Hey guys so I know I am a bit slow, but here is a chapter just for you. Enjoy!
Sam was in awe from the moment they drove up to Mercedes's property. The gated home looked more like a gated community. A guard let them in, and Mercedes drove up a winding driveway.
When she pulled in, an older man stepped out, shaking his head. "Why do you do this? You hire me to be your driver, then you go off on your own, no word."
"Burt, I am fine."
"You are lucky you are fine. Dave and Shane have been fuming."
Mercedes rolled her eyes. "You do know they work for me, right?"
Burt side-eyed her and frowned, looking at Sam and his siblings. "I see you brought home some strays." He hissed.
Mercedes nudged him. "I will fire you."
"No, you won't. You love me too much, and even if that weren't the case, you wouldn't fire me because you love Carol too much."
Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Sam, this is Burt Hummel; he is my driver and pseudo father figure, and here comes his beautiful wife, Carol, my house manager."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Evans," Carol said, smiling.
"How did you-"
"Mercedes texted me. I have a change of clothes for you and the twins, and our chef, Blaine, is in the kitchen finishing the pizzas." Carol turned to Mercedes. "Faith is in the playroom waiting for you."
Mercedes smiled. "Thank you. I will go see her now."
Burt opened the door and smiled, seeing the twins. "Well, hello, and who might you two be?"
"I'm Stacey, and that's Stevie. He's my brother."
Burt looked between the two. "Really? But you look nothing alike."
Stacey giggled as they stepped out of the car. "Guys, Mr. Hummel will take you to get changed."
"Could you do it?" Stacey asked.
"Stace, I am sure that Mercedes is busy."
Mercedes smiled. "You know what? Faith should be getting ready to put her pajamas on, so how about I help you all? Come on so you can meet my Faith."
Stacey used her free hand to take Mercedes and followed her into the house.
Sam smiled as a young girl ran up to them. "Mommy!"
"Hi, Bean! How was your day?"
"Good." The little girl sang.
Sam spotted the similarities between Mercedes and Faith immediately. Both had big brown doe eyes, black curly locks, and a smile that made even the grumpiest of grumps smile back.
She noticed Sam and moved behind Mercedes. "Mommy, who is that?"
Mercedes smiled as Stacey and Stevie stepped forward, too. "Faith, that is my friend Sam and his little brother and sister, Stacey and Stevie."
Faith glanced at the twins and frowned. "Who hurt you?"
Stacey let her gaze fall to the cast. "I fell. I don't like monkey bars anymore."
Faith nodded in understanding. "I don't like monkey bars either."
Stevie eyed Faith. "Well, I still like them."
Mercedes laughed. "Well, I can smell the pizza is almost ready. Faith, can you show the twins your room? I will be right up and can help you all change."
Faith nodded, running up the stairs as Roz walked into the room.
"Well, it's about time you came home; you had me cancel on my man and everything," Roz said, stopping as she saw Sam. "Well damn, I'd be late if I were with him. Your lips are so damn big; they can probably suck the lid off a pickle jar; I have never seen lips like that on a white boy before."
"Excuse me?" Sam said, laughing.
"You heard me, I don't stutter."
Mercedes sighed. "Thank you for watching Faith. I will call you tomorrow."
"Oh? And is this gonna turn into a slumber party? Ohh, is Mercy about to get her grove back?"
"NO!" Both Sam and Mercedes said at the same time.
"No, Aunt Roz, I am just…no. I will call you tomorrow."
Roz eyed Sam and smirked. "Make sure you get the magnum condoms, Merce; I bet lips aren't the only thing big on this man."
"Roz!" Mercedes said with a gasp.
"Well, she ain't lying," Sam smirked.
"Sam!"
He laughed as Carol walked in. "Here are the things you asked me to get Mercedes."
Sam smirked, shaking his head as Mercedes took the bags and Carol walked away.
"What?" She asked, looking at him.
"You just are not what I expected at all."
"What do you mean?"
"You let your staff call you Mercedes; you treat them like family."
Mercedes shrugged. "Because I look at them like family. I love them, and they love me. I may pay them, but I know they all care for me too." She looked through the bags and handed him a big one. "Pajamas and toiletries for you; there are boxers in there. You look like a Medium, but she got Large, just in case."
Sam glanced at the sizes and frowned. "How did you know my size?"
"I have an Artist about your height, so I just went off his measurements. I hope they are okay."
Sam pulled out the expensive pajamas and shook his head. "These cost more than the outfit I am wearing right now."
"Don't think like that, just go change. Your guest room is the first door to the left. Not right, that's mine. The kids will be right next door to you unless Stacey wants to sleep in Faith's room. Then across the hall."
"Wouldn't you prefer if I slept in a different part of the house?"
"The kids wouldn't. Besides, the other wing is dedicated to the staff and their family. I wanted to give them a safe space from their boss."
"Not that we need it," Blaine said, walking in. "But Mercedes aims to spoil her staff. Merce, the girls are ready for you."
