Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
That was, that taking her back was a good decision, of course. I walked over to the front door and opened it, my eyes fixing upon Layla. She had flowers in her grasp, and she met my eyes with a tearful stare of her own.
At the moment, she was in a dress that hugged her figure, her makeup touched up to perfection. Her hair flowed down her back in a beautiful manner, causing me to subconsciously lick my lips and imagine them against hers.
‘Don’t flirt, don’t flirt,’ I told myself.
“You look gorgeous, Layla,” I purred. Sh*t. It was too early to cave. Matters were made harder when the lovely woman started to blush. This was going to be rough. Tension crackled in the air as I invited her inside and told her to sit down.
I set her up a plate, placing it in front of her and sitting across from her. “Please don’t tell me,” I said, “that I’m inviting a vampire into my household that will take advantage of the situation, Layla. As sexy as that would be, granted, I just went through hell, as you very well know.”
Layla was staring at her hands and nodded, gulping. She drank several sips of the water I’d provided her before finally inhaling and meeting my gaze again. This time, she didn’t break her stare, causing me to raise a brow.
“Wouldn’t you like me to be?” Layla said, cracking a smile that met her eyes. She was breaking through her nervous demeanor. She grew serious and swallowed. “They lied to me. They took advantage of how docile I can be, Allegra. I was so gullible. I should have seen the signs.”
“You should have,” I said, my tone somewhat bitter. My lip twitched a bit in disapproval at her words. She always had been so innocent, but it’d been for a good cause. Looking into her eyes, right now, I began to understand this whole misunderstanding was the end result of that.
Layla nodded, nervous again, but holding her ground. “I f*cked up badly. I don’t deserve forgiveness, but here I am begging for it. Allegra, I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
“You know what I mean,” she said, studying my expression. I cracked a devilish smile for just one moment before letting out a sigh, reaching up to rub at my forehead in thought. What else could I get her to say? She clearly regretted what she’d done.
“If you thought Becca was so bad, why didn’t you warn me?” I asked in exasperation, wanting to know that much, at least.
“I didn’t think you’d believe me,” she muttered, rubbing her arm. “I should have just trusted you,” Layla added, causing me to nod.
“Yeah,” I growled. “You should have.” Then, I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “We both know I’m going to cave, but Layla, you need to know how much you hurt me. I am keeping in mind you were honest with me in the end, at least, which was brave. You knew you’d likely lose me.”
“That’s why I had to tell you at the exact moment I realized I f*cked up,” Layla replied in a low tone, tears streaming down her cheeks again. “I knew I didn’t deserve you, and I didn’t want to lose you, but it was the right thing to do. I couldn’t live on a lie.”
“Glad to hear that, at least,” I snorted. My gaze softened, and I closed my eyes for a moment before refocusing. “Anyway, like I said, we both knew I would give in. I hope you’re not taking advantage of my love right now, Layla.”
“I’m not,” Layla said firmly. She got up from the table and circled around to stare me down, resting her hand on the table. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, but more than that, you’re intelligent, strong–” she began.
I didn’t give her a chance to finish. I stood up, grabbing the collar of her shirt. I tilted my head and planted my lips against hers, giving her a very deep kiss. My eyes were shut as I drank in all of her. The chemistry crackled between us, and my heart pounded.
Her lips were so soft, so delicious. The smell of her perfume, floral, delicate, told me she deserved to be a princess. To have doves released on her wedding day, to be carried bridal style by me, the whole nine yards.
I still loved her, and she very much loved me. Layla deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around me and parting mine with her tongue. Our bodies fit together perfectly as if fate itself decided we were meant to be together.
Sadly, the kiss had to end. Unfortunately, both of us needed to breathe. Layla gasped out, her cheeks a deep red. She stared into my eyes, licking her lips and giving a smile of sheer adoration that made me feel like she worshipped the very ground I walked on.
Funny, that was the case from me to her. I smiled at her, then reached up to cup her cheek. “I think you have my answer. There’s vodka in the fridge. Let’s spend the night together. Let me treat you. You must be stressed–”
“No,” Layla said softly, causing me to raise a brow. “Let me treat you, Allegra. You deserve it. And not just because I put you through hell emotionally. You deserve it because you’re you.”
My smile widened, and I nodded, letting out a sigh of contentment. I hoped this wasn’t some dream. I hoped I wouldn’t regret this later. But right here, right now? Layla was mine again. My modeling career was on track, and I was going to be top in the industry again in no time.
Tonight, and my fate, was sealed with a kiss; a very intense one, at that.
Becca.
“Oh, they are just darlings!” Madeline said, causing me to smile brightly. It’d been a couple of weeks since I’d been inviting her over to interact with the kids. So far, everything was going very well.
I had been on edge ever since the camera picked up someone unknown. I told myself to focus on that later, though. Madeline was, surprisingly, doing a lot to relieve my stress. A bright smile was plastered on my face as I talked with her. “They are,” I agreed, feeling tears form. A few dripped down my cheeks as I stared at Daliah.
