Big Bad Daddies: A MFM Romance

by J. L. Beck

  “I’m not giving up Mia. I’ll be back and when I do show up, here again, you better be ready to talk because next time I won’t be leaving…” The fire of determination flickered in his eyes. He was determined I could tell but so was I.

  He turned on his heels a second later and walked out of the shop as if he was never here, to begin with. As soon as I heard the bell ding signaling he was gone I broke down, the tears that I had been holding in streamed down my face, reminding me of just how not over him I was.

  “Fuck!” I slammed my fist down onto the marble island. I had worked so hard for the last four years bettering mine and Lola’s life and now he was back and ready to take over everything I had done.

  I squeezed my lids closed and sucked in a deep breath. The oxygen filled my lungs with fresh air, allowing me to think clearer. I was strong. I was smart. I could do this. I could stand up to him and tell him no.

  I would have to because my heart couldn’t stand to be broken by Jake again.

  My boots scuffed against the rocky driveway as I walked up it and in the direction of Mia’s parent’s house. I knew coming back here would do nothing but harm but I had to see it for myself and if I was being completely honest I would tell you that I still couldn’t believe it, that the woman I loved had a baby with another man. The words were ones I couldn’t and refused to speak out loud. Mia was mine, and her daughter was mine too, even if she wasn’t really mine.

  “I’m guessing the reunion didn’t go as well as you thought it would?” Donovan scoffed. He was more than just my best friend, he was also Mia’s twin brother and though he loved his sister with all his heart he knew the love I had for her ran deeper than anything else in my life.

  “What makes you think that?” I grinned at him. We both knew how stubborn his sister was, and could be, so it wasn’t a surprise to either of us if she didn’t take our reunion well. That wasn’t going to make me back down though.

  “Well, you look like she kicked you in balls, and ripped your heart out… that’s why…” He laughed before handing me a cold beer.

  “Isn’t your dinner rehearsal in like twenty minutes?” I popped the top off the beer and took a long pull from it. The cold liquid cooled the anger that Mia had stirred inside of me. I was still wearing my Army fatigues, having gone straight to Mia’s cupcake shop instead of coming here to change first. I needed to see her like I needed my next breath.

  Donovan shrugged. “Yeah it is, but everyone else is always late so why can’t I be late too?” He took a drink this time. I eyed him with surprise because had his soon to be wife Harper heard him say that he would be running for the hills.

  “I’m going to grab a shower before we leave.” I shot to Donovan over my shoulder, as I placed the half full beer on the patio table and headed inside. I couldn’t stop thinking about Mia and the way her body begged to be possessed by me all over again. The years in time that separated made the need for her stronger than it ever had been before. I stripped off my clothing letting it all fall to the floor at my feet. I was exhausted after a twenty-hour round trip flight back to the states, yet the only person I wanted to see was the only person who refused to see me.

  I twisted the shower knob, turning it all the way to hot before jumping into the stream of water. The water pelted against my back, relieving the ache in my muscles.

  “Fuck!” I growled feeling all my emotions at once. Mia didn’t want me anymore, and though I wasn’t going to give up on her that easily it hurt me to know that she had obviously at one point and time moved on with someone else. Still, I couldn’t blame her... Not after hurting her, the way I had.

  I clenched my fists at my side trying to stop the memories from that day, the day that I ended both of us.

  “You said you loved me!” I could see the steady stream of tears as they slipped from her eyes, and down her perfect creamy white cheeks. My teeth ground together as I reminded myself further why things needed to be this way. In the end, it would be for the best. When I enlisted I never expected to sign up for infantry, but now that I knew that was what I was doing and I had made a commitment to the Army I couldn’t leave Mia behind. I couldn’t leave her worrying about me at every turn. She deserved better than that, but of course, she didn’t see it that way.

