Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
“How’d it go?” I asked softly, giving her a smile. “You look exhausted, baby. This situation has been sucking the life out of you.”
Becca complained, “Like a vampire? Dealing with the undead would be easier than this. Oh, James. I just don’t know what to do. I have Layla stuck in my mind. She was a perfect nanny for the kids, got along with them so well, but turned out to be horrible.”
Tears began to drip from her eyes. I reached over with a napkin and gently dabbed at her cheeks, frowning deeply. I muttered, “We were definitely both surprised by her admission. I still feel bad about alarming the kids.”
“You were out of control,” Becca agreed, sniffling. Then, she smiled somewhat. “Though, I get it now. I almost wish you had gone out of control on those damn Stepford wives, too.” Her smile dissolved into a disgusted scowl.
“After what you told me they said to you, I wish I did,” I replied. Becca had described them as harpy-ass bitches, a very colorful insult I just had to agree with. I took a bite of my meal, motioning to the kitchen for Becca.
She nodded, leaving the room for a moment to fix a plate. Her general demeanor was still very much not changed from a very negative one, what with her slightly messy hair as though she’d been constantly running her fingers through it.
When she returned, she let out a sigh. I asked, “No luck with the people you interviewed?” I asked, and she shrugged. Then, she bit her lip and shook her head. She took a few bites of food, giving an ‘mmm’ of appreciation. At least I could help her day a little with lunch.
“No. There just hasn’t been a feeling that any of them fit. Maybe I’m biased; maybe I’m being unfair. I can’t help it, though. I want the kids to have someone perfect, and I can’t see myself making a decision anytime soon,” she said.
I nodded, frowning somewhat. I was about to respond when she held up a hand to wait and answered the phone. “Hello,” Becca said. I waited patiently as she spoke to her stepmother, her tone changing about halfway through the conversation. Her father and stepmother had gone out of town about the same time we were coming back, so they weren’t there at the moment.
Becca had been explaining the situation with the nanny, and then said, “I don’t want to be a burden, though. I know you can handle it, but…”
Now, my phone vibrated. I looked down to see a text from Sophia, and replied to confirm I was back in Florence. Sweet woman, a good friend of mine. Becca’s conversation continued with her mother, and she continued to sound unsure.
Eventually, she ended her call, and I was still texting Sophia. I explained the situation with Layla, and how we were looking for a new nanny. Her next text made me raise a brow. ‘Oh! I love kids, I can help out while you find a new nanny. That would be no problem to me.’
My eyes fell upon Becca, who was staring into her food and taking a few bites. “What did your stepmother say?” I asked.
“She offered to cut their trip to Spain short to come back to help, but as I said, I don’t want to be a burden. They have always wanted to travel, and I don’t want to cut into that,” she said.
“Sophia offered to help until we find a new nanny,” I commented, causing her to look up and stare at me with surprise. I gave her a smile. “She’s right in time, isn’t she? That way, you won’t need to impose upon your parents, and we have someone we can trust while we settle.”
“Oh James,” Becca said, her tone shifting from one of melancholy to delight. “That would be wonderful! I’d love to have her here.” Relief dripped from her tone, since now, she could be very thorough with finding a nanny.
Life would be able to continue as usual, without the worry of the kids not being watched in case we ever needed to do something away from the compound. And I was happy to have Sophia here, now that it was clear to Becca and everyone that she was the best of friends and nothing more.
I beamed at her smile, happy to see that she was lightening up a little. Hopefully, we could find a nanny so that we could have our fun and carry on with our lives properly. I’d propose the new maid idea to Becca at some other time.
Soon enough, we’d be back to a full staff and could live the life of luxury we both deserved.
Neal.
The situation with Becca was heartbreaking, and I was stuck. I really did love her and had been hoping she’d been missing me.
I would be better for her than James, right? Well, maybe not.
I wasn’t sure. I stared at my hands, sitting there on my couch and reaching up to rub my temples.
So many complex feelings. Here I was, unable to move on though I really needed to. For now, I basked in the silence, the distraction of the television no help.
My mind kept bouncing between wishing I could end up with Becca and telling myself I should let things lie.
They had just gotten through the situation with the kids, and from what I’d heard, the Cartwrights were terrible people. I got word from Allegra that they managed to move back to Italy.
I was here as well, near Allegra, still on the hunt for those damn Russians who captured her.
