by Tia Wylder
There was much on his mind, but he wasn’t sure where to begin. As wonderful as things were, he couldn’t deny that he felt there had to be something more he could do… something to solidify their union as a family. Truthfully, it was a thought he had been pondering for some time now. The ring that he currently had in his possession spoke volumes about that. It had been some weeks ago that he went to the jewelry store in town, buying the largest diamond he could afford. He told himself that Kelly deserved all that, and more, but he had been waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question.
Paul wasn’t sure if his girlfriend was ready to make a commitment to him, as dearly as they loved each other. While living together with their children should have been enough of commitment to indicate she could handle it, he felt… guilty, in a way. If he asked Kelly to marry him and something happened to him, would she ever allow herself to move on? While he dreaded to think of his love with another man at any point in their lives, he wouldn’t be as selfish as to never allow her the option. He had done some growing since his anger about some made up man touching what Paul had considered his property, essentially. Now, however, it wasn’t a matter of considering her as one of his belongings. It wasn’t a matter of his happiness and his alone. He wanted to look out for her best interest.
“Is there something bothering you, Paul?” Kelly inquired softly, reaching out to touch his arm. He glanced at her with nothing short of pure love in his gaze, drawing her closer and into his lap. She giggled, trying to squirm away. “We’re going to break the chair,” she lamented, finally settling down when it seemed nothing catastrophic would happen.
The boys had relocated into the front yard now that the grass had been mowed, tossing a ball back and forth. Both had aspirations of joining a football team someday. Paul was certain that with their tenacity, nothing could stop them. They practiced on a daily basis, and though James had been hesitant, Jeffrey insisted upon playing full stop: including tackles, as it were. They had yet to get injured, at least, not badly enough to require a trip to the doctor. A kiss from Kelly and a bandage were enough for both of them in most cases. Still, Paul couldn’t shake the thought that Jeffrey would be much safer under his own insurance. Kelly had to pay ridiculous premiums for both herself and her son, and it would be so much easier…
It wasn’t that Paul wanted to marry Kelly for practical reasons alone. The love in his heart was the most prominent reason, but something was holding him back. He wanted the day to be just right, the situation to be the most romantic, something that would be seen in some sort of romantic movie. Paul wasn’t necessarily the romantic sort, though. He was a simple kind of guy, and he couldn’t shake the thought that Kelly deserved above and beyond.
“I love you, even when you’re lost in your own mind,” she teased, tapping her fingertip against his nose. He blinked, drawing himself back to reality. He considered her with a faint smile, leaning in to capture her lips in a kiss.
“I love you, too. You know that, right?” Paul inquired as he drew away, and Kelly smirked as she settled against his chest.
“You had better. I don’t know how you would survive without me,” she teased. He smiled, watching the way the sunlight caught her eyes, causing a beautiful glimmer that never stopped causing his heart to seize in his chest. She wore a simple sundress, not having bothered with makeup considering the fact that they planned to spend most of the day at home. Truth be told, she was the most beautiful he had ever seen her. She seemed… utterly radiant.
“Hey, can you hop up for a minute?” Paul inquired, shifting beneath her. Kelly laughed, edging out of his lap and rising to her feet. She crossed her arms, watching him with a crooked smile as he stood as well.
“What, did you decide I was heavier than you thought?” She teased, and he rolled his eyes.
“No, I just realized something,” he riposted, shifting towards the front door. “Wait here. I’ll be right back,” he called out as he stepped inside. When he was certain she would remain in place, he jogged upstairs to their bedroom, opening the drawer that the ring was hidden within. He gripped it in his hands, popping the top open and considering his options.
It wasn’t the most romantic scenario in the world, dropping to his knee on the front porch and asking her to marry him while their kids tackled each other on the front lawn. It wasn’t something you would see in a blockbuster movie. It was simple, but personal.
