Best Friend's Daddy (A Single Dad Romance)

by Naomi Niles

  “You’re one to talk,” I retorted. “How long has it been? A couple of years?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Sam was here this morning,” I said. “He caught me and Madison together on the couch.”

  John laughed. “That must have been awkward.”

  “We were both asleep,” I explained. “I ran into him in the kitchen.”

  “I hope he didn’t scare off Madison?”

  “Nah, Sam’s lovable,” I said. “He always has been. He could always get away with anything, mostly because people mistake his cheek for wit.”

  “He and Alan have always been good with women,” John reminded me. “They always had a ton of girlfriends through high school, remember?”

  “They could afford to,” I said. “They didn’t have any worries or responsibilities. They only had themselves to look out for. You and I had to worry about the rest of them.”

  “You’re being generous and you know it,” John said. “You were the one who handled everything. I wasn’t capable of doing what you did.”

  “Of course, you were-”

  “Pete,” John interrupted steadily. “I appreciate that, but the truth is that I was never meant to be the man of the family. That was always you. You were the one that kept us afloat in the months following Dad’s death. Without you, everything would have collapsed around us. I’m smart enough to know that.”

  I fell silent, touched my brother’s acknowledgment. I hadn’t expected praise or anything, but it was nice to know I was appreciated. It made me feel like all my sacrifices were worth it.

  “I know Dad would have been proud of all of us,” John continued. “That was just the way he was made. But in all honesty, I think he would have been most proud of you.”

  “He asked me to look after the family,” I admitted, remembering that somber moment in the hospital room.

  “I figured he had,” John replied. “You always kept your promises.”

  Our conversation was cut short when I heard Polo barking again. I pricked up my ears and listened carefully. My instincts were telling me something was up, especially considering that dog never usually made a sound.

  “Pete, what’s up?” John asked. “You’re really distracted today.”

  “Sorry, John,” I said quickly. “I’m going to need to call you back okay?”

  “Oh…sure,” he said, taken aback. “Everything okay?”

  “That’s what I’m going to find out.”

  “Let me know, okay?”

  “Will do,” I said, before hanging up and walking over to my window.

  I pushed back the curtains and peered out. The silver car parked right in front of Madison’s SUV instantly set alarm bells off in my head. Somehow, I knew it was Kameron. He had managed to track Madison down and now was going to drag her back.

  Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to let that happen. I ran to my room and drew out my handgun. I popped it into the waistband of my jeans and headed for the door.

  I ran the distance between my house and Madison’s as my instincts kicked into cop mode. I listened intently, but all I could hear was the sound of Polo’s barking. As I jumped the steps to her front door, I heard voices and in my mind, they confirmed my suspicions. When I heard shouting, my body took over. I tried opening the door, but it was locked. So I took a step back and kicked it open.

  It was an old door and rusty on its hinges. It exploded open, and I heard a gasp from inside. I stepped through just in time to see a tall, young man grab a hold of Madison. That was all I really needed to see. I grabbed him by the shoulders and flung him across the room as Madison screamed in shock.

  She was saying something to me, shouting something in fact, but all my concentration was devoted to the man who was now picking himself up off the floor. He looked at me with narrowed eyes and charged right for me.

  Conscious of my freshly healed bullet wound, I grappled with him, trying to focus the weight onto one side of my body. He was strong, but I was stronger – and as it turned out, I was angrier, too.

  I flung him to the ground for the second time and before he could stand up again, I had my gun out and pointed at him.

  The room froze as silence descended like a heavy fog. I held my eyes on the man I assumed was Kameron. He looked around my age, with dark hair and green eyes that closely resembled Madison’s.

  My vision was blocked abruptly as Madison stepped in front of my gun. I moved it away from her instantly. “Madison,” I said. “What are you doing?”

  “Stop it, Peter,” she said, and I was surprised at how cold her tone was. “Put the gun away. Now.”

