Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
As if he knew I was going to ask, the phone went dead, and I was left without an answer. He had hung up on me just when we were in the middle of having an important conversation, and as I looked up I spotted my father rushing toward me.
“Becca, oh my god, you’re okay.”
Laughter escaped me as I let him wrap me in his arms. “Of course I am. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner what was going on. I didn’t want you to get hurt—”
“Oh, stop. We can talk about that in a minute. Where are the kids? I want to see them.”
Rolling my eyes with a smile, I turned and opened the front door gesturing inside. “They’re in the back room with Layla. But Dad… be careful. She and Allegra were together, and she is a mess right now, so please—”
Nodding his head, he held up his hand with a smile. “I got it, sweetie. Don’t worry, I’ll go give her a fatherly hug and make sure she is okay. For now… I think you should stay right here and wait.”
My father’s eyes glanced toward the walkway behind me, and as they did, I furrowed my brows and turned around. My heart dropped into my stomach as my eyes widened in shock. Tears quickly filled my eyes, but I couldn’t tell if it was from joy or pure anger.
So many times I dreamed of moments like this where the man who I had shared so much with was able to walk back into my life. Able to share in the memories I made with our daughter and his grandson but also knew that was impossible because he was dead.
Or at least supposed to be f*cking dead.
“James–” I gasped out, unable to believe what I was seeing.
“Hey, beautiful… did you miss me?”
“Beautiful?” I scoffed in shock. I was happy to see him and part of me wanted to kiss him, but the other part of me was so angry he was showing up like this as if him being gone for this long was no big deal. “Are you kidding me right now, James? You’re f*cking Lester Johnson! You’re a f*cking asshole!”
Perhaps it wasn’t the reunion he was expecting or the one anyone else was from their severely shocked expressions, but turning on my heels, I marched right back into the house and slammed the door, but what did they expect.. For me to jump into his arms?
All the hell I had been through and he couldn’t pick up the damn phone to call me.
He is lucky a part of me still loved him because I was so mad I could kill him myself.
James Valentino was a f*cking asshole, sexy as hell and a walking sex machine but still a pain in my damn ass. Now I knew why Neal was apologizing. He knew I was going to be mad… happy, but still pissed off they hid this from me.
Becca.
I stormed past Layla and the kids, going to my room. Neal was right, I was lucky we had packed everything. I might have thrown things, otherwise.
The door to the bedroom opened, however, before I could lock it.
“Becca,” James said in a warning tone, “we really don’t have time for this.”
“We’re going to make time,” I replied, folding my arms over my chest. “I can’t believe you’d just show up here, thinking I’d f*cking prance away with you like some mindless bimbo.”
James took a deep breath. “I don’t think you’re a mindless bimbo. But I do think you’re rather stupidly fighting with me right now when you should be getting yourself and the children out of danger. You want to scream at me? Hit me? Accuse me of God knows what? F*cking fine, Becca, but do it on the jet.”
I bit back a why-would-I-go-anywhere-with-you retort. James was right. We needed to leave before Neal’s past came to our doorstep. I’d learned that the hard way with Xavier Michaelson in the grocery store parking lot. I was going with James before something dastardly happened to the children. Or my parents. Or Layla. Or me.
“Don’t think there’s not a stiff right hook waiting for you on the plane,” I muttered, gathering two suitcases and pushing past him to get to the door.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” James replied. But I could hear the smirk in his tone.
I grumbled under my breath, tugging the suitcases away when James tried to take them from me. He was hot, and I missed him, and I was glad he was alive. And a big part of me wanted him to kiss me, or perhaps drill me against a wall for old time’s sake. But he was also a snake who’d let me grieve him, missing moments of our child’s life. Of Alessandro’s life. He didn’t get to be chivalrous today.
One of his men held out his arms for the suitcases, and I passed them over with a pointed look at James.
He shrugged, trying not to smirk at me as he got exactly what he wanted. But the corners of his lips kept twitching upwards.
“Oh, sit on it and spin, James Valentino,” I muttered, following James’s men out. I recognized Neal’s men and waved as I passed them. They were helping load the boat.
Layla had Dahlia in her arms and Alessandro in a stroller in front of her.
James looked longingly at the children, but, as he said, we didn’t have time for that, either.
“Mr. Woods, if you would kindly board the boat,” James said to my father.
My father’s scowl was the darkest I’d ever seen on any man. I took a step back, shocked. “Why would we go anywhere with you?” my father voiced my earlier objection.
“You’re not safe here,” James explained tiredly. “There’s been an incident—”
“Screw you and the horse you rode in on! I want more than that. I deserve that. My daughter especially deserves that,” my father yelled, his fists balled at his sides.
I sighed. “Dad, please just get on the boat. James will explain on the plane.”
“Plane?” my father repeated.
“Yes. Plane.” James turned to a man who’d begun hovering next to him as soon as he left the house. “Tony, if Mr. Woods is unwilling to board the boat of his own free will, please make sure he makes it aboard.”
Tony nodded. “Yes, sir.”
My father’s face turned plum purple, but James was already turning to another member of his guard. “Yes, Alfonso?”
“Sir, we found this in the baby stroller. You said to do a thorough sweep…” Alfonso said, handing over some sort of small electronic device.
James took it, and his features hardened. “Everyone on the boat, NOW!”
“But our things—” I began.
James grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the boat. “I’ll buy you something new. Anything you want. But there’s no time!” He tossed the device back at Tony.
Tony dropped it on the ground and crushed it under his heel.
“What was that?” I asked a random suit when James went to corral Layla and the kids.
“Tracking device,” the man grunted. “Take a seat, miss. It’s a long ride to the airstrip.”
“Airstrip?” I asked as Layla sat down beside me on one side, my father and stepmother on the other.
“Yes, miss. Can’t go to an airport. Too easy to infiltrate,” the man said.
“Cristofori, get everybody secure. We’re going, and it’s going to be rough,” James ordered, taking a seat across from me next to Tony.
The man I’d been talking to, Cristofori, made sure we were all accounted for and given life jackets. He’d barely made it to a seat himself next to Tony when the boat took off.
In the distance, I could see another boat coming towards the island.
“Could that be Neal?” I asked James.