Mustang Daddy - A Single Daddy, Small Town Second Chance Romance

by Sienna Parks

  “Is everything okay?” With a tight smile, be pulls me closer, tracing circles on my skin.

  “I’m fine. Nothing for you to worry about.” Maddox has always been quiet when he’s working through something, but it’s tough for me to let him be. I try my best to focus on the movie, resting my hand on his leg in some small show of comfort. An hour or so later, the doorbell rings. From his reaction, Mad isn’t expecting company.

  “If Jax has brought the party to us, I’m going to be pissed.” He plants a soft kiss on my lips before answering the door. I hear a female voice before seeing the look of horror on Mad’s face. His pleading gaze finds mine, begging for understanding of what is about to transpire in his living room.

  “Hello, Maddox…”

  Chapter Fifteen

  MADDOX

  I’m dumbstruck at the sight of Sam standing before me. Jax told me Lottie thought she’d seen her in town today, but deep down, I didn’t really believe it. She’s thinner than I remember, her eyes sunken deep in their sockets, dark circles beneath – ravaging her youth.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?”

  “I’m Sally Rae’s mother.”

  “The hell you are. You gave up that right two years ago, when you walked out that door and didn’t look back. You literally signed away any rights you had to my daughter, so get the hell off my porch and go back to wherever you came from.” I move to slam the door in her face, but she pushes back with what little strength she has.

  “I need to see her, Maddox.”

  “And she needed a mother.” She looks past me to the couch where A.B. sits in silence.

  “So, you replaced me with this whore? I’ve heard the rumors. She’s that bitch, Annabeth Clark.” She practically spits her name. “Your high school sweetheart. The one you never got over. I never had a chance because of that bitch.” My blood boils at her vitriol.

  “Leave her out of this. This was all you.”

  “So, what? You give her a second chance, but I don’t get one?”

  “I’m warning you, Sam. Leave A.B. out of this. This isn’t even about you and me – this is about Rae. You left her. What kind of mother does that?”

  “Yours. She wanted out of this one-horse town, same as me. Same as her.” She points to A.B. “Ever think maybe it’s you, Maddox? The women in your life just keep leaving you.” A.B. grabs her keys and heads for the back door.

  “I’m going to let you two talk in private. I shouldn’t be here. I’ll call you tomorrow, Mad.”

  “She will not drive you out of here, A.B. Sit down.”

  “No, Mad. Me being here isn’t going to help matters. I trust you. We’ll talk tomorrow.” She disappears through the door with a smile and a plea for understanding in her eyes. Just when I feel like one aspect of my life is falling into place, something has to come along to derail it.

  “Are you going to make me stand on the doorstep all night?”

  “You’re not stepping foot inside my house. Wait there.” I grab my boots and head down the hallway to Pops room to let him know I’m stepping out for a while, before slipping quietly into Rae’s room. She’s sound asleep, exhausted from a fun night with Jax, A.B., and me. I gently stroke her face, scared for what this sudden arrival on my doorstep means for her. With a kiss on her cheek, I reassure her, and myself, that I will do whatever is necessary to keep her safe.

  Sam is still on the doorstep when I return to the living room, pacing up and down like a bloodsucking vampire, waiting to be invited inside.

  “I see you’ve lost your small town manners while I’ve been gone.”

  “Funny – that’s what happens when your wife just walks out on you and your child.” I pick up my keys and close the door behind us – shutting Rae in the safety of our home. “Come on. You’re not setting foot inside that house. We can go and talk in the stables.”

  “Are you fucking serious? I’m not an animal, Maddox.”

  “You’re right. At least animals have an inbuilt instinct to protect their young.”

  “Fuck you!” I’m trying to keep my cool, but I am astounded by her brazen attitude. So much so that it makes me laugh.

  “Wow. Fuck me? You’ve just turned up on my doorstep after two years, Sam. Two years! I never got an explanation – only a set of divorce papers. And if you remember, you signed away all rights to your daughter.”