At the moment, the toddler was in Madeline’s arms, being bounced around. She was shrieking with laughter, which faded into joyous gurgles as she took a few breaths. I couldn’t help but laugh along with her. A few strands of her hair fell messily into her face, making her look goofy.
I refocused on Madeline, who emanated a very positive aura. Her grin was brilliant, and her body language was relaxed as she regarded the kids with pure joy. That’s when I focused on Dahlia, who was pointing at me and laughing. Almost as if she wanted to say something!
She’d be starting to say her first words soon, I realized. She was about eight months now, and the way she played with her toys made it clear she was very intelligent. Madeline said to the toddler, “That’s right! Mama’s looking at you, say hi to Mama!”
Dahlia raised her hand and did a little hand-bend wave, which caused me to beam and wave back in the same way. I watched Madeline, realizing she really had such a strong connection with the kids. I’d paid her for her time even though I’d monitored every time she was here.
The few times I left the room for an hour, I watched the camera feed, and it was always the same. She played with the kids, laughing with them, entertaining them when she could. The kids settled down with her to watch various age-appropriate shows that she engaged with, too.
She had so much patience, and I was very impressed. After a long pause and more baby chatter, I felt it was time. “I think I’m comfortable with you being our new nanny, Madeleine,” I said. She blinked several times, then gasped, a joyous noise.
“Oh, Becca, darling! I’d be honored, really. I’m so happy you picked me. Your children are little angels, and I couldn’t be happier. They say get a job you’d love with all of your heart. I think I’ve found just that,” she said, causing me to smile and nod.
“Sorry I took so long,” I said, reaching up to rub the back of my neck. “Ever since the camera caught someone outside near the house, I’ve been on edge. Especially since my time with James had been ruined by his ex,” I explained. I’d told her the story in short terms so that she knew how unhinged Allison was.
Madeline’s eyes flashed in sympathy, and she nodded. “Don’t worry about it, dear. I understand entirely. How have things been since security’s been beefed up?” she asked, tilting her head.
“They’ve been weird,” I muttered. I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again, giving a soft smile.
“But we’ve been safe. I trust the people we hired. Still… there’s been an off feeling. A few more instances of things like the trash being knocked over. Lawn ornaments going missing. Someone messed with the postbox, but it had been empty,” I said.
“That’s concerning,” Madeline said. She added, “But the people watching the place seem very sweet, yes. They take their jobs seriously. When I first started coming to help you with the children, they asked me tons of questions! For several days. Repeated ones, too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” I said, feeling a slight bit of embarrassment. Madeline just shook her head and laughed, that smile of hers meeting her eyes.
“No, darling, do not apologize! I understand entirely. You have a family to look after. Me being connected to Sophia doesn’t mean enough, it wouldn’t for me, either, if I was in your situation. Better safe than sorry. I think my answers satisfied them. I don’t get asked much anymore!”
“That’s good,” I said, recalling how security had discussed matters with James. They felt Madeline wasn’t a threat, at all, and cited she was a joy to speak with. Given her clean background, adoration for the children, and approval from security, I knew I was making the right decision.
“When would you like me to start?” she asked, causing me to tilt my head in thought. Madeline then said, “I can make plans as soon as possible. I had an interview for another job on Friday, but that’ll be canceled, of course. A long-term commitment is exactly what I’m looking for.”
That sounded wonderful to me, and I grinned. “Glad I made that decision before you got that interview! Sorry for the back and forth and how unsure I was.” My face flushed in embarrassment a bit, and I rubbed the back of my neck.
“No! It’s just fine, darling, you really don’t need to worry about a thing. Between what you saw on security, and what you said you experienced with other nannies, I get it entirely. It wouldn’t have been any frustration. Besides, you paid me for my time here, which was generous,” she said.
I nodded, though I began to frown. My hand flew to my stomach as I felt it lurch. What was going on? The feeling of nausea was so sudden, and I ran my tongue over my lips, wondering if I was dealing with a case of food poisoning. The feeling was gone shortly following that.
“Is something wrong?” Madeline said, her eyes widening with concern. I gave a light shrug, taking a deep breath and telling myself to calm down. Probably just some minor stomach bug, or something. I sincerely hoped it wasn’t actually food poisoning.
Giving a weak smile, I said, “I’ll be okay. It’s probably nothing.” I blinked as Dahlia began to wiggle and whine, trying to break free from Madeline for now. The woman smiled and gently put her on the ground. She began to crawl toward me, then sat back, reaching up for me.
When she made grabby hands, I knew she wanted me to pick her up. I brought her toward my face and bumped noses with her, feeling a soft, blissful feeling at the cooing noises she made. Her beautiful eyes shined as she gave me a big, happy grin.
That’s when the extraordinary happened.
After a happy little squeak from the child, she said, “Mama! Mama, Mama!”
It was the first time I’d heard her say that, and my jaw dropped. Tears welled up and began to pour from my eyes as I gasped, “That’s right. Mama. That’s right, Dahlia. Mama’s here.” I took her into my arms for a huge hug, rocking back and forth with her.
