Sweet Daddy: The Complete Collection

by Rachel Burns

  Adam wanted to leave, and Samantha yearned to let him hug her and hold her tightly. It would be so nice hearing that everything was going to be all right.

  Nevertheless, that wasn’t the truth. Adam didn’t know her well enough to talk about love. Samantha couldn’t let the feelings she had for Adam blossom into anything else. Richard was her husband, and she had to be faithful to him.

  Samantha didn’t know which way to turn. Jonah was crying, and Adam seemed to need her too.

  Could she let a man like Adam walk out of her life? Chances were once he left; he’d never come back.

  As time went on, the chance that Richard would come back to her was getting less and less. Each time he changed partners, it was always for someone younger, and she was getting older every day.

  In fact, she felt older than the years she’d been alive. That also made it impossible to believe that anyone could love her.

  If only she could see into the future. She wanted to do what was best for Jonah. She needed to place his needs above her own.

  Tears started to run down Samantha’s face too. She wished that she hadn’t won the contest. Now everyone was mad at her, and she didn’t know how to fix it.

  Adam heard that Samantha was crying. He closed the door and went back to her, taking hold of her, wrapping her up tightly in his arms where she belonged.

  He kissed her and comforted her, whispering in her ear that he was here, and that everything was going to be all right now.

  When Jonah’s little arms wrapped around their legs, everything felt right, like a family should feel.

  “Everything I do, I do for someone else,” Samantha explained. “I ask myself what’s the best thing for Jonah, for Richard and even for my boss and the girls I work with. No one ever asks what I want, what I really want.”

  “I’m asking, Samantha. Tell me what you really want? I’ll listen to you.” Adam’s hand on her shoulder tightened. One of his arms was wrapped around her. His other hand was on Jonah’s head.

  “I want someone to take care of me for once. I want a break from worrying what everyone is thinking about me.”

  Adam wanted her to know that she wasn’t alone. He’d be there for her and help her in any way he could. All she had to do was open her heart and let him be a part of her life. “We can give that to you. Can’t we, Jonah?”

  “I’ll help with anything you say, Mommy.” He didn’t want his mommy to cry. He loved her so much.

  Samantha felt so guilty because she was upsetting these two terrific men. Her guilt made her cry even harder. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what caused this outbreak.”

  “You don’t have to apologize for anything,” Adam stopped her before she could go on. He didn’t want her to bash herself any longer. It was clear that she’d been doing that for years already.

  “Would you like me to watch Jonah this evening, so you can have an evening to take care of yourself for once?”

  Samantha didn’t want Adam to take Jonah away from her. He’d been the one constant in her life, the pillar that she leaned on that gave her life meaning and support. Besides, he was gone often enough with Richard. “I want him to stay here with me.”

  “Of course, I’d never take him away from you. I was thinking that we could draw you a warm bath.”

  “I could do that.” Jonah took off, running to the bathroom. He was eager to help where he could.

  “She’ll need lots of bubbles, son,” Adam called out to Jonah.

  Then he looked back in Samantha’s red and wet eyes. “I’ll see what I can do about some soft music to calm your nerves.”

  Adam let go of a bewildered Samantha. She simply wasn’t used to anyone doing anything nice for her.

  He got out his cell phone and started some classical piano music. He set it up in the bathroom and instructed Jonah to add some more sweet smelling soap to the warm water.

  Adam returned to Samantha side. She was still standing in the living room. “I’ll also put Jonah to bed this evening. You’ll only have to give him a good night kiss. Afterwards, I’ll see to any need you may have. Perhaps, a foot rub?” he suggested.

  That sounded so good that Samantha’s jaw dropped. In fact, nothing had ever sounded better.

  “Mom, your water is ready for you. It may be a little too hot. Check it like you do before I get into the water.”

  “Thank you, I’ll do that.” Samantha went over to the bathroom. She didn’t go in because she was watching Adam and Jonah in the kitchen. They were discussing what they should make her for dinner this evening.

