Valentine's Daddy To Go: A Holiday Bad Boy Romance (The To Go Series Book 6)

by S. C. Adams

  But now I have to focus on these little girls so Nellie can have a break. Hopefully, I don’t screw up.

  “Can we get two scoops?” Madison asks me, holding up two fingers. Two scoops will probably take us a lot longer. I haven’t been around kids a lot, but I’m sure they eat a lot slower than adults.

  “Sorry honey, we can only do one scoop today.” Madison gets really pouty. “But,” I continue, “next time, remind me and I’ll let you guys get two. Maybe even three if I’m feeling extra nice.”

  Her eyes open wide.

  “You promise?”

  “I promise.” She doesn’t look convinced. Her eyes dart back and forth for a couple seconds before she holds out her pinky.

  “Pinky promise?” My pinky is considerably bigger, so when I hold mine out, it dwarfs hers, but I do the pinky promise.

  “I pinky promise. Do you trust me now?”

  “I don’t know,” she shrugs.

  “What?” I ask, pretending astonishment. “But we just pinky promised!”

  “Yes, but I don’t know you,” she says like a wise man. Then Madison shoots me a smile before going to join her sister to look at all the flavors. Clearly, this little girl is intelligent, just like her aunt. I let them ooh and ahh over everything, allowing them a couple of minutes to choose. After giving them what I think is adequate time, I approach the counter.

  “Do you guys know what you want?”

  “I want the one with Oreos,” Madison points.

  “I just want chocolate,” Mackenzie lets me know.

  “Go pick a table, and I’ll bring everyone’s ice cream over.” They nod and run off. I go to order our scoops and then bring them to the table for the three of us to enjoy.

  “Thank you!” they say before digging into their dessert. It’s a mess almost instantly. I guess that makes sense since they are so little, but I’m surprised nonetheless. Children really are little mysteries, to me at least.

  “So, are you Auntie Nellie’s special friend?” Mackenzie looks at me, her eyes wide.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, Mommy and Daddy are special friends. They kiss, have one bed, and are married. Do you guys kiss and have one bed? Are you guys going to get married?”

  Oh my. These kids just get right to it. I’ve been interrogated by women in my life before, but these are the first ones to ever make me sweat.

  I can see why Nellie loves them so much. Even with the mess and the invasive questions, they are a couple of cuties.

  Which is why I’m going to answer their questions. But I also have a few of my mine that I’m going to ask first.

  “Well, do you want your aunt to have a special friend?”

  Madison is listening to the conversation but is also very much focused on her ice cream. Mackenzie holds her spoon in her bowl.

  Her nose scrunches and then shrugs.

  “Friends make us happy. So a special friend should make you extra happy, right?” That’s some good logic. These kids really do deserve this ice cream.

  “That makes sense,” I nod.

  “Then yes, I think I’d like you to be my aunt’s special friend,” Mackenzie proclaims. “So, are you Auntie Nell’s special friend?”

  “Do you want me to tell the truth?” I ask.

  They both nod seriously.

  I lean forward and whisper conspiratorially. “I want to be her special friend, but I don’t know if she wants to be my special friend.”

  The little girls look aghast.

  “But why not?” Madison asks with confusion. She’s got spoon full of ice cream in her mouth, but I still understand her.

  “Hmm, I don’t know. Well, I do, but it’s complicated.” I need to stop dicking around and lay this mystery to bed. I’m Nash fucking Keller. When I want something, I take it.

  After all, this situation has gone far enough. I’ll let Nellie get back to a normal place, but I won’t just let her slip through my fingers.

  “Have you asked Auntie Nell?” asks Mackenzie wisely. “Maybe she doesn’t know you want to be her special friend.”

  I nod slowly.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll ask her. And I’ll let you two know how it works out. You two are some smart girls, you know that?”

  “Yes,” Mackenzie replies. Madison just gives me a thumbs up. Luckily, it seems that I have their approval. I’m sure that’ll mean a lot to Nellie.