  “I remember, Maddox. All of it. I made a huge mistake, and I’ve been regretting it ever since. I never should have left.” She reaches her hand out to touch my arm, and it makes my skin crawl. I can’t believe I ever found anything about this woman attractive. Her selfishness seeps from every pore. “We were so good together.” She takes a step closer, and I know what she’s trying to do. Bile rises to the back of my throat. She disgusts me.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Sam?”

  “I made a mistake. But, we’re family – we can be a family again, baby.” I hold her at arm’s length, and step back. Putting as much distance between us as possible.

  “Holy fuck! You are delusional. You need to go. Now!”

  “I want to see Sally Rae.”

  “She’s not your fucking daughter. What did you really come here for? You want something.” I know her. There is no way she’s come crawling back here without an angle. Her eyes shift quickly to her feet.

  “I… want you back. Is that so hard to believe?”

  “Yes! So, spit it out, Sam. Why are you here?”

  “Fine. I need a kidney transplant, and Rae is my best chance at a match. I’ve been on the donor list for over a year, but my condition is deteriorating fast.” I don’t believe my ears. She wants to cut into my daughter and remove one of her kidneys.

  “Am I being Punk’d right now? This has got to be a fucking joke! You walk out on us… with no word of whether you’re alive or dead for months. The only communication I get is through an attorney, and then you turn up out of the blue and try to seduce me into putting my daughter through major surgery to help you? You’re a piece of work.”

  “It doesn’t change anything. We can still have a fresh start. Rae needs a momma.”

  “You need to leave before I do something I’ll regret.”

  “What? You gonna hit me? Go for it. You’re pathetic and weak. You gave up being a champion… just because we had a kid.”

  “And I’d do it again. Rae means more to me than any of that ever did.”

  “Ugh. This is exactly why I left. I thought you were a real man. You tamed wild horses for God’s sake. It was a rush. I liked that life. Then you go and move us back to this Podunk town, and go crawling back to your daddy. And now I see you’ve gone begging back to that bitch who fucked you up in high school – really? Could you be any more of a tragic cliché?” Rage radiates from every fiber of my being.

  “It’s funny to me that you think I’m weak. I stepped up and did the right thing by my daughter. When you left, I stayed! I’m the one that takes care of her when she’s sick, who chases nightmares away, and who makes her feel like she’s enough. Her momma walked out on her – I know how that feels, and I’ll be damned if I let your shitty actions affect how she feels about herself. The truth is – you never deserved her. And you certainly don’t deserve her help now. If you set foot on my property again, I’ll have you arrested.”

  “So, what? Are you going to explain to her when she’s older and wants to find me, that you let me die?”

  “What makes you think she’ll want anything to do with you? You abandoned her. And if it comes down to it, then yes, I’ll tell her I wasn’t willing to risk her life for yours. You haven’t even thought about what it would mean for her if she were to go through with this surgery, have you? Because you only think about yourself.”

  “I don’t want to die. She’ll be fine.”

  “She’s not even four-years-old yet, and you want her to go under the knife. She’d only have one kidney, and God forbid anything ever happened to it, because she wouldn’
t have another to compensate. She’d be the one dependent on a transplant to save her life. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

  “She’s my daughter!” I can’t contain my anger. I stride toward her, nothing but hatred in my eyes. When I’m an inch from her face, I unleash my rage.

  “Not in the eyes of the law. I have sole rights to Sally Rae, and I would die before I would let you or anyone else touch a hair on her head. If you so much as look at her in the street, I will come after you. If I hear that you breathe so much as a word about needing her as a donor, to anyone in this town, I won’t hold back, Samantha – You will wish you were dead. Do I make myself clear?”

  She doesn’t speak. Her expression is blank – a mark of a true sociopath. A slow nod is the only evidence that she heard a word I said.