  Could this all be real?

  The question was; did she believe in love at first sight? It did seem to be the only logical explanation for what was happening.

  “Adam?” she called out.

  Adam went to her and smiled at her. It was clear that she still needed a little convincing. “Enjoy it while the water is warm.”

  “Will Jonah still be here when I come back out? Is this a trick so you can take him away from me?” she asked.

  Adam’s jaw dropped. Of course, she’d worry about something like that. “I’d never do anything that could hurt you. I understand completely that he’s the most important thing in the world to you. He’ll still be here when you’re finished bathing,” he assured her.

  Adam had an idea. “Should I send him in every five minutes to check on you? That way you can see that he’s still here.”

  “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. I just don’t want to do anything stupid.” The last thing Samantha could deal with was losing another person she loved in her life. Nothing was worth that.

  “I understand, completely. More than you know. If I ever had a child, I’d protect him with my last breath of air too.” Adam looked over his shoulder. Jonah was washing the potatoes they decided to cook. He was standing on a step stool that was in the kitchen extra for him to use when he helped his mom. Jonah was wearing an adorable little apron too.

  Adam hoped that he’d be given the chance to be this young man’s father. If that were the case, he’d do what he could to keep him safe and happy.

  He felt the same way about Samantha. “Would you like me to call down to Mr. Johnson and tell him that I’m not allow to leave the building alone with Jonah?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary. I only wanted to be safe instead of sorry.” She smiled at her own words, making light of her worries.

  Adam smiled at her. “I understood. Believe me, I won’t do anything to ruin this. I’m going to spoil you so much that you’ll never send me away.”

  “The potatoes are clean,” Jonah announced. “Now what do we do with them?”

  “We’re going to bake them. Then were going to make a light yoghurt dip that will taste sinfully good. They’ll be no calorie counting this evening.”

  Samantha smiled at Jonah, thinking this was how she’d always wanted Richard to treat their son.

  Why hadn’t he done it?

  Why was it that a stranger saw more potential in their son than he did?

  Chapter 8

  Samantha slipped into the bathroom and got undressed. She took a moment to look at herself in the mirror.

  The scar from when Jonah was born was barely visible. The pregnancy had been a difficult one. It also left her unable to have another child. She saw a miracle when she looked at Jonah. It still amazed her that he’d lived through everything that had gone wrong. She told herself that he was meant to be.

  Sadly, Richard hadn’t been bothered by the fact that Jonah would be their only child. Samantha had to mourn the children that she could’ve given life to alone.

  The pregnancy had been when things had started to go downhill between her and Richard. It certainly hadn’t brought then closer together.

  She’d known back then that he husband was cheating on her. She’d told herself that it was only sex. The doctor had forbidden them to make love, and Richard was the sort of man who had needs.

  She’d naively believed that he’d forg
et whomever he was sleeping with once she’d healed up. He hadn’t.

  Samantha told herself not to think about Richard, not even for a moment. Instead, she listened to the music coming from Adam’s cell, but mostly she listened to the men cooking in her kitchen. They searched for bowls and herbs. It was cute hearing how they talked to one another.

  Jonah had to knock and ask where the fresh garlic was hidden. Every few minutes, Jonah came in to ask her something or to ask if she wanted something.

  One time, Jonah came in carefully carrying a glass of wine for her. She thanked him and sipped on it with her eyes closed, enjoying the warm water, the sounds from the kitchen, and the sweet sound of music coming from his cell. The fragranced soap in the water was doing exactly what the bottle promised it could for once, and the delicious smells from the kitchen made this apartment feel more like home than it ever had before.

  She relaxed, and her thoughts began to drift.

  Samantha got a funny feeling, what if she and Adam hit it off so well that he’d want to stay the night. Of course, she’d say no to something like that. Still, she went to work cleaning herself up, just in case.

  Did she have time to do a facial?