  “I will,” I said. “The moment I get rid of this piece of scum.”

  “That piece of scum is my brother,” she replied.

  Startled, I gave the man on the floor another glance. Now that she had mentioned their relationship, the similarities between their features were obvious to me. Slowly, I slipped the gun back into the waistband of my jeans as she turned to her brother.

  “Victor,” she said, and her voice was eerily calm. “I want you to leave. Now.”

  As Victor stood slowly, I could see that he was a little shaken. He gave me a nervous glance as he walked past me towards his car. I walked outside and watched as he got into the driver’s seat and drove away with a tentative glance back. Madison came to stand beside me, and I put a hand on her shoulder.

  “He should be locked up,” I said.

  She turned to me and her green eyes were cold. “I think you’d better leave, too, Peter,” she said. Then she walked back into her house and slammed the broken door in my face.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Madison

  Somehow, the perfect haven that I thought I’d snagged had caved in around me. I was surrounded by debris with little idea as to how it had happened in the first place. The moment the door slammed behind Peter, I turned to Polo and bent to my knees. He slinked towards me, as though unsure if the coast was clear.

  “It’s okay, my boy,” I whispered to him. “It’s okay. He’s gone now.”

  For a moment, I wasn’t sure if I was referring to Victor or Peter. I had a hollow nagging in the pit of my stomach, and I wasn’t sure which emotion to tackle first. My head was spinning, a million different thoughts were running through my head.

  And suddenly, the feeling of safety that had engulfed me since arriving in Fort Collins disappeared into the cool night air.

  “Victor,” I said aloud, continuing to calm down Polo, who was shivering slightly. I hugged him close and kissed the top of his head until he had calmed down. All the while, I spoke.

  “I can’t believe he actually came here to drag me back. He’s supposed to be my brother. He’s my big brother. That’s not the life he should want from me.”

  After Polo had calmed down, I decided to get something to eat, but then I remembered that I had no food and very few utensils. I had been hoping to see Peter for dinner, but now that plan had flown out the window. The image of him pulling the gun on Victor flashed brightly in my mind and I shuddered. It was hard for me to see a gun and feel safe.

  But this was Peter, I reminded myself. He wasn’t just some random guy off the street. He was a cop and had heard a disturbance. He had only been doing what his training called for.

  Still, I felt as though he should have handled the situation better. The thought of him actually shooting my brother flashed in my mind, and I shuddered again. “It didn’t happen,” I reminded myself as Polo followed me into my empty bedroom.

  I started pacing frantically, waiting for my thoughts to calm down. Victor would be back. He had come here under Kameron’s orders, so I knew he wouldn’t give up so easily. He worshipped Kameron; he attributed his so-called success in life to Kameron’s presence.

  But apart from that, I also knew that my brother was scared of Kameron. He would be terrified to go back empty handed and fear was a highly motivating factor. I knew he wouldn’t be easily dissuaded.

  I stared at t
he walls of my new home and realized suddenly that I didn’t feel safe there anymore. I felt suddenly insecure and extremely vulnerable. I just wanted to get out of there and find a fresh place to stay, for a short time, at least. I glanced out the window at Peter’s home and I knew I couldn’t go there, especially after I had just kicked him out for trying to help me.

  I looked down at Polo. “What do you think, boy?” I asked. “Where shall we go?”

  Polo gave me a curious glance. “I don’t have the money for a hotel. Hell, I don’t even have the money for a motel. Where do we go?”

  The question made my heart plummet a little and I felt disillusioned and completely dejected. Maybe I had been an idiot for leaving. Kameron had warned me beforehand that he would track me down if I ever left. Maybe I just had to resign myself to the fact that I had to go back. I grabbed my phone and scrolled down to Kameron’s name on my conversation list.

  He hadn’t written anything more to me since his threatening text on the first day that I’d arrived in Fort Collins. Now I understood why: he had sent his lap dog to do his bidding. I started typing slowly.