  We finish our ice cream with much gusto. I got myself a scoop of the strawberry, but the girls both keep glancing at my bowl, so I let them eat my scoop as well. I don’t need the extra sugar any way.

  Before taking us back to the car, I look out the store window and see that Nellie has fallen asleep in the car. Her skin is pale and her eyes are closed. She looks absolutely exhausted.

  “Are you guys ready to go home?” I ask. Mackenzie and Madison pout and act a little upset, but the two of them get up, and we go outside. Before opening the car, I hold my finger to my mouth, pointing out that Nellie is asleep.

  Their little heads nod, and we climb in, as quiet as possible. When I start the car, the rumble is loud but Nellie remains asleep. She must be deep within whatever dream she’s having.

  I already know where Brian lives because after Nellie stormed out, I hopped onto my bike and followed her. She was so incensed that I was worried she might get herself into trouble.

  Thank God, I did. When Nellie has her head on right again, I’m going to see if I can convince her to press charges against her asshole of a brother.

  I literally cannot believe Brian put his hands on her. Who does he think he is? After everything his older sister has done for him, he turns around and assaults her.

  It takes a real piece of shit to do that to a woman.

  I look in the rearview mirror and see that Madison and Mackenzie have fallen asleep too. I thought the sugar would have the opposite effect, making them all jumpy and jittery, but I really don’t understand children.

  Then again, after spending some time with these two, I think maybe I’m ready for babies. I know exactly how I feel about Nellie, and I also know that I want her to have my children. She’d look so beautiful, round and heavy with my kids.

  I drive over to the girls’ home. I don’t pull into the driveway because I want to wake Nellie up before her sister-in-law comes rushing out. I’m sure it’s about to be a very emotional reunion, and everyone needs a little bit of time to wake up before that.

  “Nellie. Nellie.” I gently shake her shoulder, wanting to rouse her gently. It takes a few shakes, but Nellie starts to stir, moaning softly as her eyes blink open.

  “Do you need the address?” she mumbles.

  “No, baby, we’re already here.” She sits up in her chair, rubbing her eyes.

  “We’re already here?” She looks out the window and sees the house. “Oh, wow. How did you know?”

  “I was following you earlier when you came here. It’s how I knew you were at the encampment as well.”

  “Oh, I see,” she nods her head, waking up fully now. “Well, we should probably get the girls inside.” She looks into the backseat to see Madison and Mackenzie fast asleep.

  “They conked out the second we got in the car. It must have been an exciting day for them,” I say.

  “Yeah, exciting is one way to put it,” she says softly. Nellie unbuckles her seatbelt. I can still see the melancholy on her face, but I know right now is not the appropriate time to comment on that. I also get myself out of the car.

  Nellie and I are on either side of the vehicle. We look at one another over the hood, and the air vibrates between us.

  “Let me carry them in,” I offer.

  “Are you sure? I can help by taking in one of them.”

  “No, I got this. Trust me. You do trust me, right?”

  Nellie looks at me with her big brown eyes. She breathes in deeply, before tilting her head slightly.

  “I do. I trust you, Nash.”

  That’s all it takes. My heart
swells with those words, and a sense of happiness fills me. She watches as I get Madison and Mackenzie out of the backseat. They both snuggle into my shoulder once I’m standing upright. I look over at Nellie and smile to reassure her. She has a curious look on her face, which I’ve never seen before. I can’t tell what it means, but she doesn’t seem angry or upset, so I take that as a good sign.

  “You ready to head in?”

  “Mm-hm,” she nods. We walk over to the house. When we reach the sidewalk, the front door opens, and a frail blonde comes running out.

  “Oh my goodness! Thank you so much!” This must be Vivica. She rushes over to me but stops short when she notices that her daughters are asleep. “Oh my.”

  She strokes their hair, looking into their peaceful slumbering faces.

  “Thank you for bringing them back to me. Thank you,” she whispers. I’m assuming she’s saying this to Nellie, but all of her focus is on her kids. It’s as if she’s worried they are going to disappear again, not that I blame her.

