The Hot Daddy Box Set

by Lexi Wilson

  There was a lot of pain, both physically from the children and emotionally from the parents. I didn’t like it.

  I followed the directions I had jotted down on the paper, and after asking a few nurses for the right way to go, I found the right room. I knocked softly on the door after seeing Anthony sitting in a chair, his face buried in his hands. Kellie was lying on the bed, her small body hooked up to various tubes and bags.

  Seeing her like that scared me more than I wanted to admit, more than I could explain. I felt sick to my stomach. My heart was racing, and I wanted to cry. Anthony looked up when he heard me knock and quickly rose, walking over and taking me back out into the hall.

  “Thank you so much for getting these things,” he said as he looked down at the bags I had brought. I nodded, but I looked back him into the room where Kellie lay.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. I didn’t want to know the answer, but I couldn’t let it go I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I didn’t care if I was prying. I had quickly grown to love that little girl, and seeing her like that made me feel as though I was looking at a friend, though there was such an age difference between us.

  “Leukemia. She’s had it since she was three years old. We’ve been fighting it with everything we’ve got, but there are times when it comes back. Each time she goes into remission, we pray to God that it’s the last time, but when it comes back…” His voice trailed off, and he looked into the room. I could see the tears in his eyes, and his Adam’s apple bobbed with the emotion he was feeling.

  I reached out and put my hand on his arm. “You know I’m here to help you in any and every way I can. If you need me to get anything for you, go to the store, stop by your house, anything… I would be happy to do it,” I said. I looked at him with the most serious look in my eyes, hoping he could see that I meant what I said.

  Though he was the CEO of the publishing company, I felt that he didn’t have many people he could turn to in his life. Anthony was always an angry, frustrated man, and I felt that was a result of not knowing where to turn. When someone felt so alone, they often became angry.

  To my surprise, he took a step forward and gave me a hug. At first, I didn’t know what to do. But, I hugged him in return.

  “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me; you really don’t,” he said. I smiled as I looked into his eyes.

  “Can I see her?” I asked. I didn’t want to drag it out for him any longer than I had to. He nodded, and the two of us walked into the room.

  “Hey, kiddo, I brought you something,” I said. I reached into the bag and pulled out the rainbow wig. Immediately, Kellie’s eyes lit up, and she reached out for it.

  “Ooooo! Can I put it on? Thank you!” she cried. Anthony’s face also lit up, and he helped his daughter fit the wig over her head.

  “Did I bring the right one?” I asked with a smile. I took a seat on the side of the bed, looking at her as her father helped her adjust the wig. When she brushed the hair out of her face, she looked at me with a bright and cheery smile.

  “I would say all of them are my favorite, but I like to wear this one when I’m here. The nurses like it,” she said with a grin. I laughed as I looked around the room.

  “It looks like you’ve got this place pretty well set up in here, don’t you?” I asked. She nodded.

  “There are still a few things I wish were here, but they don’t let me bring them,” she said. I looked at her with raised eyebrows.

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “I wish I had my rug,” she replied. I knew what she was talking about. When I was in her room, there was a shaggy rug that reminded me of the sixties lying on the floor. It was bright rainbow tie-dye, much like the wig she was now wearing. There was no end to the colors and designs this little girl liked, and it made me love her all the more.

  “They probably don’t want it to get dirty here,” I said, and she nodded.

  “They said that it would get caught up in the wheels when they move me back and forth,” she looked at the bed as she spoke, and I wracked my brain for a way to change the subject.

  “Well, with your wig, you have a lot of rainbow in this room, anyway. Look at how you make the walls light up!” I looked around the room, and her eyes followed me. It was true; with the colors of the wig reflecting the light that was coming in through the window, the walls danced with the various colors of the rainbow. It wasn’t much, but I could see that even that little bit made her smile.

  “Look, Daddy! I’m a rainbow!” she cried.

  “I see that, sweetheart,” he said. He looked at her with sadness in his eyes, and at that moment, I knew I would do anything to fix this situation. I hated seeing him that way, and I hated thinking about the pain she had to be in. She was so happy, so positive, it was hard to believe she had been fighting this terrible disease since she was three.

  It wasn’t fair, and it made me feel bad for how many times I had felt sorry for myself and my own situation. I might have to deal with hardship in my life, but I had never had to deal with anything to this extent.

  “What do you tell Miss Stella?” Anthony prompted.

  “Thank you!” Kellie said enthusiastically. I smiled and took her hand in my own.

  “You are very welcome. I’m going to let you get some rest now; I have to go back to work,” I said. She looked disappointed, but tired.

  “Okay,” she replied after a moment of silence. I gave her hand one final squeeze and rose from the bed. Anthony followed me into the hallway, speaking in a low voice.