  “Now, get the fuck out of here! Off my property, out of this town, and out of my life for good! Don’t try to contact me or Rae, ever again!” She tries to stare me down, but thinks better of it when she sees the unashamed hatred in my eyes. I watch as she storms off into the black of night, my fists trembling in an attempt to subdue my parental instinct to eradicate any threat to my child – man, woman, or beast.

  As her car peels out of the driveway at high speed, I let loose the anger I’ve been holding inside… probably since the night she walked out on us two years ago. I punch the closest surface to me – obliterating the door to Artemis’s stable. He rears up in fear at the sound it makes when my fist snaps through the wooden panels. “Fuck!”

  I drop to the floor, my head in my hands. I’ve been trying to hold everything together, but I’m exhausted. I haven’t felt like myself since I gave up riding, and with every passing day, I feel the weight of my responsibilities heavy on my shoulders. For just a moment, I let myself feel all of it. A.B., my dad, Rae, Pops, and Sam. I know I’m flawed, but I’ve always endeavored to be a good man. And yet, the hard facts are overwhelming – my mom left, A.B. left, and Sam left. No matter how hard I tried, I wanted to be enough for them, and I don’t know that I’m enough for A.B. this time around.

  “Maddox, where are you?” Her voice cuts through the darkness – a blade of light in my despair.

  “Annabeth?” She follows the sound of my voice into the stables. The moment she sets eyes on me, she runs to my side.

  “Oh my God. What happened to you?” She starts frantically checking my face, and it takes me a moment to realize what she’s doing.

  “My face is fine. The blood is from my hand.”

  “What happened?”

  “I punched the gate.” She turns to where my blood drips from the stable door.

  “Maddox. Why would you do that?” She lifts my hand to inspect the damage. “This is bad. I’m going to have to take you to my office to clean this up.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “No… you’re not. This is deep, and it needs to be irrigated properly to stop a nasty infection. Come on, I’ll drive.”

  “Why did you come back?”

  “I never left. I was going to. I knew you two needed to talk, but something inside me… I couldn’t get in my truck. I waited until I heard her car leave. You weren’t in the house, so I came outside to look for you. I hope you don’t mind.” I pull her into my arms, unable to find the words to thank her. If there was ever a time I needed her to show me that she isn’t going anywhere… it’s now.

  “No. I don’t mind at all.” I can barely choke out the words, as a wave of relief washes over me; my anger dissipating with every beat of her heart against my chest.

  “As much as I would love to stay here with you right now, we really need to get your hand fixed up. How many times are you going to have me stitch you up in this stable?” A sly grin creeps over her lips at the memory of the last time we found ourselves in here.

  “If it results in you kissing me like your life depends on it… I could do this every day.” There’s a shyness about her, even after all we’ve been through together, and it’s so endearing. My control wanes as my lips crush hers in a desperate kiss, my good hand holding the back of her neck, pulling her closer. Her body relaxes into mine, giving me everything I need in this moment. The feel of her soft curves pressed close to my body. Her hands fisting in my hair, as her tongue finds mine with a wild desire that takes over all rational thought.

  It’s not until I attempt to pull my T-shirt over my head that she stops, dazed and breathless. “Oh God, Mad. Your hand. We need to go.” She extricates herself from my grasp, leaving me bereft, and hard as steel.

  “Seriously? I’m dying here.”

  “I’ll deal with that later. First, I need to clean up this hand.”

  Once my hand is clean, stitched, and bandaged, A.B. finally breaks the silence. When we got in her truck, my adrenaline left me faster than a duck on a June bug. I didn’t have the energy to speak or to think, shocked by Sam’s appearance.

  “What happened tonight?” She moves to sit at her desk, giving me some space to contemplate my words before I speak.

  “Sam tried to convince me that she wants to be part of the family again.” Her face drops, apprehension evident in her stare.

  “As a mother, or as your wife.”

  “She’s not my wife, A.B. She hasn’t been for a long time now.”

