Best Friend's Daddy (A Single Dad Romance)

by Naomi Niles

  I smiled. “I had a good night, buddy,” I explained. “Peter and I…we connected. I know, I know. It’s soon. But I just couldn’t help it. He’s…amazing.”

  I turned back to the mirror and touched my neck. There were two hickies hiding in one corner, and I touched the sensitive skin there.

  For some reason, I was reluctant to have a shower and after a moment, I realized why: I didn’t want to wash his smell off of me. If I concentrated really hard, I could still feel his hands on every inch of my body. I didn’t want to lose that sensation.

  “I can’t go to work without a shower, though,” I sighed. Then I glanced at Polo and laughed. “I know, first-world problems.”

  After my shower, I dressed quickly in jeans and a romantic green, off-the-shoulder blouse. I created two thin braids with my hair and draped them over my head to create an Alice band. I felt good and I wanted to show it, in some small way. I kissed Polo goodbye and headed for work.

  The whole time I was driving, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Nor could I stop the barrage of memories that kept hitting me over and over again. I relived each moment a hundred times and each time they were just as thrilling to recall.

  “Morning, all,” I greeted as I walked into Whitney’s that morning.

  “Well, well,” Whitney observed, with raised eyebrows. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

  Whitney’s hair was platinum blonde today, and it held streaks of bubble-gum pink. It was amazing how good it looked on her.

  “I’m always in a good mood,” I argued, trying to tone down my ridiculous smile.

  “Sure, sure,” she nodded. “I have a customer coming around in ten minutes. I want you to take her.”

  “No problem,” I replied, grabbing my supplies and twirling around the room. I noticed Whitney and Lola exchange a glance, but I ignored them and set up my station.

  I spent a pleasant morning with middle-aged Ms. Tallis who had just found herself a new boy toy and wanted a look to match. I styled her hair in a new, young style, drawing inspiration from my mood. When I finally finished, Ms. Tallis clapped her hands together and beamed.

  “Perfect,” she said. “I look ten years younger.”

  “He’s not going to know what hit him,” I assured her.

  The moment she walked out of the salon, I turned and came face to face with Whitney. “Whoa,” I said. “Didn’t see you there.”

  “I don’t know how you can see anything at all in your state,” she said slyly.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I said innocently.

  “Bull,” she shot at me. “Come with me.”

  “Why?”

  “To take our lunch break.”

  “It’s only eleven o’clock,” I pointed out.

  “Well, I’m hungry,” Whitney replied. “And, I have a half hour before my next client. Now be a good little employee and follow me.”

  I shrugged and did as I was told. The moment we were cocooned in Whitney’s tiny office, she leaned in and narrowed her eyes at me. “Spill,” she demanded.

  “Umm…there’s nothing to spill,” I said, trying to force my expression into one of confusion.

  She sat back and rolled her eyes at me. “You are so transparent,” she said. “I can smell it on you.”

  “What?”

  “The sex.”

  My eyes went wide with shock. “Are you serious?” I asked. “How can you possibly know?”

  “Because I have extremely superior instincts,” Whitney said, winking at me. “That and I think I spy a couple of hickies on your neck.”

  “Oh God,” I said, grabbing my neck. “How did you even see those?”

  “In addition to superior instincts, I also have superior observational skills,” she replied.

  I laughed. “I wish I had some of those.”

  “Stick with me and maybe I can teach you,” she said.

  “I wasn’t aware it was something that could be taught.”

  “It sure can,” Whitney nodded. “But nothing comes for free, you know. I expect to be paid in full, starting with the details of your night of amour.”

  “Couldn’t you just dock my pay or something?”

  She shot me a deadly look.

  I laughed. “All right, fine, I’ll spill. I did have sex last night.”

  “And?” she pushed. “Who was the lucky guy?”

  “Umm…Peter.”

  “Burbank?” Whitney asked in shock.

  I laughed at her reaction. “Yeah.”

  “Wow, you move fast.”

  I gave her a guilty smile. “I know.”

  “Hey, don’t get me wrong,” she said quickly. “I totally approve. In fact, I’m extremely impressed. Now, how was the sex?”

  I blushed a little. “It was good.”

  Whitney rolled her eyes at me. “For God’s sake, Madison. I’ve been working my butt off on this salon for the past few months, which means I haven’t had time to get out there and get laid myself. Which means I’m forced to live vicariously through you. So you’re going to have to do better than ‘It was good.’”

  I laughed. “Well, let’s put it this way: it was orgasmic.”

  “Really?” Her eyes went wide. “How orgasmic was it?”

  “Somewhere around the three-point range.”

  “No way! Three times?” Whitney gasped. “Damn it, I’m so jealous.”

  I laughed. “He’s a really good guy, though,” I said. “There’s something about him that just…makes me feel safe. I’ve never really had that before.”

  “Let me guess: you usually pick the losers?”

  “Every time,” I sighed. “But this time, I really think I’ve broken the habit. Peter’s different. He cooked me dinner last night, and he pulled out my chair for me. He even walked me home in the rain.”

