Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
It was the first time I’d seen her properly smile in weeks.
“You know, if you keep gawking like that, it’s gonna make you look a little creepy.”
Allegra’s words rang through my ears, and as I turned to face her, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. She would have to be the person to ruin the moment I was enjoying. “You’re still here. That means you obviously want to help bring everything in, considering the numerous bags that are yours.”
The small hint of threat that I had given her over having to carry her own bags was enough for her to quickly dismiss her presence before me, making her way inside behind Becca. I knew that she wouldn’t want to do something like that, and even though she could be a badass when she wanted to, she was still, first and foremost, a prima ballerina.
As the driver and I collected all of the bags out of the vehicle, and the other driver that was with the first one I had been speaking with took them inside. I took in the surroundings once more, just as my phone began to ring.
Confusion filled me, wondering who it was that could have been calling me because everybody knew that I was on vacation, something that I didn’t take very often, and I was only to be disturbed in an emergency. And considering I hadn’t been gone that long, there was no way there could have been an emergency.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I glanced down, not recognizing the phone number that was calling me. I hesitated for a moment, considering that I could just hang up on it, thinking that it was a spam caller, but something inside of me told me to answer the phone.
And so I did.
“Neil?” The voice on the other end of the line was one that I would never forget. A voice that was long gone and supposed to be kept in the past, away from me and away from those I cared about.
“How the f*ck are you calling me, James?”
I quickly made my way from the vehicle and the cabana, walking up the driveway to get some distance. The last thing I wanted was Rebecca to overhear the conversation. As far as everyone was concerned, he was dead.
“Look, please don’t act like this. I know I’m not supposed to contact you, and I know that I am ruining everything by doing so, but I couldn’t help it. I have to know if she’s okay,” he replied, causing the anger to boil through me.
I wasn’t angry because he was calling and possibly interfering in the life that I was trying to create with Becca, I was angry because his calling could put her in danger.
“Do you understand what could happen if anybody found out that you were still alive, that you were contacting her? They could kill her and the children.”
Just as I said those words, I watched Sara and the baby walking around the front garden as she obviously was trying to hush him. His soft cries echoed through the wind as the older woman stared down at him with such kind eyes as she had done many times before.
I had been slightly against the idea of bringing the baby on the trip. But Becca made it clear that she wasn’t going to allow the child out of her sight for too long, and if she was coming to enjoy this trip, then so were the baby and Sara.
“Look, I’m aware of the complications, and the longer that this conversation continues, the more it’s putting her in jeopardy. So can you please just answer my questions and stop f*cking arguing with me for once?”
“No, you don’t get that right.” I snapped at him through the phone. “Do you have any idea what this woman has been through? I get that you lost your daughter, but she lost you and Tally, and now she’s raising your grandson as her own child while trying to piece together her life and settling all of your f*cking shit.”
A heavy sigh escaped him through the phone at my comment. He knew that I wasn’t wrong, and if he denied it— it would only prove how much of an asshole he was.
“I know, and I’m sorry. Just please… is she safe?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I glanced back at the house to see her standing on the porch once more, talking to the owner. Her eyes glanced at me with a smile as the woman beside her said something else that caught her attention.
“She’s doing as well as can be expected,” I replied to James wanting to keep the conversation short. “The baby is okay.”
“I can’t live with losing her, Neal,” he whispered. “I just can’t.”
“Well, you should have thought about that before you did what you did. She doesn’t deserve that kind of life, James. You even said that in the letter you left for me.”
“What if I can fix things, though?” His comment made my brows furrow in confusion.
How the hell could he fix this?
“Even if you could fix this, what do you expect to gain, James?”
Part of me already knew what he was going to say, and that angered me even more.
“I want to win her back,” he replied very confidently. “I want to be a part of my child’s life and start over fresh. Doing the things I should have done years ago.”
“No.” My reply was firm. “I will stop you right there and be selfish for once. The child may be yours, but Becca is mine. I have been there for her through everything, and you trying this bullshit will only make things worse. So for once, do her a favor and stop.”
Perhaps I was wrong, and perhaps I was being selfish. The idea of losing Becca wasn’t something that I was willing to consider, and if he thought that I was going to allow that to happen, he was sadly mistaken.
“You can’t stop me,” he replied confidently. “One way or another, I will get her back.”
Becca.
As soon as I stepped outside with the lovely Miss Rogers, the lady who owned the cabana that I had rented, I noticed how Neal seemed very frustrated with whatever kind of conversation that he was having. I wasn’t sure what was going on. Perhaps it was work, perhaps it was something else.
As soon as his eyes landed on me, he quickly finished his conversation.
I found it curious how he was acting, but as he slowly made his way towards me, this frown that was upon his face once before disappeared and was replaced with a smile.
“So, how do you like everything?” he asked me as he approached.
“It’s beautiful. Miss Rogers has been absolutely wonderful. She showed me everything that the house has to offer, and she’s hoping that we have a wonderful two weeks’ vacation,” I replied as my eyes drifted from Neal to the woman again.
Her soft, pale blue eyes crinkled at the corners as she turned her small smile into one that was larger, her hands clasped in front of her as she rocked on her heels, watching the interaction between Neal and I. “This place is an absolute dream, and I am so happy that you’re spending your vacation here. I hope that you enjoy it as much as my husband and I have.”
“It’s lovely. Thank you so much for taking the time to show us around. I don’t want to hold up any more of your time,” Neal replied quite quickly. The woman nodded, understanding what he meant, and made her way to the small car that sat off in the driveway.
I wasn’t quite sure why he was being so dismissive, but deciding not to say anything, I turned and made my way through the doors and to the lush area of the main living room of the cabana. The decor was spectacular. Everything had a bohemian feel to it, with various colors of blues, purples, reds, and yellows.
I couldn’t get over how luxurious, yet warm and inviting, the home was. The best part of it all was the large floor-to-ceiling bay windows and doors that lined the back of the house overlooking the water in the distance.
I could eat up this view every single day of my life and never get tired of it. Honestly, if this place ever came up for sale, I’d buy it just for the sake of buying it. Even though the thought of spending any of the money that James willed to me left me empty at the bottom of my stomach.
“Did you want to rest and take it easy after a long journey?” Neal’s question caused me to look over my shoulder at him and slowly shake my head no.
“I have plenty of time to rest while I’m here. Right now, I’m going to go get changed, and I’m going to go lounge on the back deck and enjoy the fresh sea air.”
He didn’t bother arguing with me. Instead, he simply nodded his head and grabbed the bag that was sitting on the hallway floor before turning down the hallway and disappearing from my sight.
Something was obviously bothering him, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. Whoever had been on that phone call had obviously left a mark that he wasn’t prepared for, a conversation that he hadn’t wanted to have.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed my belongings that were left and not already taken to my room and quickly followed Neal’s lead down the hallway to where my room was going to be.
It was time to change and let the worries that had been filling my mind for the past few weeks disappear. For the sake of the baby that I was carrying and my own personal health, I needed to recuperate so that I could be the person that both of these children needed.
*****
Neal.
I hadn’t meant to be cold or uncooperative when Becca had asked me the question she did, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the conversation I had with James. He was so adamant that he was going to get back, and that wasn’t a part of the agreement.
The agreement that he made with the government was that he would go into witness protection and stay far away from Becca and the children to ensure their safety. Becca had already come to terms with the fact that he was dead. His coming back would be bad and only further ruin her emotional state.