  “Kameron,” I started. “I’m coming home…just please…”

  Please what? Even I didn’t know how to finish that sentence. Just please don’t kill me? Please don’t punish me? Please don’t hurt me anymore? Please don’t make the rest of my life miserable.

  “The rest of my life,” I said aloud the moment that thought furled through my head. “If I go back, I’ll have to stay the rest of my life.”

  Polo’s eyes were staring me in the face, and I realized that if I went back, I wouldn’t take him with me. I would have to find him another home, a good home, with people who would take care of him. Kameron had never been an animal lover; he saw them as objects that he could play with. But then, he saw people that way, too.

  I knelt down again and cupped Polo’s head in my hands. “I’d have to say goodbye to you, boy,” I said, looking into those kind, intelligent eyes.

  Polo whined as though he knew exactly what I was saying to him. That sound was like a knife through my heart and I knew I couldn’t send that message. I wasn’t going to lie down and roll over – not this time. I was going to fight like hell to take back my own life, and no one ever said that would be easy. I turned to the conversation box and deleted my message. Then I searched for another number and hit call.

  “Hello?” Whitney’s voice was cheery as usual.

  “Whitney,” I said. “It’s me, Madison.”

  “Oh, hi, Madison,” she greeted. “What’s up?”

  “Umm…it’s complicated,” I said. “I need a place to crash for a few days.”

  There was a split second of silence on the other line. “Come right on over,” she said, without any questions.

  “Thank you,” I sighed gratefully. “Thank you so much.”

  “I’ll text you my address.”

  After I had hung up with Whitney, I tossed some clothes into an overnight bag, grabbed Polo’s food bowl off the floor, and headed for the SUV with Polo in tow. As I loaded up, I glanced over at Peter’s house. There was no sign of him anywhere and that was just as well. I didn’t want to have to talk to him just yet.

  It took me about fifteen minutes to get to Whitney’s house and when I did, a cloud of relief fell over me.

  Whitney lived in a small apartment complex that was about ten minutes from her salon. She met me at the entrance to the building and walked me up.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, as we took the elevator up to the fourth floor.

  “Not really,” I said, not wanting to lie to her.

  “Would you like to talk about it?” Her tone was one of concern; she obviously knew I was upset about something and she was being respectful of that.

  “Actually, yes,” I nodded, as we walked into her little apartment.

  “It’s nothing much,” she said. “I only have one bedroom so the only thing I can offer you is the couch. But it’s comfy.”

  “It’s more than enough,” I told her. “Thanks for letting me crash here, Whitney. I really appreciate it.”

  “Hey, don’t mention it,” she said. “What are friends-slash-bosses for?”

  I smiled as Whitney gestured for me to take a seat. A moment later, she joined me on the couch with a glass of cold water. “Here,” she said. “Drink.”

  I sipped the water as Whitney leaned down and stroked Polo. “He’s a cutie,” she said, smiling at him.

  “I found him in a shelter,” I said. “And, I couldn’t walk away.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Whitney replied. “I’d love a dog, too, but sadly, this apartment building doesn’t allow pets.”

  “Oh God,” I said. “Will you get into trouble for hosting us here?”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, giving me a wink. “The president of the board has a soft spot for me. In any case, we can hide Polo’s presence for a few days. It won’t be a problem, trust me.”

  I nodded and leaned back against the sofa. Whitney was right. It was comfy. After a moment, I realized that she was watching me curiously. I knew that she wanted to know why I had come and at the same time she didn’t want to pry at a sensitive time. I figured I owed her an explanation and reasoned that talking might actually do me some good.

  “Remember I told you about my brother?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Whitney nodded. “Victor, right?”

  “Right,” I confirmed. “Remember I told you about the argument we’d had and all the questionable choices he’d made?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, one of those questionable choices was taking and dealing drugs.”

  Whitney’s eyebrows rose. “He’s a…drug dealer?”