  Adam was almost too good to be true, but he was truly here, making her something to eat and treating her son very well. She needed to reach out and grab hold of everything that he was offering with both of her hands and hold it tightly. Could she do something like that? Simply let go of her fears and doubts and let herself fall into love?

  Deep inside, she admitted to herself that she loved him too. She’d longed to have someone exactly like him in her life, someone who made her feel important and lovable.

  When she was perfectly cleaned up, she opened the bathroom door and saw that the table was set, and that the men were carrying food to the table.

  “Perfect timing.” Adam looked at her and stopped moving. “Doesn’t your mother look amazing, Jonah?”

  “She looks how she always looks,” Jonah could see the little differences from before.

  “You’re right, son. She always looks beautiful.” Adam pulled out a chair for her. “Have a seat. Don’t worry about the kitchen. I know it looks a little wild at the moment, but Jonah and I will clean everything up while you sit on the sofa with your feet up.”

  “We’re not allowed to put our feet on the coffee table,” Jonah sighed, making it obvious that this was a rule he didn’t agree with.

  “Really? At my house, the rule is you’re allowed to put your feet up if you have a pillow under your feet. In fact, I was planning to sit on the coffee table while I rub your feet. Is that allowed, darling?” Adam scooped food onto her plate.

  “You’ve already done so much,” Samantha protested. She wasn’t good at accepting attention.

  “Nonsense. Jonah, I think your mother doesn’t understand the concept of being spoiled and cared for. We have our work cut out for us this evening.”

  Jonah nodded along like it would be a huge chore.

  Samantha lowered her head so Jonah wouldn’t think that she was laughing at him. She thought that her son was so adorable.

  “We hope you like the meal. We made potato wedges with meatloaf and a salad. I’d like to complement you on having a well-stocked kitchen.” Adam poured her a glass of wine. Then he poured one for himself.

  “Meatloaf?” Samantha couldn’t hide her surprise.

  “Jonah said that you like meatloaf.”

  “I do, but it’s hard to picture you two making it together. Meatloaf is just a meal that a mom usually makes.”

  “Real men can cook. I was trained by Mrs. Keaton, our cook, and my Aunt Ruth in cooking. If there is one thing that I’ve learned about women, it’s that they like to be wined and dined, and they hate being hungry.”

  “Then you were raised well. When do I get to meet your Aunt Ruth?” Samantha asked before she really thought about it.

  “Tonight, if you’d like. She told me that she’d be glad to babysit, so we can go out. Would you like to go see a movie or go dancing?”

  “Maybe tomorrow night. I’d like to stay in this evening. Would that be all right?” Samantha felt overwhelmed. This was going to fast for her muted senses.

  “Of course it would. Anything you need. Would you like to watch a movie or talk after Jonah is in bed?” Adam looked over at Jonah, whose shoulders slumped when he heard the word bed.

  Adam was glad to see that Samantha was also looking at Jonah. He feared that her answer would be neither of the above. He wanted to stay with her and have a moment when they could relax together and talk about the future.

  Adam wanted to know if he had a chance of being part of her future.

  “I don’t know if anything good is on tonight.”

  “We can flip through the channels and decide then.” Adam had his foot in the door. That was all he wanted, a chance.

  Chapter 9

  Samantha and Adam stepped out of Jonah’s room and closed the door. Neither moved away from his door. They stared at each other, both wondering what would happen next. Neither wanted to say the wrong thing and scare the other away.

  “I still owe you a foot massage,” Adam declared.

  “Are you serious about that?” Samantha couldn’t imagine a man rubbing a woman’s foot, especially not this huge man. However, it did make sense. His hands were large, but they held a tiny paintbrush with precision.

  Chances were that he’d only rub her feet for a moment, and then he’d try to work his way up her legs. It had to be about sex.

  There was no way that she was going to sleep with him this evening. First they’d have to date for a long time, and then they could slowly start with something like that.

