Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
“Yes. She’s a guest. I thought it would be a good opportunity for her to meet and spend time with the family,” James replied, flipping his collar back down and pulling on a jacket.
I’d come into James’s room, all ready to tell him off, only to see him putting on one of his sexiest suits. My little green monster began causing me to panic. Was he dressing up for her?
“So, is this some kind of formal dinner?” I asked.
James glanced over at me. “No. You can wear what you like.”
“Then why are you all dressed up?” I demanded.
“We remain in black for a mourning period of one year here, Becca. The funeral hasn’t even happened yet. I’m just showing my respect,” James said.
Yeah, right. I stiffened my back and then started for the door. “I’ll go change, then. And I’ll have Giana add more black to my wardrobe. I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner.”
Actually, I was more incensed that James hadn’t told me sooner.
“No harm done. I should have explained the traditions to you,” James replied.
“Yes, you should have,” I said waspishly and stomped out the door, slamming it behind me. The nerve of that man! Dressing in his most body-hugging, sexy suit because it was black. He was dressing for Sofia. I just knew it.
Layla was playing with the kids on a blanket in my suite. She saw me enter like an oncoming storm and quickly sat up. “Becca?”
“Men suck,” I grunted.
“I’ve always thought so,” Layla replied with a little laugh. She sobered when she realized I wasn’t joking, and wasn’t in the mood to, either. “What’s wrong? Did you and James have a fight?”
I slammed open the door to my walk-in closet. “Not yet, but we’re going to.”
“What about?” Layla asked.
“You’ll see. She’s coming to dinner,” I seethed.
Layla blinked. “Who’s coming to dinner?”
“Miss Tits-and-Ass.” I reamed through the clothes, looking for something sexy, yet black, yet not quite slutty. James’s uncle was dead, after all. I had to show SOME respect.
“He’s seeing someone else on the side?” Layla gasped.
I tossed a pair of shoes, a dress, and some hose onto the bed. I doubted he’d get to see them, given how angry I was, but I also chose my most scandalous black-and-red lacy panties and bra.
“You’re going in ready for battle,” Layla observed, watching as I started pulling it all on.
“Damn straight.” I let Layla do up the back of my dress, then sat and watched the kids while she also prepared for dinner.
Once it was time to go down to dinner, I carried Dahlia, and Layla carried Alessandro. We fixed Alessandro in a Bumbo seat, and I passed Dahlia to Layla. She’d just eaten, so I was rather certain we’d get through dinner without me having to excuse myself to feed her.
When I turned back to the table, I heard Layla let out a squeak.
“What?” I asked as my father and stepmother came in, followed by James, who was escorting Sofia.
“Your-your dress!” Layla moaned.
I turned my head, looking my dress over. “What about my dress?”
“Uh-oh!” Sofia said, sliding into a seat next to James. “Looks like someone got urpy on mama.”
Urpy? Oh shit, no…
“Did Dahlia throw up on me?” I asked Layla softly.
Layla just nodded her head, horrified.
I closed my eyes and had to count backwards from fifty. Not only had my impressive entrance been ruined, but I was now covered in baby spit-up, and Sofia had seen it—and drawn everyone’s attention to it. I wondered if she’d done it on purpose.
“Here, love,” James said softly, going around Sofia and dabbing at the back of my dress with his cloth napkin.
“Thank you,” I replied, red-faced and mortified.
“Children can be so precocious, even when they don’t know what they’re doing yet,” Sofia trilled, and my father and stepmother laughed.
“Reminds me of the time Becca threw up on the priest who was baptizing her. Here’s a could-have-been-worse situation if I’ve ever seen one,” my father chuckled.
I was trying to think of how it could be worse, but it wasn’t coming to me.
“Here, why don’t you sit here,” James said, escorting me to the chair on the other side of him. My father sat to my left.
Layla sat on the other side of Sofia. She not-so-subtly looked Sofia up and down.
I was quiet as they started serving dinner. James started speaking to Sofia in Italian again, but she quickly corrected him to English. My father and stepmother paid rapt attention to her hard-won rise through the ranks of fashion and her many travels.
Sofia laughed often and was a perfect guest. She was also effortlessly beautiful in her black, curve-hugging yet tasteful dress. I wanted to stab her with my fork.
“So, what about you, Becca? James told me you went to Yale.” Sofia turned the conversation my way. “I also heard you lived in New Zealand? You must have had such adventures.”
And here I’d thought the night couldn’t get any more embarrassing. “I’ve been… well, yes, I’ve been to New Zealand. And New York. And Yale, of course. I was just starting an internship when that little peanut came along.” I gestured to Dahlia. “Then Alessandro came into my life at about the same time.”
“Oh. So you’ve been doing the mama thing,” Sofia said with a nod. “Very important work.”
James leaned over and kissed my temple. “Becca is a wonderful mother.”
“And I’m sure your nanny here is a great help,” Sofia continued, turning to Layla. “Layla, right?”
“Yes,” Layla replied. “But Becca would do a great job even without me.”
I appreciated the loyalty, but I wasn’t going to let Layla fall on the grenade just to make me feel better. “No, Layla, I honestly don’t know how I’d do it all without you.”
Layla blushed. “Thanks.”
“I don’t know how anyone raises children without help,” Sofia said. “I… was never so fortunate as to have any. Eugenio passed before we could start a family, and I’ve never really been interested in anyone else. Then there was my career and all the travel—I just never got around to it, and now it’s too late.”
“You could always adopt,” my father suggested, sounding sad for her.
Sofia smiled sadly at my father. “Oh, I could, I know. But my lifestyle doesn’t really leave room for children. Run, run, run, go, go, go! James, you are SO fortunate to have someone who’s willing to slow down for a while and raise children with you.”
My eye ticked. I wasn’t sure if she was complimenting me or insulting me.