Daddy Boss
Page 24
Tears filled my eyes. I loved Nell more than anything in the entire world, and I couldn’t picture not having her by my side. They were my entire world now, and over the last couple years, I had completely changed. I was no longer the person that I used to be: the sad girl trapped on the couch and crying every day. I had never been so happy in my life as I was being with these two.
The last couple years had been craziness. The day after we went to the Space Needle, James had proposed to me. It had been so quick, but we knew it was right. We both felt that it was totally right. We started planning our wedding right away and were married one year ago today.
I remember thinking that there was no way I was ever going to be any happier than I was at that moment. I spent the entire day of our wedding smiling from ear to ear, and even my face hurt by the end of the day. In the pictures, I wasn’t forcing it like I’d seen in so many wedding photos. I was truly, truly happy. We both were.
“Are you ready?” I asked her.
“Yes, I am,” Nell said.
I heard James walk down the hallway and I gave Nell the signal. She got up, and as soon as the door opened, she ran out of the room. She was laughing and smiling from ear to ear. She looked so happy.
“Where is she going?” James asked, pointing her direction. He was holding a tray with orange juice, pancakes, and bacon for the three of us to eat while we watched a movie in bed.
I shrugged. I knew exactly where she was headed, but I didn’t want to tell James that. I wanted to keep it to myself. It was a surprise, after all.
“I can’t believe it’s been one year,” James said and sat down next to me. He handed me a champagne glass that was filled with what I assumed was a mimosa.
I clinked his glass, but before I took a sip, I set it down. I grabbed his face with both hands and gave him a big kiss.
“I love you so much. I have no idea where I would be today without you. I am more thankful for you every single day. I can’t wait to see where our life goes from here,” I said to him.
“Those were your vows,” he said to me.
“Good job,” I said. I had been testing him and hoped that he would get that right. But I’d been a little nervous. It had been a year after all, and if he didn’t remember them, I wouldn’t have blamed him. That wouldn’t have been his fault. It’s been too long. I did remember his vows though.
“I love you so much, Rachel,” James said, and reached behind him. When he brought his hand around, he was holding something wrapped in paper.
He handed me the box, “For me?” I asked him.
He laughed, “Yes, of course, it’s for you,” he said.
Carefully, I started to undo the wrapping paper. I peeled off one layer and then a second layer. And when I got down to what it was, I found that it was a jewelry box. A black velvet box. I knew it came from a jewelry store, and from the looks of it, a nice one.
I flipped open the lid and before me was the most beautiful diamond necklace I’d ever seen in my life.
“I know that the first anniversary is supposed to be paper or whatever. But you’re worth so much more to me than that, and I wanted to show you how much I really love you,” he said, as he helped me put it on.
“James, you didn’t have to buy me this. I’m a simple girl, you know.”
“I know. But I just really wanted to buy this for you,” he said.
I smiled at him, and we kissed. I love this man more than anything the world. He meant everything to me, and I was so glad that I’d found him. I had to owe it all to Sadie. She was the one that had convinced me to go apply for a job the first place. If I hadn’t done that, I would’ve never got the job. I would never have met Nell or James. My life would never have changed for the better. I didn’t like going down that road because I didn’t really know where I would have ended up, and when I thought about it, it always just seemed like it would have gone badly.
“I have a gift for you,” I said to him.
“Oh really?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“Nell! Come in here, now, please!” I could hear giggling as she made her way down the hallway.
She stood in front of her dad holding his gift behind her back so that he couldn’t see. He tried to look around, but she would let him. She looked at me, and I nodded my head so she knew she could give it to him. Then she handed him the box. I hadn’t spent any time wrapping it, so I appreciated that he spent time wrapping mine.
“A pair of shoes?” he asked.
I shrugged, “Open it and find out,” I said to him.
I watched as he flipped open the lid. And then he stared down at what was inside. He looked at me, then cocked his head to the side and gave me a funny look.
“These are bit small,” he said.
“I know. They aren’t for you,” I said.
“What? Are you?” he asked, getting excited.
“Yes!” I nodded my head. I’d been waiting almost a week to tell him this news, and it had been absolutely killing me. I had told Nell the day before, and she had practically screamed and burst into tears. I had to bribe her to keep her from telling her dad about it. I didn’t want him to know because I wanted to surprise him in a special way on our anniversary.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“I would never joke about this,” I said, with a smile.
There were tears running out of his eyes as he grabbed me and wrapped his arms around me.
“You just made me happier than I’ve ever been, and you already made me super happy. I didn’t think any more was possible,” he said.
“You’re excited?” I asked him.