  “I do love you. I love you with my entire fucking heart! I love you so much. That’s why I’m letting you go….” My voice cracked and the beating muscle in my chest ached as it tried to pump blood throughout my body. I wasn’t just breaking Mia’s, heart. I was breaking my own too.

  “You don’t love me!” She growled, pulling her hand back, and landing a hard slap against my cheek. The pain of her smack stung but not nearly as bad as the pain that would linger with me for the rest of my life for hurting her this way. She sucked in a breath and I was positive she was on the verge of an anxiety attack.

  “Calm down Mia. Breathe, please breathe…” I begged, and pleaded with her, but she refused to meet my eyes until I reached for her. My fingers grazed her cheek as she pulled away from me, and took a deafening step back from me. This was the end this was what I wanted, wasn’t it?

  “I hate you, Jake. I hate you.” I stood there unable to do anything to make it better. The rage in her eyes reflected back at me, but it was more than rage that I saw as I stared into her beautiful eyes. Sadness like I had never seen before lingered beneath the rage. I couldn’t take back the words I had spoken or the contract with the United States government that I had signed. I was a member of the Army for the next four years if I survived the next four years…

  Donovan’s voice filtered into the bathroom pulling me from my shitty memories. “Hurry it up, asshole…” I heard him mumble against the bathroom door. I killed the water having rinsed all the suds off. I grabbed the towel and dried off my hair before wrapping the towel around my midsection then I opened the bathroom door and escaped out into the hall heading in the direction of the bedroom that Mia’s parents had offered me.

  “You’re letting him live here?” I knew that voice, and I also knew what it was like to be on the receiving end her anger.

  “It’s been four years since he left Mia. Let it go. Maybe try and become friends with him instead?” Jen sounded just as upset as Mia was. I had asked Donovan if I could stay with him for a few weeks till I got my own place but shit hit the fan with that real fast when his fiancé found out, so he got his parents to agree to me staying here. I was praying that I could get out of here before Mia discovered we were almost living under the same roof.

  Almost.

  “He broke my heart. He hurt me. Why does no one in this family realize that…? Instead, he just shows back up, as if he did nothing wrong and you all praise him like some knight and shining armor.” She aspirated, her words filled with more and more venom as she spoke.

  I licked my lips, as my cock grew stiff against the fabric of the towel. She has no idea how much I loved her dirty mouth. She always had said exactly how she felt when she felt it.

  “For Pete’s sake let it go Mia. You’re twenty-two now. If you aren’t going to do it for you aren’t going to do it for yourself at least do it for Lola.” My entire body froze up that second. I hadn’t forgotten that Mia had a daughter it just enraged me knowing that some asshole got her knocked up and walked away from her like that.

  Lola deserved a good Dad, and Mia deserved a man who knew how to take care of her in more than one way.

  “I’m done with this conversation Mother!” Mia sounded frustrated and I hated that I was the cause for all her current problems. Had I just stayed away maybe she would be having a better day?

  “Hi!” A tiny voice met my ears, and I dropped my attention to the little girl that had magically appeared in front of me. Lola. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She looked so much like her mother that it hurt me looking at her.

  “Hi! What’s your name?” I questioned, knowing that I should probably go and change since I was only in a towel.

  “Lola. What’s yours?
” She shot right back, her big blue eyes twinkling with amusement. She looked like sunshine and radiated happiness and I wanted her to be mine instead of some other assholes child right then and there.

  “I’m Jake, and I’m your mommy’s friend,” I added the last bit hoping if Lola liked me then maybe she would ask her mom to bring her to see me more.

  “Lola Jean get over…” Mia’s voice stopped mid-sentence as I lifted my eyes from her beautiful daughter and to her.

  “Mommy this is Jake…. He wants to be my friend…” I smiled down at Lola who was twirling a long strand of her dark brown hair around one of her fingers.

  “That’s great sweetheart. How about you let mommy have a nice talk with Jake well you go find Uncle Dom.” Mia hid her anger from her daughter really well I would give her that.