Paul decided that he couldn’t think of a better opportunity. He jogged back down the stairs, slipping the ring in his pocket as he reached the bottom floor. He could hear Kelly calling out to the boys, and as he stepped out onto the porch, she glanced towards him with a smile.
“The boys are ready to go to the arcade. I know it’s early, but it’s not like we’re doing a whole lot right now,” she smiled. It was wonderfully domestic and Paul loved every moment of it.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I just, ah. Had a question I wanted to ask you first. It’s been bugging me for a while,” Paul began, noticing that the other woman’s eyes looked faintly troubled.
“Are you being sent back on duty?” She asked in hushed tones, glancing to where the boys were watching them with rapt attention. She forced a smile, but Paul grabbed her by the chin, guiding her into meeting his gaze.
“Nothing like that. Just sit down, okay?” He murmured, guiding her back to the chair they’d shared just moments previous. Kelly watched him with trepidation, and the boys were murmuring among themselves from where they watched the scene. The pressure was on, and Paul knew he could back out at any moment. However, he didn’t want to go another day without being able to call Kelly his wife… or, at the very least, his fiancee. He dropped to one knee, and Kelly’s eyes widened immediately. The boys gasped in the yard, and everything seemed to go all too silent as he produced a ring from his pocket. Tears spilled from Kelly’s eyes, and the boys began to hoot and holler, and Paul knew that he couldn’t have picked a better moment if he had tried.
“I’ve never felt as complete as I do, here with you. Our families are united, and I love you more than ever. It only makes sense to make things official, don’t you think?” He paused, smiling as she nodded excitedly. “So, the question is… Kelly Carpenter, will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?” Paul asked, gently. Leaping to her feet, Kelly all but tackled him as she cried out ecstatically.
“Yes, Paul! Of course!” She cried out, sniffling as he gripped her hand and slipped the ring on her finger.
“Alright, Dad! Finally!” One of the boys called out, though Paul couldn’t place which one. They both watched the scene taking place with their parents with delight, and Paul gestured for them to step up as well. The boys rushed forward, and the four of them locked in a tight group hug.
“I love you. All of you,” Paul said, warmly. As the other three cheered their reciprocations, a tear spilled from the navy seal’s eye.
With the rest of their futures ahead of them, he knew only one thing: his family could withstand anything that came in their way.
Of that much, he was certain.
The End
Daddy’s Virgin Nanny
Chapter One
Jasmine Lawson drew her lip between her teeth, refreshing the auction page on her cell phone. She’d been following the same sort of routine for nearly an hour now, with the auction counting down to the final minutes. Her eyes widened as the bids increased dramatically in price, feeling as if her heart would cease its steady beating in her chest as the auction hit the fifty-thousand mark. She counted down the seconds, watching as the clock ticked down. Five… four… three… two… one: at the last second a sixty-thousand-dollar bid clocked in from a user by the name of BigDaddy12. She exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, staring at the final bid. She’d never expected the bidding to go so high, but then again, she’d never been particularly well versed in these sorts of auction websites. After all, you could only sell your virginity once. Yes, while it wasn’t the most glamo
rous means of making a profit in the world, Jasmine had been driven to giving up the one thing she truly had left to offer. She was several months behind on rent, jobless, carless, and hopeless. She’d been browsing the web for ways to make money when she stumbled across the ‘Win my first night’ website. It was relatively cut and dry if a bit questionable. She signed a contract to confirm the validity of her virginity, and thusly the auction had begun. She never thought she would resort to what was essentially prostitution to get by, but then again, she’d never expected to be in the position she was in.