Mercedes smiled. "Thanks. I am going to take the kids their clothes. Can you show Sam to his room?"
"Of course."
Mercedes walked away, and Blaine smiled. "I'm Blaine, the Chef here."
"Sam."
"Ah, Sam, well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Follow me, and we can get you changed."
Sam followed him up the stairs. "So you live here too?"
"Sometimes, my husband Sebastian and I own a house down the way, but she makes me stay here when Bas is out of town on business. He's a lawyer/Manager with her label, and she knows I don't like being alone. With Jacob."
"Jacob?"
"Our son, he's six and a handful; he is probably up with the girls and your brother right now. he wanted to join the pizza party," Blaine said, smiling.
Sam couldn't get a handle on what he was witnessing. This woman seemed to have the biggest heart, so why couldn't she get anyone else to marry her."
Sam stopped Blaine and sighed. "Okay, you gotta level with me; I assume you know who I am and why I might be here. Is this like a cult?"
Blaine snorted, shaking his head. "No. Merce got a bad deal of it with her ex because she cares so much. We like being here for her because she was always here for us. She found Bas and I, our surrogate Jane. She is Mercedes's assistant, and her husband Mason is a guitarist in the band Torso."
"Torso? That rock band?"
Blaine smiled. "Mercedes signed him almost immediately and never regretted it. She helps all those who need it, so if you are blessed enough to be helped by her, I advise you to let her. She's gonna do it anyways."
Sam smiled with a nod. "Good to know."
Blaine led him down the hall. "So to the right is the kitchen; I always keep it fully stocked. To the left is Mercedes's studio; she may not sing anymore, but she still has a lot of music in her. She comes down when she thinks we are sleeping."
Leading him up the stairs, he stopped at the first room. "This will be your room. There is a bathroom in there, so you don't have to share with the kids."
"Considering this entire house is as big as our apartment building, I am a little scared to walk through that door."
"It's been a rough go, huh?"
Sam sighed, "It seems like I can't do right no matter what I do."
"Well, tomorrow you can worry about all that. For now, I say go change and spend time with your siblings. My pizza is pretty damn good."
"Will you be joining us?"
Blaine shook his head. "Mercedes is letting Jacob stay with the kids, so I am going to video chat with my husband…but if we end early and you guys are still up, maybe. Just go in the room, take a load off, and it will all be okay."
Sam nodded as he opened the door, and his steps faltered. The room was bigger than his apartment, and the bed had to be bigger than his living room by itself. The blue and grey tones put him at ease as he took in his surroundings.
A dresser was next to the door, and above it sat a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. Sitting on the bed, he groaned; it was the most comfortable thing he had ever felt. He laid back and groaned as his body surrendered to the firm yet softness of the bed. It certainly wasn't the couch he'd been sleeping on this last year.
As his eyes closed, his phone rang. Lifting it, he sighed, seeing Mike. He had texted him while he and Stevie were in the bathroom, so he knew Mike was checking on them.
"Hey, Mike."
"I stopped by to check on Stacey with Sugar, but you aren't here, and there is a sign on your door saying you are evicted. What's going on, and where are you?"
"We are fine, and I don't think you'd believe me if I told you where I was. Hell, I am here, and I still don't believe it." He said sitting up.
"Try me."
"Okay, well, you know how I was trying to figure out how the hell I was gonna pay the hospital bill?"
"She paid it? Sam, please don't tell me you cussed out Mercedes Jones?"
Sam ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't; she wouldn't let me if I tried anyway. But she did take care of it. Then I got a call that we were evicted, and she brought us to her house. Which, by the way, is a freaking mansion. This guest room is basically the size of my apartment."
"I told you, she was a good person."
"She had clothes waiting for us, Mike, and a chef preparing us food."
"So…does this mean you are getting married?" Mike asked.
"What? No! She just let us stay here tonight while I try to figure out what's happening."
"Oh."
"Oh?" Sam asked.
"Well, let's just say Sugar called her to talk and heard about the guy she would pick if it weren't going to be you. Sam, she's gonna pick Biff, and you and I both know that he is an asshole."
"How the hell does she even know him? He's a tool?"
Mike laughed. "How else? Sue."
Sam ran his hands through his hair. "Biff will screw her over Mike."
"Yeah, well, that's on her, right?"
Sam looked at the bag of clothes on the bed, "Yeah…hey, so I want to change and eat with the kids before they go to sleep."
"Can I assume they won't be coming to school tomorrow?"
"You can assume right…I will call you in the morning to let you know what my plan is."
After saying goodbye, Sam emptied the bag onto the massive king-size bed. There were pajama bottoms, a package of boxers, t-shirts, and a pair of size 12/13 Slippers.
Sam grabbed the clothing and walked into the bathroom, stopping as he noticed the beauty in the room. There was a shower that was bigger than anything he had ever seen. There was a rain shower with four sprayers. The double sink and all the shower finishings were a matte black color.