  “Uncle Dom…” Lola bellowed as she ran in the direction of the kitchen leaving Mia and myself in the hallway of her old house.

  “It’s one thing to fuck with me, but an entirely different thing to fuck with my daughter…” Mia snarled and I could feel my cock growing harder as her rage spilled out of her. She had no idea how beautiful she was when she was angry.

  “I didn’t do anything Mia, and plus I would never hurt Lola. She’s an extension of you which mean’s I love her without having a need to know her…” I confessed holding my towel tightly in place even though I wanted to let it slip to the ground. Mia leaned into my body, her eyes roaming over my muscled chest far longer than acceptable.

  “If you’re smart Jake, then you’ll leave me and my family alone. You walked away from all of this a while ago, so don’t act like you can just waltz back into my life like you didn’t do anything wrong. You aren’t a knight Jake. You’re an asshole with a nice body, and face. An asshole that I, unfortunately, fell for…”

  I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my lips, she could say whatever she wanted too, to me. I would take every insult and digest it because I knew I hurt her, but I refused to listen to her tell me I never loved her. I refused to let her act like she was nothing but a piece of meat to me. She would never be just a fuck buddy; she would never just be some girl I fucked.

  She was Mia. Mine.

  “Think whatever you want about me baby, hell say whatever you want about me, call me every damn name under the sun…” I snarled, leaning into her face, inhaling her sweet scent. It did nothing to calm my erratic heartbeat. “But don’t assume for one second that I never loved you. I did the only thing I could do, and I’m going to spend every fucking day for the rest of my life trying to win you back, because you’re it for me, Mia. You’re mine…” The words poured from me and as Mia’s face fell so did my heart. She didn’t believe me anymore. She didn’t trust me anymore and that was yet another thing I would have to fix to bring her back to me again.

  “Just leave me, and my daughter alone… and put some clothes on…” She spoke, her voice weak as she walked away from me and down the hall. I shook my head causing droplets of water to cascade across my skin. The fact she had told me to put on a shirt let me know everything I needed to know…

  She was most definitely still attracted to me.

  My insides churned, as the tears, I refused to let fall burned behind my eyes. The rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch and as I said my goodbyes to everyone with Lola in tow I could feel his eyes on me.

  How am I going to get through this with him living a mere few feet away from me? My breathing was coming out in pants. I just needed to get Lola and me inside the house and lock the door. I could cry later, but now, now I just needed to get away from him because my emotions were all out of sorts with him here.

  “Welcome back Jakey…” Sofia purred in his ear as she placed a well-manicured hand on his shoulder. I dug my nails deep into the flesh of my palm telling myself that it didn’t matter to me if he was with her after all he wasn’t mine.

  “Thanks, Sofia, it’s nice to be back home…” He didn’t bat his eyes at her, or even seem to be interested in conversing with her.

  “Momma, I want another cupcake!” Lola pleaded, giving me her best puppy dog eyes. She had no idea how much she resembled her father. I shifted my attention from Jake and the town slut to my sweet daughter.

  “No sweetheart. We’ve got to go get ready for bed because we’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow…” I bent down so that I could cradle her sweet face in my hands. Every day that Jake was gone she became my steady reminder of him and though I loved her with all my heart the fact that she looked identical to him and not me irked me a bit.

  “Please, Momma…” She pouted and all I could was smile as I pulled her into my chest. She was the sweetest little girl in the entire world.

  “No sweetie, it’s time for bed.” I willed myself to stay strong against her big blue eyes and instead plucked her up off the ground and headed in the direction of our two-story house that we rented from my parents.

  Forcing myself not to look back at Jake I walked in the direction of the house, my sandal’s slapping against the rocky trail that leads up to the house.

  “Leaving so early?” Jake’s deep voice met my ears causing my steps to flaunter. I swiveled around on my heels, coming face to face with him once again. We had to stop meeting like this.

