Instant Parents with My Enemy

Chapter 09

Jasmine's POV

“Can we talk to Mr. Nate Davis?” I asked the receptionist as soon as she finished greeting us.

She smiled politely, tilting her head. “Do you have an appointment, ma'am?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but Kitty beat me to it.

“He's my father, Miss,” Kitty announced in a small, sweet voice.

The receptionist froze mid-motion. Kitty just beamed up at her, completely unbothered, before adding, “Can you tell him that Kitty, Keith, and Mama are waiting for him in the lobby?”

The woman's jaw practically dropped. I wanted the marble floor to open up and swallow me whole.

Oh, God.

Everyone in the city knew Nate Davis. He was young, wealthy, ridiculously successful, and, according to every high-society gossip page, one of the most eligible bachelors in town. He was also a notorious playboy who never stuck with one woman for long.

So I completely understood why the poor receptionist looked like she'd just been handed the scandal of the century.

She glanced at me, then down at the twins, before looking back up at me with wide eyes. “I'm sorry... father?”

I offered her a strained, awkward smile. “It's... complicated.”

Keith nodded with grave seriousness. “Papa Nate is our guardian.”

“Right,” I quickly interjected, sighing with relief. “That's what he means.”

The receptionist slowly nodded, trying her absolute best to maintain a professional composure despite her burning curiosity. “Oh... I see. However, Mr. Davis is currently in a high-stakes meeting with an important client. It's a very high-level discussion.”

Of course he was.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Nate and I were supposed to be co-parenting these children together, yet somehow his corporate empire always seemed to take priority.

“Could you just let him know we're here?” I asked firmly. “We really need to get going for grocery shopping.”

“Of course, ma'am. I'll send his assistant a message right away.”

“Thank you.”

I took both children by the hand and ushered them back outside. The moment we settled into my car, there was no way I was getting trapped in Nate's vehicle again; the twins started bombarding me with questions.

“Is Papa coming?” Kitty asked from the back.

“Why didn't he come down?” Keith chimed in. “Is he busy?”

“Can we wait for him, Mama?” Kitty pleaded.

I started the engine and adjusted my rearview mirror to look at them. “Okay, okay, one question at a time, babies,” I said gently. “Papa Nate runs a massive company, so he has a lot of responsibilities.”

“But Daddy ran a business too,” Keith pointed out, leaning against his seatbelt. “He always helped Mommy, and he never missed things like this.”

My chest tightened. Jerry had been that kind of father, the kind who showed up without fail, the kind who made time no matter how busy he was. Nate couldn't have been more different if he tried.

“We shouldn't interrupt Nate's work,” I reasoned softly, shifting into drive. “We can manage the grocery trip ourselves.”

Kitty pouted in the mirror. “But he knows what we like.”

“I know what you like!” I insisted, turning to give her a mock-offended look.

“You don't know everything,” she countered smoothly.

I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. “Excuse me?”

“You don't know my favorite cereal,” she teased.

I paused, racking my brain. “...The one with the blue box?”

Keith burst out laughing. “That's not the name, Mama!”

“Okay, fine, I'll learn,” I conceded with a small laugh, pulling out of the parking lot. Hearing them giggle made the heavy cloud over my head feel a little lighter.

The grocery trip started peacefully, for approximately five minutes. Then Kitty discovered the sweet aisle.

“Mama!” she squealed, pointing at a shelf.

“No,” I answered immediately.

“But I haven't even asked yet!” she protested, resting her hands on her hips.

“You were going to ask for candy.”

She blinked, utterly bewildered. “How did you know?”

“Because I'm taking care of you,” I replied, chuckling softly as I crouched down to fix her pigtails.

Her little smile faded slightly, and she looked down at her shoes. “You're not my real mother.”

The words caught me off guard, hitting me with a sharp pang of reality. I knew she hadn't meant it maliciously, but it still made my heart squeeze.

I reached out, gently cupping her chin until she looked at me. “No, sweetie, I'm not your Mommy. But I love you, and I'm always going to take care of you.”

Kitty stared at me for a long beat before throwing her tiny arms around my neck. “I love you, Mama Jas.”

Keith quietly walked over and wrapped his arms around the two of us from the side. For a silent moment, the three of us just held each other in the middle of the aisle.

Then Kitty whispered against my shoulder. “Can we still get candy?”