  “You know what I mean. Does she want Rae back in her life, or does she want you?” The nervous trill in her voice betrays her calm exterior.

  “I don’t give a shit what she wants. I want you, and I won’t be letting her anywhere near Rae.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I don’t want to fight with you, A.B., but if you ever ask me that again, I’m going to be pissed off. Have I ever given you reason to believe I want anyone but you?” I answer my own question. “No! I’m the one that put my heart out there, praying that it doesn’t get broken again. I can’t deal with you second-guessing me right now. You need to have faith in me.”

  “I do. I’m sorry. I know your head must be spinning right now.”

  “She didn’t even really want us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She needs a kidney, A.B. That’s why she’s back. She thought if she could get me into bed and convince me that she actually wanted to be a mother to Rae, that I would agree to let Rae donate her kidney.”

  “Oh my God. What did you say?”

  “I told her that I better never set eyes on her again. I don’t wish her dead, but I’m not risking Rae’s health for anybody. If that makes me a selfish prick, then so be it.”

  “Oh, Mad. I’m so sorry.” She walks toward me with open arms, cradling my head against her chest, gently running her fingers through my hair. “No one should be put in this position. You’ve already been through so much.”

  “Did I do the right thing? Is Rae going to hate me for this in ten years’ time?” She continues to hold me tight.

  “Rae could never hate you, Mad. You have to do what you feel is best for her.”

  “As a doctor, though… what would you do?”

  “I can’t answer that for you. It’s a really personal decision. I completely understand why you don’t want to subject Rae to a painful surgery and recovery. And, I understand that doing it could have implications for her later in life. Don’t question your decision. You’ve always acted in Rae’s best interests, and I truly believe that you are making this choice with the same in mind.”

  “If Sam dies, is that blood on my hands?”

  “No. Don’t ever think that.”

  “But Rae might see it that way, and the thought that she could hate me ten, or twenty years from now… it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I couldn’t bear it if she grew to resent me.”

  “That isn’t going to happen. Trust me. She adores you, anyone that sees you together knows that. I promise you this isn’t going to affect your relationship with her. I know I’m still earning your trust, but as a doctor… can you trust me?”

  “Yes. Of course, I do.” Her lips find mine in a loving caress.<
br />
  “Make love to me, Maddox. Let me help you forget, if only for tonight. Let me show you how wonderful you are.” Without a word, I take her keys and lead her out to the truck, careful to lock the doors behind us. I drive us back to the ranch, with a bandaged hand and fire in my veins.

  We make love, long into the night, whispered words of pleasure - our only conversation. I worship her body with everything that I am, kissing every last inch with the reverence it deserves. We fall into an exhausted sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms, and just for a few hours, I forget about Samantha and my decision to send her away.

  “Shit! I fell asleep. Wake up, Mad. Rae is at the door, and you’re lying on my pants.” I come round, groggy from our exploits last night.

  “What?”

  “Hurry. Rae is at the door. I need to hide, quick!” She’s tugging at her pant leg, our discarded clothes all over the bed from last night. I shout out to Rae.

  “I’ll be there in a minute, Sunshine.” I roll over, letting A.B. grab her clothes. I take a moment to compose myself and pull on some boxers as she scurries into the bathroom.

  “Come back, A.B.” She peeks her head out the door.

  “I’ll wait here till you guys go outside or something. It’s fine. I get it.” She gives me a sweet smile, and it makes me love her even more. It also makes up my mind.

  “Get out here. You’re not hiding in there. We’re together. Rae has been spending time with you. I want you to have breakfast with us.”

  “Do you want to me slip out and come back to the front door?”

  “No! I want you to come out of my room and sit at the table. I’ll go talk to her just now. She knows you were here last night.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I want this to work, A.B.”

  “So do I.”

  “Then no more hiding. Let’s do this.” She runs into my arms, bowling me over onto the bed.

  “I love you, Maddox Hale.”