  “Yes,” I nodded. “He works under this one guy called Kameron. Kameron runs a pretty successful operation, and it’s grown significantly over the last few years. He runs a tight ship and he has a number of guys working under him, pushing dugs on the streets.”

  “Let me guess?” she said. “Kameron’s is refusing to let your brother out?”

  “Not quite,” I said. “He’s refusing to let me out.”

  Whitney wrinkled her eyes at me for a moment and then they went wide with shock. “Are you telling me you’re a drug dealer, too?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “No, I’m not a drug dealer. But I am… I mean, I was… Kameron’s girlfriend.”

  Whitney was shocked into silence for a moment. “Oh my God,” she said finally.

  “Yeah,” I sighed.

  “That’s why your move to Fort Collins was sudden,” she said. “You were running from him.”

  “I knew he wouldn’t just let me leave,” I said. “He’s just not that kind of guy. But I was a fool. I was completely naïve. My brother still works for him – there’s no hope for me as long as Victor is tied to Kameron.”

  “What happened, Madison?”

  “Victor found me,” I said. “He’s here on Kameron’s orders.”

  “He wants to take you back?”

  “Yes,” I nodded.

  “Oh my God,” she breathed. “Was this the reason behind your fight the other day?”

  “Yes,” I nodded. “He called to try and convince me to come back. I just… I couldn’t believe what he was asking of me. Kameron is a psychopath and if I go back to him, I can kiss my freedom goodbye.”

  “You can’t go back,” Whitney said with finality.

  “I know that,” I said.

  “What happened after you spoke to Victor? How did you get him to leave?”

  “I didn’t,” I replied. “Peter did.”

  “Peter,” she repeated. “Of course.”

  “It was messy,” I groaned. “Victor and I got into it, and Peter walked in at the wrong moment. He saw Victor grab me and went completely ballistic. They fought and then… Peter pulled a gun on Victor.”

  “Fuck!”

  “It freaked the hell out of me,” I sighed. “After Victor skulked off, I asked Peter t
o leave, too.”

  “You’re upset with him?” Whitney guessed.

  “I just… Victor’s still my brother,” I said. “I may not approve of his life choices or his treatment of me, but that doesn’t mean I want to see a gun pointed at his face. I love him, no matter what.”

  “Peter was just trying to protect you, Madison,” Whitney said gently. “He didn’t know Victor was your brother, did he?”

  “No, he didn’t,” I acknowledged.

  “What would you have done in his place?”

  I sighed. “I know,” I said. “I know he didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just…”

  “You got scared,” she said for me. “I get it.”

  “You’re a good friend, Whitney,” I said. “Thanks so much for letting me stay here.”

  “Think nothing of it,” she said immediately. “You can stay for as long as you like, Madison. I mean it.”

  “That’s really nice of you,” I smiled. “But I just need a few days…just a few days to get my bearings. Then I’ll be okay.”

  “Are you sure?” Whitney asked with concern.

  I sighed. “I have to be.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Peter

  “Damn it,” I cursed, as I grabbed the tray from the oven.

  The crusty biscuits I had made as an accompaniment to dinner were slightly burnt at the top. I had made them ten times over and this was the first time I’d ever burnt a batch. “Fuck!” I said, trying to fluff out the burnt smell in the room by flapping my arms around.

  Frustrated, I checked the béchamel sauce that was going to go over the lasagna, but it was thicker than it needed to be. I sighed, feeling my mood take a downward spiral.

  The sound of tire tracks outside alerted me to the fact that someone was here. It was either Sam or John, and I welcomed their presence. I badly wanted to get my mind off of what had happened with Madison days ago.

  I had seen no sign of her since that night. She hadn’t called or texted, and I didn’t want to piss her off further by attempting contact. If I were being completely honest, I was a little annoyed myself. What had she expected me to do? Stand back and watch some guy manhandle her… even if it had been her brother?