“Of course, I am. I’ve wanted to have a baby with you for a while,” he said.
I laughed, and then the three of us hugged and cried. At that moment, I realized that I had everything I’d ever wanted. I had an amazing husband that meant the world to me, and an amazing daughter. And, in about nine months, I was going to have another child.
“I want a sister,” Nell said.
“Well, we can’t really decide that,” James said, with a laugh. “When did you find out?” he asked me.
“Last week when you were at the grocery store,” I said to him. “I kinda thought I was for a little while, but I waited to take the test. Then I knew I wanted to surprise you in some way, and with our anniversary only being week away, I wanted to wait until then,” I explained to him. It nearly killed me though.
“You knew about this?” he asked Nell.
“She just told me yesterday,” Nell said matter-of-factly. “She needed help with the surprise. I’m so freaking excited!” she yelled out.
The three of us laughed and then turned our attention toward the tray of food that James had prepared, and the three of us started digging in.
“Does any of this bother you? Like, do you have morning sickness?” James asked me, his voice full of concern.
I shook my head, “Not really, not yet anyway,” I said to him.
“Okay, just make sure you let me know if you need anything,” he said.
I told him I would, and then the three of us watched a movie that Nell picked out. We ate our breakfast and afterward we went to one of the local parks. My favorite days were those when we went to a park. The three of us running around and playing together. I felt a childlike sense overwhelm me, and I loved the playgrounds as well. I loved being around children, and I was so excited for new little boy or girl.
“What do you want?” he asked me.
“I don’t care if it’s a boy and I don’t care if it’s a girl. Just as long it’s healthy, that’s all I care about,” I said to him.
“I would like a boy,” he said. It was such a manly thing to say that I had to giggle at it.
“So, we can still, uh, you know?” he asked, making hand gestures. I slapped his hand away because it was inappropriate for the children, but I knew that none of them had seen.
“Yes, of course, we can. It feels so much better when pregnant,” I said.
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br /> James wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I let out another laugh. Just then, Nell ran up and grabbed us for another round of tag. It was her favorite game to play at the park, and I loved playing it with her. She was so much fun and was really good at playing tag, even though she cheated sometimes.
As I played with James and Nell, I couldn’t help but wonder what this new baby was going to look like. Was the baby going to take after Nell? Or was he or she going to look just like James. Or me? It was all very strange to consider.
After we were done at the park, we headed back to the house where James set up a candlelight dinner for the three of us. I thought it was so sweet that he wanted to include Nell in all of our adventures today. I wanted to include her as well. She was my daughter, and had officially been my daughter for one year, as I had adopted her day we got married.
“Mommy, can I help you pick out the names?” Nell asked me.
I thought it was so sweet that she was already thinking about that. I knew she was going to be a wonderful big sister because she was such a caring child as it was. I knew she would help me out with the baby if I asked her to as well. I knew she wasn’t going to be jealous either. I loved her so much and worked hard to make sure she knew it.
“Yes, I think when I get a little further along, the three of us can sit down to start picking out name ideas,” I explained to her.
That night, James and I put Nell to bed and then went into our own room. We lay down in the bed together and talked about our first year of marriage. We also talked about the baby.
“I can’t wait to meet him or her,” he said.
“Me either.”
“You’re already an amazing mother, Rachel.”
“Yeah? You’re no slouch yourself,” I said back to him. I snuggled deeper into his arms, and I felt him pull me closer. I looked up at him, and we shared a sweet kiss.
I knew that as long as I had my family, I would grow old and die happy. I loved the life we had together, and I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for us.
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BILLIONAIRE DADDY
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
Chapter One
Maddox
The weather never changed in Seattle, Washington. It was always cool enough for a jacket, but never too cold that a simple cashmere scarf couldn’t help. I think that’s what I liked about it the most; not having to worry about the weather, what to wear, or if it was going to rain, because it was always raining. The weather was a constant in my life, as was the partying and investments and beautiful women and good champagne. I liked routine, stability, never worrying about money because there was plenty of it and there would always be plenty of it. It might sound simple, but a friend once told me I was like a stubborn oak tree. Rooted in the ground while I helped others flourish off my branches. I didn’t understand it at the time, but it was starting to make sense.
My house wasn’t the biggest on the street. That title belonged to some multibillionaire yacht club owner who lived across from me. I’d catch him staring out of his window as his newest young fling swayed around him like a minx during breakfast. Our eyes would meet, and he’d nod his head as if it to say, ‘Don’t let this happen to you.’ So, that became my number one rule; never bring one-night stands over to your place.