  “Of course, Vivica.” Nellie is standing behind her, looking at her nieces as well.

  “Did you find Brian?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think he should be around the girls for a while,” Nellie says in a low voice.

  “I know,” Vivica replies in a broken voice. “I know.” A couple of tears roll down her face, but, for the most part, she keeps her composure. “Um, maybe we should bring them inside,” the blonde woman adds.

  I look over at Nellie because I, personally, don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t think the girls should even be at the house anymore. Nellie looks at me, confused, but doesn’t ask me anything.

  “Yeah, we need to get them out of these damp clothes. I found them playing in the river,” she trails off.

  “Jesus Christ,” Vivica mumbles. “I knew Brian had gone off the deep end, but it’s really bad this time.” She wipes away her tears, looking downward for a few seconds.

  “We can talk about him later,” Nellie says reassuringly. “Right now, Madison and Mackenzie need to get into bed. Nash, can you bring them in for us?”

  The two of them turn to head inside, but I don’t walk with them.

  “Wait,” comes my low voice. They both turn back around, their eyes full of surprise. Nellie looks astonished, and Vivica looks alarmed.

  “What is it, Nash?”

  “I agree that the girls should get into some dry clothes, but I don’t think you guys should stay here anymore.”

  “What?” gasps Vivica.

  “Why?” asks Nellie in a confused voice.

  “Because Brian can come back at any time. He has a legal right to be in his home, and unless you want to go through a long and lengthy legal process, I suggest not living here anymore.”

  “But where would we go?” Vivica asks, looking between me and Nellie. “We can barely afford this house as is, and I don’t work. Without Brian, there’s no way I can afford to move. I don’t even have the money for next month’s rent.”

  Nellie nods.

  “I’d suggest my place, but Brian has the key for my apartment, too,” she says slowly. Clearly, this man has really walked through their lives and destroyed a whole lot of things in his path.

  “I can get you guys into a hotel,” I tell her. “We can worry about where you’ll be living long-term another day. I promise we will figure it out, but let’s take it one day at a time for now.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. We can’t take charity,” Vivica looks uncomfortable, but I will not take no for an answer.

  “I’m getting you a hotel. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your kids. They deserve a safe space, and it’s really not a big deal. Trust me, I can afford it.” Vivica takes a couple of seconds to think but then nods.

  “Okay, we’ll go. You’re right that Maddie and Mac need a safe place. I haven’t given that to them recently, so thank you,” she says in a small voice. “Thank you both.”

  Once in agreement, we go inside the home so that Vivica can gather some of the girls’ things. While I wait, I look around the living room. There are pictures of the girls as babies, and a homey sign on the wall that says, “Home is where the Heart is.” It’s clear that even though they didn’t have a lot of money, they did their best to make this a happy space for Madison and Mackenzie. Plus, I’m sure Brian had a hand in some of this. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully respect the man, but I understand that one point, he was a good parent.

  Nellie and Vivica come back downstairs with the children. This time, they’re awake, but clearly very sleepy. They’ll probably fall asleep in the car again.

  They also have duffle bags stuffed with all the things they’ll need.

  “I don’t know if I got everything. Everything’s just moving so fast,” Vivica says.

  “If you need anything, I can buy it for you. If you need something from the house, I have people who can get it for you. Don’t worry about a single thing, okay?” I ask. She nods again. I’ll remember to get the key from her before leaving the three of them at the hotel.

  We leave the house, but then Nellie pauses.

  “Ugh, I just noticed we don’t have any car seats. Brian probably has them at the encampment,” she says before trailing off. I hadn’t even thought of the fact that the girls were riding car seat free.

  “I’ll have Zac pick some up tomorrow. For now, we’ll have to travel like this, okay?” She nods and gets into the passenger’s seat, while Vivica squeezes into the back with her two girls.