It was all connected. I wasn’t sure how much information Layla gave to them regarding Allegra, but I knew Becca had been in a lot of danger given the snake in the nest. Allegra had called me crying regarding Layla.
My heart clenched at the memory of my sister’s voice. I didn’t always get along with her, but we were very close, and we’d only grown closer lately. She was at my throat, constantly, about the Russians, but I couldn’t blame her.
She was starting a new life, one she had wanted to begin with Layla. Allegra took every chance she had to gush about someone she loved, only for that same person to stab her in the back. We both had love problems, though I had a feeling I was bringing myself down.
Being so stuck on Becca was toxic. I told myself that over and over as I stared at the wall, trying to claw myself out of this hole. I missed her so much, loved her, even, but James may be better for her. Or maybe not. He was cold, aloof, abrasive, and downright mean sometimes.
When he’d called back to genuinely thank Allegra about this news, and apologize for not believing her, he told her that he’d gone off on Layla in the nursery, which alarmed both Becca and the kids.
Him losing his temper like that was very bad news.
I clenched my fist, reaching over to the glass table in the living room and grabbing my coffee, downing it in a few sips. Well, now he was closer. All of us ended up in the same country, and I’d probably be seeing Becca more too.
Would I be able to handle it? I pondered this. Given how she spoke with me on the phone, I highly doubted she would take well to seeing me around in general. Meanwhile, I would be reminded, constantly, of her choice, and how she didn’t miss me.
Maybe she did, but it was unwise to press. There was never any clear answer during our phone call, after all. I scolded myself for latching onto that. It was over; I needed to accept it. Though it was monumentally difficult.
I stood up, making my way to the bathroom to take a shower. My mind would clear up then, and I could focus on more important things. I needed to take down my enemies because my sister continued to be in danger while they were active.
That was more important than swooning over a woman who was probably not interested in the slightest. I started up the hot water and waited, inspecting myself in the mirror. I had a five o’clock shadow I considered ridding myself of, but then decided to keep it. Why not?
As steam built up in the bathroom, I stepped into the shower and began to clean myself with musky, woodsy scents, my mind drifting away from the Russians as I washed and to romance in the future.
If I could get Becca out of my mind and move on, I could find someone who did care about me. As unhappy as I was with how James treated her, I knew it was her decision, and something she would need to live with.
Their relationship wasn’t abusive, and she loved him, but it still didn’t change how toxic he could be, and how dangerous his connections were for Becca. Though, the more I thought about it, the more the thought was rich coming from me.
Hopefully, this Russian ordeal would end once and for all. I would have a target on my back, no doubt, after this hunt carried on. That is, if we didn’t manage to hit our target. The more we closed in, the more confident I got.
When I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself, I made my way to my bedroom and got dressed. Today would be about planning. I needed to shift my focus from Becca and our failed romance to the Russians.
I sat in front of my computer and began typing, going through my protected emails and scanning what was said. Much to my delight, another ally joined the team, assembling a force to be reckoned with even further.
We could now move on to the next phase. I told them we needed to set up an ambush and conveniently get them bagged by undercover Americans out for blood. They would take care of that business.
Sure, they hated me. I wasn’t allowed in the United States. However, they hated these pieces of shit even more, and that’s all we needed to get them on our side. Along with a huge bribe, of course, and a promise that no more trouble would bring them harm.
A few key classified bits of information may have spoken my case well to convince them, too. Once we lured those bastards out of the shadows and threw them into the beak of an eagle, so to speak, we would have them off our back.
I sent out this information to my team, explaining that at this point, we needed to begin setting these traps and contingency plans. My smile widened in delight as I got confirmation we’d have all the materials and buildings we’d need to accomplish this.
It was going to be tight, and the law here would need to be evaded. Needless to say, I was confident we could make this happen. Eventually, I picked up the phone and dialed Allegra, wanting to tell her the good news myself.
It rang a few times before she answered, her voice tinged with sadness yet still. The Layla situation still hit her so hard. I really hoped I could pull this off so she would have one less thing to worry about. She was starting her career on the runaway again and didn’t need this.
“Neal?” she asked.
“Yes. The team has been assembled, and plans are being made as we speak to trap them and hand them over to some very interested parties,” I explained, diving into detail regarding the plan with her. She remained silent the entire time.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I hope this works. My mind has been fixed on both that and Layla. What if I ended up in their clutches again? What would happen this time? They weren’t able to get you last time, but they could take more extreme measures.”