But it seemed my next door neighbor and best friend since college, Nick, didn’t take that rule very seriously. I waved at the young brunette rushing out from his front door and into a cab, forcing a pleasant smile on my face as she flipped everyone in the world the finger. Nick leaned against his front porch and shot me an innocent look. His clothes were stained with a fresh coat of paint, signaling a new project.
“Listen, Maddox, don’t get mad.” He loved making puns out of my name. “I invited her over for bacon and orange juice. How was I supposed to know she wanted a side of monogamy?”
“Kick her to the curb,” I said. “No one deserves such hell.” He rubbed my shoulder and invited me inside, where the house that I had purchased several years prior was beginning to resemble the inside of a painter’s studio. And it had only been a month since I’d last hired him a cleaning crew.
“Damn right.” He left me alone in the giant living room covered in splotches of yellow and purple. A few blank canvases hung on the wall, where I supposed he was waiting for the right inspiration to hit him. His latest piece, an intricate rainbow of dark colors blending to form the outline of a woman, sat in the corner of the room in front of a dusty flat screen television. Nick was talented, the best at the university, but as expected, a degree in art wasn’t getting him much work. I once had a maid that told me a tidy house indicated a tidy mind, and looking around, I wondered what she’d say about Nick. His mind was cluttered, indeed, but his creativity is what made him tick. It was his lifeblood, his spark.
“Thanks for taking the night off,” he said as he hurried down the tall staircase in a new outfit that wasn’t covered in paint. “I don’t remember the last time we went out to the clubs, and spying on your restaurants doesn’t count. Not with your rule against picking up chicks at your place of business.”
I’d only made that rule to keep him from getting me hit with a harassment suit. Over the years, he’d tried to make his way through the females on my staff. “It wasn’t easy,” I said. “Jackie’s probably banging her head on her desk as we speak, and it’s only lunch time.” My assistant, a dedicated woman who woke me up every two hours through the night wanting to discuss meeting points and numbers, was not happy with me. I agreed to give her the next Monday off, and she reluctantly agreed. We both knew she wasn’t going to take the day off. The woman had trouble taking an hour off, and I imagined her home was as untidy as Nick’s.
“Well, your new place is opening up soon, right?” he asked as he carelessly trashed his kitchen looking for his sunglasses. I spotted them on the top of the fridge, thick white frames that were painted with splotches of color.
“On Alaskan Way,” I confirmed. “Just two weeks left, and then my life is going to be nothing but ocean breeze, hot ovens, and pissed off millionaires who asked for their seasoned garlic herb au gratin unseasoned and gluten-free.” I couldn’t wait.
“Don’t waste those fancy terms on me,” Nick said. “The only thing I understood was garlic and free.” He found his sunglasses and slipped them on, checking the time on his cracked phone.
“I have to be back in an hour and a half before checking out for the night,” I said, checking my Rolex. “Means your painting class starts in two.”
“So do we have time for any of the spots on First?” he asked.
“A Wednesday at lunch time, on the busiest street in the whole city?” I smiled. “Of course we have time; come on. I’m feeling sushi.”
Nick explained his latest motivation for his painting—seeing a woman naked in the early twilight of morning—as I drove us downtown. I picked our neighborhood, a gated community which was an average of 20 minutes away from my closest restaurant, on purpose. It gave us open air, green land, and had the perfect view of distant mountains, sprawling hills, and cliffs. Nick had been living in an apartment on the very outskirts of downtown, where I had to resort to using taxis, and now passenger pick-ups, to get dropped off and picked up or else risk my car being stolen, or worse, me being mugged. I wasn’t going to let him live in that hellhole for long, for both of our sakes.
“Jackie still seeing that guy?” Nick asked.
“If one date a month is considered dating, then yes,” I said. “I offered to be her wingman tonight, but she said they have something special.” I shrugged. “You start questioning stuff like that and all of a sudden you’re the asshole boss.” I’d learned to stay out of her business a long time ago.
“Too bad.” Nick ordered another sake, claiming inebriation was good for the creative mind. It’s funny, but most things he wanted to do were good for the same reason. I grinned, knowing Nick had had a crush on Jackie for five years, ever since she’d started working for me. “Guess I’ll just have to pick another curly-haired beauty to give me inspiration.” He slurred, his gestures becoming more animated. I placed my cup on the table and gestured for our drinks to be taken away. Our waitress, a new woman in her early 20s, returned with the check.
“It’s probably my last chance to bring anyone home, at least for a while.” I slipped a card inside without bothering to glance at the total, something Nick scolded me for often, and left a tip that was more than most people make in a month. “I’m lucky to get out once a month with my business having grown to over 100 restaurants. The next time you see me I’ll be a former ghost of myself.”