  I start her car and drive us to the nearest good hotel. Nellie and Vivica carry the girls in while I manage the bags. I get them a room with enough beds and have the hotel keep my credit card on file. I hand the bags to the bellhop and then follow them up to their room.

  Once the girls are in bed, I turn to Vivica.

  “Here’s your room key. If you need anything, you can ask the concierge downstairs. Don’t worry about the cost. They have great service here and know what they’re doing. If the hotel can’t help you, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll make sure to handle it.” I scribble my number down on a piece of paper and hand it over. “The number works 24 / 7,” I add.

  Vivica blinks back tears.

  “Thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  Vivica turns to Nellie next and brings her into a great big hug.

  “Thank you, Nellie,” she whispers. “You’re always the one who saves us. I promise I’ll be a better mother to them from now on.” She pulls her head back to look Nellie in the eye. “I promise.”

  “I know, Vivica. I know,” the curvy girl says gently.

  They break apart, and Nellie and I depart.

  We make our way back to her car, and she curls up in her seat. I think she’s used up every inch of her willpower today to stay strong in the face of great adversity.

  “Let’s go home,” I tell her. She doesn’t say anything, but since there aren’t any protests, I take that as a good sign and drive us back to the mansion.

  I help her out of the car, letting her lean her body weight against me. We go straight upstairs to my bedroom, and I have Nellie sit down on the edge of the bed.

  I remove her shoes, taking off her clothes. She’s basically a rag doll at this point, her spine barely keeping her upright.

  “Lie down now, sweetheart.” She nods and crawls under the covers but doesn’t pull them up. Instead, her body is in a fetal position.

  She’s trembling, but I can’t tell if it’s from the chills or the fact that she’s shaken from what just transpired. It’s probably a combination of both.

  I tuck her into bed, bringing the covers all around her curvy form. Her hand grips the edge of the blankets, pulling them around herself even tighter.

  While Nellie’s clearly not totally okay, she’s at least responsive to her surroundings.

  Still, Nellie hasn’t said anything, and I don’t want to force her to. It must be har
d processing everything that just happened. She probably needs a little bit of space. I go to sit in the chair against the wall.

  I don’t want to leave her in here by herself. Hopefully, my presence is a calming one for her, and the truth is that I care too much to leave.

  23

  Nellie

  In the dream, I’m stuck in the encampment again, walking towards the trailer. Everything is moving in extra slow motion. I already know who and what is inside, and that I shouldn’t bother knocking, but I can’t stop my feet from moving forward.

  I get to the door and knock on it. Each time my fist raps on the metal, skin is scraped off of my knuckles. It hurts like nothing else, but it’s a compulsion. I have to get inside.

  The door swings open, but there’s no old man with missing teeth to greet me this time. It’s only darkness. I poke my head in, thinking I’ll see my brother.

  “Brian! Brian, are you in here?” No one answers. I call him one more time, but to no avail. I set one foot inside the rickety metal trailer, and then the other. The ground doesn’t feel steady, but I don’t fall through it, so I keep going.

  When I’m fully inside, the door closes behind me. I try the knob, but it looks like I’m locked inside. The knob rattles in my hand uselessly.

  “Okay, then. I guess I can only go deeper,” I mutter to myself.

  I walk further into the trailer, and out of nowhere, I come across a corner. That doesn’t make sense. Trailers are one long straight line.

  I don’t immediately turn the corner because I know whatever is around it isn’t something good.

  “Brian,” I call for my brother again. I don’t know why I do because he’s not going to answer. I slowly bring my foot forward, when all of a sudden, I hear my name. It’s quiet, but I’m sure it was there.

  “Brian!” I exclaim. I get excited and round the corner quickly only to come face to face with his half-rotted corpse.

  “Oh my god!”

  “Nellie!” comes a ghostly moan.

  His mouth moves and my name spills from the skeleton’s lips again. “Nellie, I’m sorry,” he wails. My body shudders as I step backwards, but the corpse’s limbs move, the bones cracking in an unnatural way as he comes towards me.