She shook off these thoughts as a message came through on the auction site, an instant message from BigDaddy12 himself. He sent her a smiling emoticon, expressing how utterly thrilled he was to have won the auction. She wasn’t sure how exactly to respond. Was she supposed to be thrilled as well? She supposed she should have been, considering the hefty payment he had laid down. Before she could formulate a response, three dots popped up to indicate he was typing once more. She hesitated, leaning back in her chair. She was surprised to see a long paragraph’s worth of text pop up, detailing his address, and how he would provide transportation for her to meet him there. She had her fair share of uncertainty, but truthfully, she had little choice but to agree with his proposition. She input a simple confirmation of her address, and with little else to say, he bid her a good night. She stared at her phone for a moment longer, before resolving herself to getting ready for bed. She set the phone on her bedside table, getting dressed in her pajamas before slipping beneath her simple twin sized blanket. Her mind raced what seemed a thousand miles per hour, but finally, she managed to drift into a restless sleep.
When she woke the next morning, she immediately packed what BigDaddy12 indicated she would need for her… stay, so to speak. She took a moment to pick out her sexiest underwear, pulling them on with some reluctance. She supposed she should dress to impress at the very least, considering the exorbitant bid that this man (or what she assumed was a man) had put in for a night with her.
She meandered downstairs with her suitcase, not bothering to engage in idle chit chat with passerby. She had a lot on her mind, and it wasn’t as if she could simply confess to the first person she passed that she was going to trade her virginity for a large lump sum. She rolled her eyes at the thought, stepping out into the bright and sunny morning. BigDaddy12 had indicated a cab would be waiting, and she was not disappointed as an older gentleman stepped towards her and offered to take her bag.
“Jasmine Lawson, yeah?” He rumbled, and she nodded hesitantly. He shoved her suitcase in the trunk of the taxi, opening the door for her to slip inside before taking his place behind the steering wheel. The trip was a short one, and though Jasmine might have expected the winner’s abode to be expansive, she could have never anticipated just how large the estate would be. As she was driven toward the front entry, she was startled to see a young girl playing in the grass just beyond the porch. The taxi driver pulled her door open, allowing her to step out. He shoved her suitcase into her hands, tipping his hat before getting back in the taxi and driving away. Jasmine felt as if she might hyperventilate, suddenly afraid of what this BigDaddy12 man would be like.
“What have I gotten myself into…,” she muttered, knuckles white gripping her suitcase handle.
“Jasmine? Jasmine Lawson?” A warm voice called, and she was startled to see it belonged to a handsome man who could only be a few years her senior. He stepped down off the porch, smiling and taking her suitcase from her hands. “My name is Mark Stanford. You may know me as BigDaddy12,” he chuckled. The young girl, who Jasmine could only presume was his daughter, continued playing in the grass. She seemed happily oblivious to their conversation.
“Yes, I’m… I’m Jasmine. Is this your daughter? Is she going to… be here, tonight?” Jasmine muttered with a pasted-on smile. Mark laughed warmly, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. She struggled not to shrink away, managing a smile of her own.
“Actually, Jasmine. I have a bit of an alternate proposal to present to you,” the handsome man murmured. Jasmine met his gaze, wariness welling up inside her.
“I’m… all ears, Mr. Stanford,” she swallowed hard. He laughed again, taking her by the arm.
“Please, Jasmine. Mr. Stanford was my father. Please, call me Mark. And this… this is my daughter, Jenny,” he smiled, nearly dragging her over to the younger girl. Feeling entirely out of place, Jasmine forced a smile as the young girl scrutinized her. She wasn’t entirely sure what she’d gotten herself into, but for the time being, she was sure she didn’t like it. All the same, she tended to be rather good with kids. After a moment of staring at her, Jenny quirked her lips in a smile and waved one of her dolls at Jasmine.
“Hello, Jenny. It’s… nice to meet you,” she managed, smiling cordially at the young girl despite how strange the situation seemed.
