My Darling, My Dearest novel Chapter 118

Rachel was still the one knocking on the door.

She was looking overwhelmed. Her hands were covered in bubbles, there were some on her hair as well. Her shirt was a mess, and finally she couldn't stand it anymore. "Can you please come over and help me?" she pleaded.

Mendes was being a handful, it was one crazy thing after the other. One moment he would be draining the shampoo, the next moment he would spray Rachel with water. She could no longer contain him by herself, she had to ask for help.

Mendes was acting all hyper. Instead of taking a nice and calm bath, he was playing with the water and swimming around in the bathtub.

Mendes used to feel too embarrassed to let others bathe him, but it seemed as though he got over it. Rachel worried about what he would do if he was alone in the bathroom. She was afraid that he would run around and slip or hurt himself without their knowledge.

She asked the boy if he needed her help, and this time he agreed without a hint of hesitation. The last time she asked Mendes, he was determined to refuse her.

Rachel realized that it was a trap. The moment she tried to shampoo his hair, the boy threw water on her. Some of the water even got into her mouth.

Rachel was searching for the shampoo but couldn't find it. It took her a few seconds to realize that Mendes had it, but it was still too late for her. When she turned around, he almost emptied the shampoo bottle on her.

The bathroom had become a complete mess. Rachel's hair was riddled with unwashed shampoo and bubbles, and her clothes were soaking wet from Mendes' horseplay.

Jack went inside the bathroom with Rachel. Mendes was seated in the bathtub playing with his rubber ducky.

He kept squeezing the rubber duck and made impish laughter.

Jack and Rachel each sat on a stool beside the tub. Jack shook his head looking at Mendes. "You are a handful," he said, half-disgusted.

"Don't be so uptight, he's just a kid," Rachel giggled.

"Mendes, come, let's rinse off the bubbles on your head."

Rachel placed a blanket next to the tub and covered her knees with a large towel. She had never bathed a child before, so she emulated the parenting methods she read on the internet.

Jack was clueless as well. He was only doing this because Rachel asked for his help. The methods they found on the internet were easier said than done after all.

Jack never imagined him doing something so demeaning in his life. But he was already there and it was best to just get it over with. He rolled up his sleeves and asked Rachel to put the towel on his ■d

knees.

Rachel had tested her hand on carrying Mendes before Jack came in, and she might not be able to support him on her own. So she grabbed the towel and carefully laid it down on Jack's knees with her slender hands.

Jack almost froze when she smelled Rachel's hair. She was so close to him that the scent of her hair was overpowering. He felt a sudden urge to hold her, but thankfully she sat back on her stool and disaster was averted.

"Alright Mendes, come here, you little scamp!"

Mendes struggled to get out of the tub with his stubby legs. Rachel and Jack supported him until he got out of the tub and put him on Jack's lap.

Jack bent his arm and let Mendes lie on his arm while the child's leg was on his lap. Mendes started to giggle.

"Why are you laughing?" asked Jack He felt like the kid was making fun of him and his methods. "Cut me some slack, kid. This is the first time I've ever done this!"

Mendes wasn't really trying to make fun of Jack, he was just very ticklish.

Jack finally gave up and had to fight with the naughty boy.

There were no words to describe how irritated and emasculated he felt right now. He thought about what he could've done to deserve this, but eventually he got over it. The only way to deal with a naughty boy like Mendes was a steady hand and a tough attitude. ■d

"Mendes, close your eyes and don't move,1' Jack commanded. Mendes surprisingly obliged without quarrel.

Jack nodded at Rachel, and she understood that it was time to rinse off the bubbles on the boy's head. She was carefully using the shower head to wash Mendes' hair while avoiding his eyes and nose.

Some of the water splashed onto his pants but Jack was in no mood to delve into such trivial details. His sole objective right now was to help Rachel bathe this little imp.

As they were bathing Mendes, Jack couldn't help but stare at Rachel. There was something about her that made his heart about to jump out of his chest.

With every passing minute, his tension and urges were becoming harder to fight.

Jack willed himself to turn away from Rachel. He didn't know what he would do if he stared at her for too long, and he certainly didn't want to find out.

Rachel was too focused on washing Mendes that she didn't notice how Jack was staring at her earlier.

She knew that if she took her eyes away from Mendes, she might accidentally run water on his eyes or nose.

After a while, she finally finished washing his hair. She turned around, looking for a clean towel. When she was about to tell Mendes that they were done, she felt someone's lips pressed against hers.

Rachel's eyes widened when she realized it was ■d

Jack.

She saw how his eyes closed as he held her head closer to his. Jack moved away from Rachel when he had his fill.

Rachel was frozen in place as she covered her lips. She wanted to scream at Jack, but she couldn't find her voice.

The abrupt silence made Mendes open his eyes. He saw how Rachel was dumbfounded, but he had no idea what just happened.

The boy looked at her all confused. "What's wrong, Rachel?"

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing." She tried to calm herself down by drying Mendes' hair with the towel.