But the more shocking thing was that inside of the bathroom was everything he needed, from body wash to deodorant, shaving cream, toothbrush, and paste. He felt like he was in a hotel.
This was new for him; Sam was so used to doing things for himself that he didn't know how to accept everything she did for him. He owed her, and he didn't like that.
Grabbing a shower, he walked out of his room, following the voices of the kids to a room with closed double doors. As Sam opened the door, he was met with a vast room and four smiling faces. The room had a huge sectional, with two tents in the middle of the floor. There was a 60-inch flat screen in the middle of the wall.
Off to the side was a mini fridge and a popcorn machine, with a swarm of different snacks. Sam could see this was a well-used room, as there was a pile of blankets and pillows. The walls were decorated with movie posters and some autographs. The one that caught Sam's eye was the Avengers poster that was autographed by the entire cast.
Everyone looked up and smiled as the twins ran over to Sam, followed by Faith and Jacob. Fatih and Stacey wore Unicorn Onesies, while Jacob and Stevie wore dragons.
"Sammy! We were waiting for you!" Stacey said happily.
"Look! Ima Dragon!" Stevie said roaring.
Sam was shocked at how at ease his siblings seemed to be.
"Pizza time!" Mercedes sang as she walked into the door. "Oh, hey, Sam! Glad you joined us."
Sam turned and grabbed the tray from her as Blaine walked inside with two more.
"I made a Supreme, Pepperoni and Pineapple, Pepperoni and Sausage and extra cheese. Now I have to go, but the drinks are already here, and just text me if you need something more."
Mercedes offered Blaine a smile. "Go and call your husband; we are fine here."
As Blaine walked away, Sam realized Mercedes was wearing a cheetah print onesie. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she wore little to no makeup. And yet, just like this, he found her breathtaking. Yes, she was beautiful, all dressed up, but like this, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.
She smiled, grabbing the plates. "So we voted, and we want to watch Encanto and then Raya and the Last Dragon; if they are awake after Raya, the boys want to watch Mario."
Sam nodded, moving to follow her as she turned and looked at him. "What? What's wrong?"
Sam shook his head. "Nothing. You just look adorable in your onesie; I didn't expect to see you like this."
"What? You figured I wore diamond studded PJs at home and walked on a bed of roses?"
Sam laughed, but it wasn't that far off. He shrugged, and she rolled her eyes, looking at the kids. "Okay, you little monsters, let's eat and watch movies."
Sam sighed in contentment, something he rarely did, as Raya and the Last Dragon went off. The twins, Jacob and Faith, were huddled up on the couch with Sam and Mercedes, sleeping, and it was a beautiful sight to see.
This was one of the best nights he had had in a long time. He was tired, but he was content, and the twins were safe.
As Mercedes turned off the movie, she smiled. "So they wanted to sleep in the tents; I was just gonna sleep in here in case they needed anything."
After he helped Mercedes put the kids into the tents, Sam told her that he would sleep there too, so they turned on Captain America; she gave him an extra pillow so they could get comfortable.
Sam looked at her. "You enjoy nights like this, don't you?"
"Nights when I can spend time with my daughter, watching movies, and not worrying about things? Hell yeah, I do."
Sam smiled. "I know I have said this before, but damn, you are not what I expected."
"Shouldn't judge books by their cover."
"I am learning that," Sam said softly. "Can I ask you a question?"
"You wanna know why I need this so bad?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, you have a staff that loves you to death; they would do it for you."
She sighed. "I know they would. And if that were the case, I would ask my friend Finn to do it. But this, what I am asking, has to be done with someone who doesn't know me. Because it will make it easier for them to leave in the year."
"You don't want to find someone who will last? Who will be with you forever?"
Mercedes shrugged. "I don't need forever. I just need help right now."
Sam nodded. "I really wish I could help you."
Mercedes looked over to the kids. "No, I wouldn't ask you to. The kids, they need stability. Not to be in this." She turned to him and smiled. "Sam, I want to help, and if this is all I can do, then… I want to offer you the Manny job."
"What!?"
"Yeah, I will hire someone else to be my fake husband, and as long as you don't expose me, I will keep you on as my manny; you and the twins can still live with me, and I will still give you the car and a stipend."
"Mercedes…I don-"
She held up her hand to stop him. "I will still put the twins in Faith's school; Jacob goes there too, so they will have two friends right there. Let me do this for you, please."
"I don't know."
Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "I will throw in a signing bonus so you can get the twins clothes for school. You will just pick up the kids; most of the time, it's Jacob, too, just because he comes here after school. Blaine will let you know if you won't need to."
"I say no, and you offer me more money."
She shrugged. "I see what I want, and I go for it. So what do you say? You get a rent-free place, food, brand new car. And I will make sure you guys can go in and get your stuff."
"Okay, see, now I can't even say no. That's just rude."
She laughed. "That's how I close all my deals!"
Sam smiled. "Well, I guess you just closed this one."
Mercedes squealed, reaching over and hugging him. "You won't regret working for I promise."
Sam hugged her back. "I am pretty certain I won't."