  “Sounds like a gentleman,” Whitney nodded approvingly. “Though I can’t say that I’m surprised. He always seemed like the polite type.”

  “He’s more than just polite, though,” I insisted. “He’s thoughtful and kind and just a nice guy.”

  “Wow, you’ve got it bad, haven’t you?”

  “I don’t know about that,” I said hesitantly, even though I knew she was right.

  “Wait, hold up,” Whitney said, holding up her hands.

  “What?”

  “So you didn’t actually spend the night with him?”

  “I did,” I nodded.

  “So, he walked you home this morning?” she asked. “But it wasn’t raining this morning.”

  “He walked me home last night after dinner,” I explained. “And I sort of…went back over and…threw myself at him.”

  Whitney looked at me as though she were seeing me in a completely different light. After a few moments, she started clapping. “You made the first move, huh? Color me impressed.”

  “I wasn’t exactly thinking straight,” I replied. “Or I would never have had the courage to do that. I was just a little emotional last night and needed some comfort.”

  “And he gave it to you in spades, by the sounds of it.”

  I laughed.

  “Please tell me you fucked him in the rain?” Whitney asked.

  “No, it wasn’t in the rain. But I was soaking wet, so it wasn’t far off.”

  “How was his penis?”

  “Whitney!” I said, reprovingly.

  “What?” she demanded. “It’s a fair question.”

  “It’s a personal question, and I’m not answering it.”

  “Wink once it was big, wink twice if it was huge,” Whitney continued as though she hadn’t heard me.

  I bucked over with laughter, enjoying the girl talk that had evaded me my entire life. I’d never really had a girlfriend before, and I was starting to realize what all the fuss was about.

  We spent the rest of the day working on clients and exchanging continuous banter that had us cracking up constantly. Even our clients laughed along with us, infected by our carefree moods.

  I
drove home that evening feeling light and happy. My thoughts kept veering towards Peter every two seconds, and I couldn’t wait to get home so that I could call him.

  But the moment I pulled into my driveway, the smile died on my face. I could see the shiny gray of my brother’s Ford Focus. I checked the number plates on the car just to be sure: it was definitely Victor. Had he come alone or had he brought Kameron along? No, I thought desperately, he wouldn’t do that.

  “Oh God,” I breathed, trying to calm myself down. “How did he find me?”

  I stepped out of my SUV and walked to my front door with my heart in my throat. I pushed the door open to find Victor was sitting straight across from me on the floor. I glanced around for Polo and I saw him cowering in one corner of the room, with his tail between his legs. I called for him, and he rushed over to me instantly.

  “How did you find me?”

  His expression fell slightly. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

  I closed the door behind me and took a step forward. “Is Kameron with you?”

  “Jesus, of course not, Maddie,” Victor replied, rising to his feet. “I came alone.”

  “How did you find me?” I asked again.

  He looked hard at my expression. He must have seen the fear there because he sighed. “Phone records and the imprint of a note you’d left behind. Once I knew where you were, it was pretty easy. I drove down here yesterday and asked around. I hear you’re working in a beauty salon in town. You always did like cutting people’s hair.”

  “Why are you here?” I demanded.

  “To see my baby sister,” he said in a good imitation of affection.

  I didn’t trust it anymore. I didn’t trust him anymore. He may be my brother, but he was trying to hand me over to the devil.

  “Liar,” I said accusingly. “You’re here because of Kameron.”

  “He loves you, Maddie.”

  I groaned in frustration and turned my back on him.

  “I’m serious,” he continued as Polo slinked into the next room. “Why else would I be here? He wants you back at any cost. He says he can’t live without you. He didn’t want to come with me because he didn’t want to scare you.”

  I flashed around and stared at him in horror. “Does he know where I am, Victor?”

  “No,” he replied. “I… Not yet.”

  “Please,” I begged. “Please, you can’t tell him.”

  “He told me he doesn’t care where you are,” Victor said. “He just wants you to come home with me. And if you do, then he’s prepared to forget the whole thing. We don’t ever need to speak of this.”

  “You are delusional,” I hissed. “You are delusional if you think Kameron’s just going to forgive me for leaving him. He’s going to make me pay if I ever go back.”

  “Of course, he’s not,” Victor said with blind loyalty. “He loves you.”

  “You believe that because you’re stupid enough to believe everything he tells you,” I snapped. “But I’m not. I stopped believing drug addicts and drug dealers a long time ago. I just didn’t have the courage to leave at the time.”

  “Madison!” Victor cried, raising his voice. Polo started whining in the other room, and a moment later, I heard his tentative bark. “Why are you being so difficult?”

  “What happened to you?” I screamed. “I used to worship you when I was a child. You were my big brother, and I thought you’d always protect me.”

  “I am trying to protect you,” he cried desperately.

  “How?” I demanded, as Polo started barking in the next room. “By dragging me home to my abuser? By forcing me to stay with a man I don’t love, a man I actually fear? Are you really going to put Kameron above my happiness and safety?”

