Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
The waiter took our order and left, leaving us to continue the conversation. As the topics shifted, James and I talked fondly about our honeymoon. I said, “We went snorkeling at one point. It was amazing! I saw so many sea animals.”
Mariano beamed at me. “Oh? That’s amazing. I love marine wildlife. Wildlife in general, really. Reminds me of the sanctuary Neal and I visited for a date. He was fascinated by the tigers. Weren’t you?” he said, looking over to his crush.
Neal nodded, giving a light chuckle. “Such powerful animals, yes. But also beautiful. I was glad to see they were given a second chance after humanity did them horribly. Shame they can’t be released into the wild,” he said.
“Thankfully sanctuaries like that work very hard to keep the animals comfortable,” Mariano said. Our food was brought soon after, and he spoke between bites. “I find myself donating to the one we visit a lot.”
That reminded me of Guatemala, and after we discussed that sanctuary for a bit, I said, “Speaking of charities, I’m going to start one from afar for children in Guatemala. Originally, I suggested we move there, but that’s no longer the plan.”
“Much to my relief,” James muttered, causing me to jokingly elbow him. He chuckled, then explained, “I did not want to up and move to an entirely new country after what happened in the States. Settling in here has been a good decision.”
“I was skeptical at first,” I said, taking another bite of my food and savoring the flavor. “But it worked out at the end here, just as James promised it would. For the charity, I still plan on doing a lot with it. I’ve done the research and am looking into how to help the locals out.”
Mariano said, “That is very admirable that you did your research.” He let out a sigh, shaking his head. “Some people don’t and end up disrupting things for people there more than helping. Speaking with the locals is a wonderful idea to avoid that.”
I beamed at him, giving a nod. “Right. It will be a lot of work, but I have quite a bit of money that I feel will help improve their lives.” I scrunched up my nose. “The thought of children like Alessandro or Dahlia suffering so much makes my heart break.”
“You’ve always had a golden heart, Becca,” Neal said. “Even during difficult times in your life.” He said that with confidence, causing me to blush. I, however, shook my head, looking down at my food in embarrassment.
“Maybe not during the most difficult times,” I admitted, sighing. “I was a real bitch a lot, but that’s all over now. I’m happy to be settling in with my family and am so much less stressed lately. People no longer wanting to kill my family sure helps a lot!”
“That would help, yes,” Neal chuckled. He said, “I’m glad all of that was squared away, and we can move on with our lives. I’m not finding myself in trouble at all lately either. Mariano and I want to settle in after a few more months of dating.”
“That would be a wonderful idea,” I said, and James nodded in agreement. The date carried on, with talk of various wonderful plans for the future and good spots to visit together next time. “How is your sister?” I asked.
Neal hesitated for just a moment before saying, “Allegra is doing well. She is with someone right now and very happy.” I had a feeling he wanted to say more, but stopped himself. I didn’t pry, and just nodded, hoping he was right.
“I’m glad to hear she’s doing alright,” I said genuinely. I knew the Layla incident hurt her deeply. Some part of me hoped that Layla would someday apologize for what she did. I had a feeling she really was misled but didn’t know for sure.
Neal asked, “How are the kids? I think it’s wonderful that you had them at your wedding.” I smiled brightly, thinking about how happy Alessandro and Dahlia had been when I saw them last night playing around.
“They are wonderful. So happy. I think they’re excited for another sibling, another child in the family. Sophia and Madeline were planning a baby shower. James and I have been setting up a room for the new member of the family,” I explained.
James said, “We have a turtle souvenir from the islands we visited for when the baby is old enough.” He chuckled. “And pictures to show them all, too. Someday, we want to bring them on vacation with us. They are very well-behaved!”
“That is adorable!” Mariano said, prompting me to look toward him and realize I should show him pictures of our trip! I got out my phone and voiced that, which caught his attention. Then, I handed him my phone, which had pictures of the giant tortoises on it.
The excited man said, “Oh, these are wonderful pictures! Look at how large those tortoises are! You two look like you had a ball. That is so exciting. I think bringing the kids to a similar place someday is a great idea.” Neal leaned over to catch a glimpse as well.
“What he said,” Neal chuckled. “That looks like quite the experience.” He leaned over to steal a kiss from Mariano, which had the man blushing. After letting out a happy sigh, Neal added, “We have to get ourselves to someplace similar someday.”
“Yes, we must!” Mariano laughed. “I would adore seeing those tortoises in person after reading all about them.” He handed my phone back to me and took a bite of his meal, humming out in satisfaction.
The four of us cheerfully chatted, leading me to realize things between Neal and me were slowly starting to mend. It felt very nice not having him think we were going to end up together. That had been a roller coaster I really wanted to avoid.
My husband and I were very happy, and that was not going to change. Neal had come to accept that, and was even being genuinely friendly with James. Granted, James had changed too, for the better.
We all had. We’d dealt with so many trials and tribulations, be it from the mafia business or the Russian mobs. We came out on the other side, together, alive, and very happy, too. Though we lost people along the way, like Tally, they would live on in our memories.