  “Of course, I’m serious. You were on your feet all week at work. They could probably use a loving touch.”

  “A loving touch?” she repeated with her eyebrow arched, showing her disbelief.

  “I’m guessing the feeling isn’t mutual, but I felt something for you the second I saw you. You opened the door and there you were so brown and warm looking. I wanted to stare into your eyes forever, so I pretended that I needed more time with your drawing. After that, I pretended that I forgot what your eyes look like.

  “I could never forget them. Eyes are important. They don’t change when we get older. Sure, the skin around them can wrinkle, and we’ll be able to see if how often we got you to laugh in life, but your eyes will stay the same. It’s good that I like your eyes, because I’ll be looking at them for a long time, hopefully. That is if you’ll give me a chance.”

  “I want to believe you, but I’ve been lied to before.” Samantha needed to stop him. Adam only thought that he was in love with her, but he couldn’t be. There were so many reasons not to love her.

  Adam nodded, thinking that was something that he needed to get used to. He had no problems with her comparing him to Richard. He felt that he’d always look better compared.

  Adam just needed to get his foot in the door. He needed a chance to prove that he wasn’t going to hurt her. Given half the chance, he’d prove that he meant well with her.

  Samantha sat down on the sofa and looked at him. “I think it would be best if I told you the truth. I’m not ready for someone new in my life. Richard and I went to high school together. All my life he was the only one. I can’t just switch over to someone new. I’m sure he’s only going through a bad phase. That’s why he’s always in a bad mood. He misses us, but he hasn’t been able to put his finger on it yet. Sooner or later, he’ll realize what’s missing in his life, and he’ll want us back again.”

  “What?” Adam sat down on the sofa next to Samantha. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Richard is going through a mid-life crisis. He started a little early, that’s all. It’ll be over soon. When it is, he’ll want us back. I need to be honest with you. I love Richard. I always have, and I always will. You’re a great guy, but I’m guessing this is a mid-life crisis for you too. I can’t get mixed
up in something like, or let Jonah get mixed up in something like that. One man’s problems are enough for me.”

  “Don’t say that. The fact that I love you has nothing to do with a mid-life crisis. You aren’t a phase I'm going through. You’re the woman I love, and the woman I’ll still love when I’m ninety. I swear if I ever have a mid-life crisis, I’ll buy a fast car like every other decent man. I won’t have an affair or leave you.”

  “You can’t promise that. Besides, you don’t have to worry about me. Richard can’t turn his back on his son. He’ll come back to us.”

  “Do you honestly believe that? Or is this your polite way to tell me to leave?” Adam asked her.

  Samantha’s jaw dropped. “Of course, I believe that. Richard needs a little time, that’s all. He’ll wake up soon and see what’s important.”

  “I believe you’re right about that, but are you going to come running when he calls?”

  “What are you implying?” Samantha folded her arms over her chest.

  “That when he does realize how wonderful you are, you shouldn’t go running into his arms.”

  “And why wouldn’t I do that. He’s Jonah’s father.”

  “That’s about all he is,” Adam muttered.

  “You have no right to talk about him that way,” Samantha declared, years of convincing herself that everything would work itself out in the end had brainwashed her. She believed her own lies.

  “I have every right,” Adam could feel his blood pressure rising. “He mistreats the woman I love. I will not sit quietly by and let him get away with that. You can’t honestly want me to pretend that it’s okay when it isn’t. Don’t ask me to be less of a man than I am, because I won’t be, so don’t do it.”

  “Frankly, it’s none of your business.”

  “Did you even hear me say that I love you in all that?”

  “Adam, if we’re going to have a relationship, then you need to understand that there are some things that are none of your business.”

  “If we’re going to have a relationship, then you have to understand that it would be forever. Richard would have nothing to do with us. He’d only be Jonah’s father and a nuisance we have to tolerate every second weekend. No matter what he decides to do with his life or who he’d want to spend it with, it wouldn’t have an effect on what we have.”