  “Lola needs to get ready for bed, and I’m exhausted so yes we’re leaving so early…” I mocked his tone that he had used just moments ago. My body was humming with need, need that it wouldn’t be getting anytime soon.

  “Your mommy’s friend…” Lola beamed, smiling up at Jake like he was the knight and shining armor she assumed him to be. Jake looked down at her with some much care that I almost forgot for a second home badly he had hurt me.

  “I sure am… and I’m going to walk you and your pretty mommy up to the house.” Jake spoke so softly like he was telling her a bedtime story. Lola wasn’t immune to her father’s charms but I most definitely was and I wasn’t going to have him weasel his way into mine, and Lola’s life again.

  “Here sweetie, how about you walk the rest of the way up to the house, get your PJ’s out and pick out a book.” I released her placing her feet on the ground. Her brow furrowed and she stared at me as if to say no, only to turn around and run in the direction of the house.

  As soon as she was out of sight I turned on Jake, feeling the heat of his body wash over me in waves.

  Must resist his charming ways.

  “I refuse to let you hurt her like you hurt me!” I poked my finger into his chest, trying to get that one single point through to him somehow.

  “Hurt her? I’m not a monster Mia. It’s not like I went out of my way to hurt you. It’s not like it didn’t hurt me too…” He narrowed his eyes at me the blue of them darkening well the green seemed to grow lighter.

  “She’s my daughter…” I growled, wanting that too to be something he understood since he seemed to find a way to get into every single aspect of my life now that he was back in town.

  “I know that…” He leaned down, brushing a few strands of hair that had slipped out from behind my ear back into place. I couldn’t breathe with him this close to me. Every breath I inhaled was of his woodsy scent. He smelt like nature, the trees, and grass. He was home, and my heart and body knew it.

  “Obviously not.” I snapped, coming out of the trance he had put me in. The side of his lips pulled up in a smile that told me he knew what he was doing.

  “Giving in would be so much easier Mia. All I want is to talk…” His thumb slid across the side of my cheek sending a shock wave of emotions through me. My body was trembling with need I refused to give into.

  God, did I want to give into him like I had before, more so now than I ever had before, but I wasn’t dumb, and I knew nothing good would come from just talking to him.

  “I don’t want to talk to your cock, Jake. I’ve got enough going on in my life right now. Plus, Lola is number one when it comes to everything and I won’t be making a choice I might regret later on, especially one that
could have ill effects on both of us.” I was so over explaining this to him. All I wanted was for him to go away and leave me, and my daughter alone.

  “One way or another I will win you back, Mia. Maybe not today, tomorrow, or this month but I will. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life but leaving you was the biggest one….” I could feel my inside turning to mush. Every word I had always wanted to hear him say was finally being said.

  Grasping at whatever strength I had left, I moved a step back, and completely out of his reach. I had to end this before it went too far…

  “Save the speech for someone who cares… I’m not your girl anymore, and I never will be again.” I swiveled around, holding on to the last shred of strength I had left, and hauled ass up the rocky trail to the house, refusing to look back at him. As soon as I was in the confines of my home and away from his intoxicating scent I locked the dead bolt.

  It was then as I slid down the door letting the tears fall that I had been holding in all evening that I realized how much I really wanted him. I wanted him so badly but was it worth it at the expense of my heart.

  I wiped away the tears hoping that Lola would stay preoccupied until I could get my emotions under control because God knows she didn’t need to see her strong as hell mommy crying over something she couldn’t change.

  Weddings aren’t my thing, like at all. Neither are tuxedos or wearing underwear but…

  “What can I get you to drink?” The bartender questioned sauntering up to my side of the bar. I tapped my fingers against the wood grain.

  “Just whatever beer you have on tap…” I confided, before swiveling around on the bar stool to survey the crowded hall. My eyes went straight to her, my everything, my strength, and need: Mia.

  She was wearing a silver dress with white lace. She looked like a fucking sin I wanted to commit again and again.