I took a sip of my water, basking in the good vibes and happy voices of the people surrounding me. I widened my eyes, feeling a little kick in my belly. My heart pounded with excitement. Soon, we would have another member of the family.
The fact that our family was growing happy and healthy brought me over the moon. Raising another baby would be a lot of hard work, but I was more than ready for the task. James was, too, I could tell by the love that dripped from his words when he talked about it.
Everything was wonderful, and I couldn’t be happier. The double date carried on in a very pleasant way, with stories exchanged and tons of smiles and laughs to be had. The food was gourmet, and it melted in my mouth.
All in all, I was so pleased to experience such an exceptional night with people I cared about.
Allegra.
“I have made a list of reputable centers that we can look into,” I said to Layla, leaning on her as we stared at a laptop on the table. At the moment, we were looking into adopting, though not right this instant. We wanted to do a lot of research first.
Not to mention, Layla wanted to get another cat so Onyx had a playmate, and they’d need to adapt to our apartment first. The idea of adoption was a prospect both of us adored. Giving a child a loving home would be a wonderful thing.
Layla pointed to the screen, saying softly, “I’ve heard about that one. Good things, thankfully. I think we should be open-minded about teens.” She frowned sadly, closing her eyes. “They are often overlooked.”
“I agree,” I said. “They may be a large responsibility, as teenagers can be rowdy, but I’m confident we can handle it. Can’t be worse than being captured by the Russian mob,” I said with a chuckle. Layla winced but gave a half-smile.
“You still think about that, huh? Oh, love, I am so sorry. Really, I just–” Layla began, but I was having none of that.
I took her into my arms and squeezed hard, interrupting whatever she was trying to say with a deep kiss. I could feel her heart pound as she relaxed against me, humming into the kiss and reaching up to run fingers through my hair.
When I pulled away, I said, “No more sorries. Me joking about it means I am okay with what happened. I am not mad at you any longer. I promise.” It had been a few months since we made up, after all, and were as happy as ever.
At first, I worried there would be more devastating secrets that may split us apart again. The first time, Layla had been very distant due to that guilt. Her little heart had been broken because she had thought she’d been doing the right thing.
Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to worry about that ever again. I contemplated discussing what happened with Becca and seeing if all would be well with Layla. I decided in a few more months, probably after she had her new baby, I would find a way to tell her.
Or maybe a few years. Who could know? She went on a double date with Neal and Mariano a month or so ago, and that had gone very well, according to my brother. We would inevitably cross paths again, and I wanted to make sure that didn’t go badly because of our past.
Pushing that thought aside, I looked down at Layla, who was staring up at me with a relieved smile. I leaned down and gave her one more kiss before delicately placing her on the couch next to me again so that we could continue our research.
Soon, I caught a little black blur in the corner of my eye. I let out a chuckle, turning my head to address the cat. “Psspssspss!” I said, holding out my hand to Onyx. The feline eventually approached, bumping my hand and purring loudly.
Layla chuckled with delight and began petting the cat as well. She said, “I can’t wait to find a playmate for him. Not that I think he’s lonesome. But, well, getting another member of the family is exciting!” I reached up to ruffle her hair, beaming.
“It is,” I confirmed. I felt a vibration in my pocket, realizing I should probably check notifications. A few shows were coming up, and I needed to be prepared for the runway. It was up to me to get things situated, at times. “Be right back, love.”
I got up from the couch, but before I left, leaned down and gave Layla one more tender kiss. She didn’t seem concerned, and just said, “Good luck!” She knew that my job could pull me away sometimes and never minded.
I went into the other room and dialed my boss, listening to the call sound for a bit before he picked up. “Allegra!” he said. “Just the person I wanted to speak with.” I couldn’t help but laugh at him.
“What? I could have never guessed by the series of rapid texts,” I joked, prompting him to laugh. We had a good friendship going at this point and mutually benefited each other deeply. I brought in a ton of money for the association.
“Yes, yes, well, I have a few more shows that are coming up that I wanted to inquire about. You have yet to decline anything I’ve brought up, granted, but you know how I like courtesy,” he said. I chuckled, again, and let out a hum.
“You do have wonderful manners. Alright, please tell me the details, and I suppose I will think about it,” I said, joking about thinking about it, of course. He knew I was most likely going to accept whatever it was he had in mind.
After getting a few details on the elaborate show he wanted me to grace the catwalk with, I confirmed interest and set up times and dates for rehearsal. We would have a few more practices this time around due to the length of the shows.
Then, I hung up the phone, feeling satisfied. My work on the runway as a model was going exceptionally well, and things couldn’t be more perfect. Layla was so proud of me, always commenting on how much I looked like a princess.
That was ironic, of course, because I saw her as one. I wanted to consider marriage again, but it was too early for my taste. Primarily because of what happened. I didn’t suspect she was up to anything more, but still, better safe than sorry.
However, we were a beautiful match, and my burning passion for her certainly had not faded in the slightest. I did mean it when I said she should stop apologizing, which is why I was confident that in a few months, I would propose to her.