  “Don’t you get it?” Victor yelled. “We’re nothing without him. You and me… We’re from the slums. We don’t have anything by ourselves. But with Kameron, we can actually rise. We can actually make more of our lives than our parents did.”

  “You are delusional,” I sighed, shaking my head at him. “What happened to you, Victor? How did he manage to brainwash you so completely?”

  “You’re coming home with me,” he said, through gritted teeth.

  “Like hell I will.”

  I saw the steel form in Victor’s eyes, and then he took one giant step forward and grabbed me hard by the arm.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Peter

  She hadn’t called yet.

  I tried not to overthink things, but for some reason the silence was pushing unnecessary thoughts into my head. Was it possible that she was simply lonely and emotional, and she had just wanted some physical contact last night? Maybe it had been a one-time thing for her? But if that were the case, why should she have promised to call at all?

  I shook my head just as a call came in on my phone. I grabbed at it gratefully and answered immediately.

  “Hi, bro,” John’s voice came through loud and clear from the other end. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “Perfect time,” I replied. “I was looking for a distraction. How are things in Malibu?”

  “Everything’s going well here. We’ve scheduled the surgery for tomorrow.”

  “That’s great,” I nodded. “So, you’ll be back on Sunday like you planned?”

  “Yup,” he answered. “How’s the renovation going? Have you made much progress?”

  “Sam’s been helping,” I said. “Though, I wouldn’t mind having him over less often now.”

  “Does that mean things have spiced up between you and the hot neighbor?” John asked pointedly.

  “Her name is Madison,” I said sternly. “And, I suppose things have…progressed.”

  “Do tell.”

  “We slept together last night,” I said, coming right out with it.

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” I said, a little insulted by his tone. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

  He laughed. “Because it’s you.”

  “What does that supposed to mean?”

  “Come on, Pete,” John said gently. “You’re the kind of guy who usually takes things slow. So slow, in fact, that the usually relationship ends before it can even begin.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I think that’s overstating it a little.”

  “Let’s argue over that another day,” John said impatiently. “For right now, tell me about how this miraculous event occurred. Did you get her drunk?”

  “Ha,” I scoffed sarcastically. “She was completely sober.”

  “So?”

  “So what?”

  John sighed heavily. “How did you make your move?”

  “Oh.”

  “Oh?”

  “Umm… Well… Technically, I didn’t.”

  “Now that makes more sense,” he laughed. “She made the first move?”

  “In a manner of speaking.”

  “What happened?”

  “We had this really deep, personal conversation during dinner, and I think it got her a little emotional,” I tried to explain in a way that didn’t make me sound like an opportunist. “It was raining and she said she wanted to leave, so I walked her home. I was clearing the plates when I heard a knock on the door and when I answered it, she was standing there, soaking wet and shivering.”

  “Wow, sounds like a scene from a movie.”

  “And, she kissed me,” I said. “She just jumped into my arms and kissed me.”

  “Whoa, you lucky dog,” he said. “Every guy dreams of that scenario.”

  “We had sex in the living room.”

  “I hope you put a sheet down on that couch,” John said, suddenly severe. “I sit on it, too, you know.”

  I laughed. “Sure, I got the mattress out, too.”

  “Fucker.”

  “She told me she would call me after she got home, but…”

  “No news?”

  “Not as of yet,” I sighed.

  “Are you actually worried?”

 
; “Umm, no.”

  “Man, I can’t believe this.”

  “What?”

  “You’re really into this girl, aren’t you?”

  “She’s just…different, John,” I sighed. “She’s sexy, and she’s sweet. She’s honest, and she’s simple. She’s just a great girl. The truth is, I don’t know what exactly it is about her that’s got me hooked. I just know that I am.”

  “That’s quite the admission,” John said in awe. “I never thought I’d hear it from you.”

  “Stranger things have happened.”

  “Not by much,” he replied. “First Alan, now you. Maybe the Burbank curse is finally being lifted.”

  “Burbank curse?” I repeated.

  “I figured, given our family’s history with women, the Burbank men were destined to die alone,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes. “And you call yourself a man of science.”

  He laughed. “I just have an open mind.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Have you told her about Mom and Dad and our whole sordid family history?” John wanted to know.

  “Umm…kind of.”

  “Really?” he asked in surprise. “Wow.”

  “I don’t know, it happened naturally,” I replied. “And a part of me actually wanted to share with her.”

  “Was this the first time you’ve shared the family history with a woman?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Hmm, that’s significant.”

  “Because it means I have feelings for her?”

  “Because it means you trust her,” he clarified. “And sometimes, that’s a better foundation than love.”

  “I think it’s a bit early to be talking about love,” I said reluctantly.

  He laughed. “All in your own time, man,” he said.

  I glanced up as I heard Polo barking in the distance.

  “Pete?”

  “Sorry,” I said, turning my attention back to the call. “What were you saying?”

  “Nothing much really,” John said. “You’re the one with the hot news. So, how was the sex after the long drought?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a drought,” I said defensively.

  “I would.”