I pulled back, giving her a disbelieving look. “You little opportunist—”

She giggled loudly, and I couldn't help but laugh along, grabbing a single pack of gummies and tossing it into the cart. As we pushed down the next aisle, my cart was already overflowing with essentials: milk, eggs, fresh produce, cleaning supplies, and pancake mix.

I stared at the mountain of items, thoroughly overwhelmed. “How did we get so much?”

“I helped!” Kitty beamed innocently.

“You absolutely did not,” I teased before pulling out my phone.

I still didn't have Nate's number. It was ridiculous; we were living under the same roof, raising two kids together, yet I couldn't even text him to ask if we needed more milk.

Before I could figure out how to contact his office again, my phone vibrated in my palm with an incoming call from an unknown caller.

I swiped the screen. “This is Jasmine Jones.”

“Are you still in the lobby?” a deep, familiar voice demanded without preamble.

I froze, instantly recognizing the smooth tone.

The voice was from Nate!

“Crazy woman, are you still there or not?” he barked through the speaker.

I rolled my eyes. “I hate that nickname. And no, we left.”

“You left?” he repeated, a sharp sigh echoing over the line. “Where are you?”

“We're at the supermarket,” I explained, adjusting my grip on the phone. “You were in a high-level meeting, and we actually had things to buy.”

A beat of silence followed before he asked, “Which supermarket?”

I frowned. “Why?”

“Because I'm coming,” he answered simply.

My eyebrows shot up. “You're leaving your meeting?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because apparently I'm supposed to be co-parenting,” he said, his tone dripping with dry sarcasm. “Send me the location.”

“I can't,” I pointed out. “I don't have your number.”

Another long pause stretched across the line.

“You don't have my number?” he asked, sounding genuinely offended.

“No! I've never needed to call you before.”

“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “I'm hanging up so I can text you first.”

Before I could reply, the line went dead.

Twenty minutes later, as I was navigating the cart toward the checkout lanes, a sharp, familiar voice called out behind me.

“Seriously?”

I turned around to see Nate striding toward us. He was still wearing his tailored suit trousers and a crisp white shirt, though his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his tie was slightly loosened. He looked like he'd walked straight out of a high-stakes boardroom and into the produce section.

I raised an eyebrow, leaning against the cart handle. “You actually came.”

He stopped, scanning the towering pile in my cart. “It looks like you bought half the store.”

“I had a list,” I defended smoothly, tapping my temple. “It's in my head.”

He gave me a deadpan look. “That's terrifying.”

“Shut up, Nate!.”

Kitty instantly caught sight of him and gasped. “Papa!”

Nate's cold corporate demeanor melted in a fraction of a second. He dropped to one knee, opening his arms wide as Kitty sprinted forward and threw herself into his chest. “Hey, troublemaker,” he murmured warmly, lifting her effortlessly.

Keith ran up right behind her, and Nate pulled him into the hug with his other arm. I stood back, watching the three of them silently. For a man who claimed he had no idea how to handle children, he looked completely natural holding them close.

Nate glanced over Keith's shoulder, eyeing the items in the cart. “Did you buy the chocolate chip cookies?”

I crossed my arms, tilting my chin up. “No.”

Keith immediately pointed a finger at the box hiding near the bottom. “Yes, we did, Papa!”

I glared playfully at the little boy. “Traitor.”

Nate smirked, throwing me a victorious look. “Good choice, buddy.”

“Don't encourage them,” I warned, though the edge in my voice had completely softened.

He reached into the cart and picked up one of the boxes, his brow furrowing slightly. “You bought three of these?”

“One of them was for you,” I admitted, looking away towards the cash register.

He paused, holding the box in his hand. “For me?”

“Kitty said you liked them,” I muttered, brushing a stray hair behind my ear. “Don't flatter yourself.”

A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, his dark eyes meeting mine.

“Sure, Brat.”

“i***t,” I retorted softly, though there was no real venom behind it.

Kitty giggled from his arms, clapping her hands together.

“You're arguing again!”

“We're not arguing,” Nate and I stated at the same time.

The twins looked at each other and immediately erupted into fits of breathless laughter. Nate shook his head, a soft chuckle escaping his lips, while I tried and failed to suppress my own smile.

Standing there amidst the crowded grocery store, surrounded by chaos and noise, something shifted. We were an accidental family born out of tragedy, a pair of rivals thrust into a life neither of us had planned for.

But as I watched Nate carry Kitty while Keith held onto his sleeve, I realized that maybe... just maybe... we were going to figure this out together.