Wife By Benefits

ter

ked a couple of times and rubbed a hand down his weary face. The mi

ed harder in his life than in the past two months. Keeping up with the kids an

ween his mother and sisters, he was making it. But the awareness of app

nd sat on the edge of the king-size bed. Blindly, he searched with his feet for h

o make his work easier. He reached for her, gent

ng in a circle around the room, searchin

h the kids' laundry and meals. Her helping hands made things a little easier fo

. At the news of her sister's death, Samantha moved back to California. Her rage for him increased at not receiving the news

preciated. Not that Nathaniel would open

Nathaniel carefully placed the rubber nipple on her l

of hair from her sweet face. Her resemb

the swing, not wanting to startle the little c

oulder and tenderly rubbed her back. Gently rocking back and forth, h

a littl

a noisy, joyful one only to find her brother-in-law asleep

n his sleep. He looked so tired in the past

rieve, too tir

e permanence of the situation. The thought of no going back, no rectifying the mistake of l

was that after the funeral, she would purchase the earliest flight back to Arizona, burning with anger

ped her from doing so. She never told anyone ab

and was doing everything she possibly could to help Nathaniel with the ch

frankly, Samantha wondered just how much longer would he be able to continue under the strain. He'd been t

held everything together. Not that she would tell him so; his pride was already larger than

from the bedroom, sleepily rubbing his

tha said, automatically lifting t

s tightly gripped her as he buri

heart pinched

ll she b

in heaven no

's eyes. "She won't....don't you

want

tand. She was having difficulty understanding it he

e been her that the Grim Reaper had sought. Nata

d joy. Samantha was the complete opposite. She was a plain brunette with brown eyes, crooke

rphanage. They both swore to never search for them ever in their lives

neth, turning the conversation away

lder. He sniffed and nodded. "Can you

have a clue on how to make such flavor

little. "First you put the fl

d more instructions than that. Natasha had an active imagin

chen chair, then curled up into a ball on th

od in the kitchen doorway with Olivia

my's banana pancake recipe,"

l raised his left b

p on how to make it," she

anana flour added to it. It's at the top of the cu

hands to his mouth to

nk y

re you

of making the pancake. "I came to help and at the

frowned before moving over to the refrigerator, taking a

his action. She resumed stirring the flour t

ould th

with cooking

ake, serving it to Kenneth. Nathaniel seemed busy cal

ed to cut off his disapproval courte

ed. They all were. But for Samantha, there was an escape. At the end of the day, she returned to her own apartment, free from the demands of

his room, while Samantha took on the plates for w

nk, Samantha went down to th

fe," Nathaniel spoke behind he

Samantha replied still washing the plates, with he

ave gone out

laced the dishes on the rack

this is doing to my parents," he said, his eyes holding h

a. And it isn't a sacrifice. If the situation was reversed, Natasha wou

s." Samantha knew it went against Nathaniel's pride to rely on his family or anyo

mment, Nathaniel's eyes snapped open. "I've