“It’s nice to meet you too, ma’am,” Jenny cooed, before returning her attention to her dolls. Mark watched them with a relatively unreadable expression, broad arms crossed over his chest. “Do you wanna play with me?” The young girl abruptly piped up, gesturing to the other doll that lay unused on the ground. Jasmine hesitated for a moment, looking to Mark for some sort of instruction. When she’d sold herself, she hadn’t exactly anticipated her the buyer’s daughter playing dolls with her. The unorthodox situation didn’t bother him, however, as he gestured Jasmine to play with his daughter. She complied with little hesitation, grabbing the doll that Jenny had indicated and waving its arm at the other doll. Jenny smiled in obvious delight, and the two made the dolls embrace. While Jasmine played with the young girl, she watched Jenny’s father from the corner of her eye, not sure what to expect at that point.
“You know, it’s been some time since she had another female to play with,” Mark hummed, and Jasmine quirked a brow, looking between father and daughter.
“Mommy doesn’t like to play with me anymore. She’s very busy,” Jenny smiled bitterly and Jasmine couldn’t deny the tug at her heartstrings. She reached out to rest a hand on the young girl’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jenny. You don’t have any playmates in the neighborhood?” She inquired with a soothing tone. Jenny giggled, gesturing to her father with a doll.
“Daddy plays with me,” she announced with a big smile. Jasmine met Mark’s gaze, and he looked surprisingly troubled. “He’s been staying home from work to take care of me,” Jenny said idly, and Jasmine mused that it explained Mark’s expression.
“That’s very sweet. I’m sorry that your mommy doesn’t seem to have time for you anymore,” she murmured. Jenny shrugged her shoulders, losing herself in the pretend play. Jasmine couldn’t deny that she felt a bit foolish considering her reasons for coming to the estate. While she didn’t mind entertaining her buyer’s daughter, she certainly didn’t know if it was par for the course with such auctions. She inhaled a deep breath, allowing her mind to drift. She looked towards Mark, the man she better knew as BigDaddy12, taking a moment to consider his appearance. She supposed he suited the tall, dark and handsome stereotype well enough. He stood over six feet tall from the looks of it, and though his clothes obscured his body rather well, she could only guess how muscular he was underneath. His hair was dark, his eyes a vibrant shade of blue that could pierce a woman’s heart. The slightest of stubble along his jaw is enough to look as if he had simply gone unshaven for a few days, but she could guess that he kept it well-manicured. There was nothing about the man that screamed danger, but there was nothing about him that might have indicated his illicit online activities either. He noticed her staring, quirking his lips in a wry smile as she blushed and averted her eyes.
“Jenny’s been feeling rather lonely since her mother expressed…,” he paused, his eyes darkening. “Expressed being so busy,” he finished coolly. It was obvious that there was more to the story, though Jasmine couldn’t begin to understand why Jenny’s mother wouldn’t want to see he
r. Perhaps it was an issue with Mark himself? That didn’t seem to fit either, however. Mark was a rather charming and all around good looking man, and Jasmine could only wonder why a woman would feel inclined to leave him. It was certainly none of her business, however, and she dared not voice that thought.
“Daddy’s been lonely too,” Jenny piped up innocently, and both Mark and Jasmine turned several shades redder.
“Oh, honey, you know that you’re all the company I need,” he assured his daughter, only for her to roll her eyes in response. “However, I do have a bit of news,” he continued, taking Jasmine by the hand and pulling her to her feet. She thought to resist, uncertainty welling up inside of her. Certainly, he wasn’t going to announce their affair of sorts to his daughter as it would be entirely inappropriate. He met her gaze, and his bright eyes revealed nothing but amusement. She failed to see the humor in the situation, but it wasn’t as if she could fight the man’s wishes. Sixty thousand dollars was a huge chunk of change, and she had already put her morals on hold to an extent. He turned a broad smile upon his daughter, wrapping an arm around Jasmine and pulling her in for a warm embrace. She braced herself for his words, but nothing could have prepared her for what spilled past his lips. “Miss Jasmine will be your nanny for the next few months, isn’t that exciting?” He announced with a broad smile. Jenny’s expression lit up, and Jasmine turned incredulous eyes upon the man.