle.

Kenneth had suggested planting the garden. And here they were doing so, Samantha knew the reasons behind his suggestion—to avoid taking a nap, but she was more determined in making sure he takes one.

"That's enough Kenneth. Let's go wash ourselves up and take a nap." She instructed which the young kid groan at stubbornly refusing to heed to her demand.

Like father like son.

"Come on." She said lifting his dirty body to hers for a wash-up, keeping in mind to come back and get Olivia.

After a long wash, Kenneth took a nap, the same as Olivia. Samantha used her little moment to read a book. Getting to the second page her eyes became heavy, as she gave into the hands of darkness.

With the thought of just closing her eyes for thirty seconds.

Something hitting the floor snap Samantha off her sleep. Rubbing her tired eyes with her fingers she yawns outstretching her arms up. Before glancing to find the book she had been reading laying on the tiles floor.

Picking it up she stood up feeling relief of stress somehow. Heading to the kitchen helping herself with a glass of cold water, Samantha's eyes caught a paper placed in the refrigerator.

Taking the kids for a stroll.

Nate :-)

PS; you looked tired so I didn't bother to wake you up.

Samantha smiled at the paper before taking bottled water and a glass. Drinking from it she realizes maybe perhaps her thirty seconds nap had extended to thirty minutes.

Nathaniel after all hadn't come home late; one if the perk of being the boss. Thankful he hadn't made the whole situation uncomfortable for either of them from what occurred earlier.

Sometimes she hated his strict serious aura, but at times like this—she loved it.

The vibration of her phone from her back pocket pulled her from the haze around her mind. Pulling it out she mentally groans at the callers' ID.

"Brandon." She said formally feeling the urge to have ignored his call.

"Hi, Samantha." Brandon's squeaky voice spoke from the other line.

Brandon her than college mate who kept asking her out on a date which she had profoundly refused stylishly. One time she agreed—which turned out to be a disaster. Things have always been awkward with them.

Thou she and Brandon had the same personality; both nerd to the core and antisocial, both can't seem to attract. But it's said opposite sides attract not the same sides.

"How're you doing?" She awkwardly asked biting in her fingers as she gazes out the open blind window.

"Fine. I'm currently taking a break," He said strangely happily. "The students are taking a toll on me but I'm managing to control them."

"I'm happy to hear that." She quietly said leaving the line in awkward silence. Thinking maybe perhaps he had cut the line she glances at the screen to still he his name. "Hello?"

Immediately he spoke. "I heard you're still in California, so I thought perhaps maybe I should take you out on Saturday night?" He said cautiously.

Samantha sigh tucking her chestnut hair behind her ear. "I don't know Brandon. I'm not interested in dating right now." She sadly said feeling guilty for turning him down.

"Oh."

"But I might change my mind," She added unknowingly. "If I do I'll chat you up."

In a flash, his voice changed. "Okay, I'll be expecting you. Bye."

"Bye." She murmured cutting the call.

She glances out the window wondering if she had made a wrong decision by giving him hope, but Samantha couldn't find it in herself to let other people down.

Samantha felt she wasn't important to bring others down.

"You should date him." A voice spoke from behind her making her jump in fright.

Averting her gaze behind Nathaniel's presence greeted her as he leans to the island carefully studying her.

Samantha couldn't help but wonder.

How long has he been there?

*******

Thank you for reading Wife By Benefits!

Don't forget to vote and comments!

Also, share your thought concerning this chapter!

Lots of love❤❤❤

xxinloves