  “I don’t know how long she’s going to be in here, so I’m really going to need you to help me as much as you can at the office,” he said. I gulped. I was already feeling overwhelmed with everything I was trying to do in the day, and that was with the hope he was going to be back in the next day or two.

  “You know, sort of act like a stand-in for me?” he continued.

  I tried to smile and be as positive about the situation as possible, but on the inside, my heart was racing, and I wanted to tell him there was no way. He raised his eyebrows, clearly seeing in my expression that I didn’t like the sound of this one bit.

  “You can do this, Stella. I wouldn’t ask you to do it if I didn’t think you could. Use Molly and Jace as much as you can and delegate. You know how the place is run; just make sure things are getting done and make the executive decisions that need to be made,” he said. I gulped, though I smiled afterward.

  “I just don’t know if I can do it as well as you. What if everything just falls apart while you’re gone? What if something comes up, and I don’t know how to handle it?” I wanted to keep going, but the questions and fears were rising too quickly in my mind for even me to keep up with them. He shook his head, looking at me with understanding clearly written in his expression.

  “That’s not going to happen, Stella. I know you’ve not been there very long, but you know you can do this. I know you can do this. If you need anything like that, you can always call me, okay?” He put his hands on my shoulders, and I finally nodded. I didn’t think I could do it, but there was no way I could turn my back on him now.

  I’d told him I would do anything for him, and this is what he needed me to do. Like it or not, I was going to have to rise to the occasion. He smiled and gave me a reassuring look.

  “I know you can do this, Stella,” he said with one more shake of my shoulders. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to argue, but I knew it wasn’t going to do any good. This is what he wanted from me, and he was going to insist that I at least give it a try. The only thing I could do was nod.

  “Keep me updated on Kellie; I hope she feels better soon,” I said. He agreed and promised he would. I smiled as I turned to go.

  He might know I could do this, but I certainly didn’t think I could. I would give it my all and hope for the best, but that was really all I could do. I didn’t think I had what it took to be a CEO, and nothing was going to change that.

  I would just do my b
est.

  Chapter 13

  “Un-fucking-believable,” I muttered as my call went to voicemail once more. It was the fifth time I had tried to call Maisie in the past two days, and once again, I was met with a roadblock. The last I had spoken to her was when Kellie and I were on our way to the hospital, and I would have expected her to at the very least call and see how our daughter was doing.

  But there had been no sign of her.

  She didn’t bother showing up; she didn’t bother checking in. She didn’t bother doing anything that made me even remotely think she cared what was going on with our daughter. The entire situation sickened me, and I promised myself I was going to do whatever it took to get full custody of Kellie as soon as I possibly could.

  I hung up the phone and dialed Stella. It rang twice before she answered.

  “Hello?” she said. Her voice sounded cheerful, but I could hear the worry mixed in.

  “Hey. How’s it going?” I asked.

  “Fine. Things are going better than I thought they would, considering I’m the one in charge,” she said with a chuckle. I chuckled, too, though I wasn’t feeling amused at the moment. Maisie had me too pissed off to be happy about anything.

  “Good. Could I ask a favor of you?”

  “Sure,” she said.

  “I need someone to come down here and be with Kellie while I run home and shower. I was hoping her mom would show up, but it doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to get a hold of her,” I said. I didn’t want to badmouth my ex to Stella, but it was difficult not to. It was difficult not to compare to two women, though I told myself time and time again not to do such a thing.

  “Of course. Do you mind if it waits until after work?” she asked.

  “No, not at all. I’ll be here,” I replied.

  “Sorry I’m late. I meant to get out of the office a little sooner, but it seemed that phone wouldn’t quit ringing.” Stella hurried into the room, her purse tucked under her armpit, the straps falling down her shoulder. I looked at her with raised eyebrows.

  “Why don’t you just assign Molly to the phones? She knows what to do and everyone’s extensions; it would be a lot easier for you.” I replied. Stella looked at me with a tired smile.

  “I did, but the poor girl was going crazy with the darn thing ringing off the hook. We were tag teaming it as best we could, with Jace working through much of the paperwork. Of course, I’ve got several other team members stepping up, too, but for the most part, I’ve divided your job among us three.” She chuckled, and I shook my head.

  “So you’re telling me it takes the three of you to do what I do in a single day?” I teased. She could see the playful look in my eyes, but before she had the chance to say anything, a small dog popped its head out of her purse.

  “Bella!” she cried.

  “Puppy!” We both turned in surprise. Neither of us had realized Kellie was awake, and she now held out her hands toward Stella.

  “I sneaked her in past the nurses and everyone,” Stella said with a mischievous grin. I shook my head. There was no end to the surprises this woman had up her sleeve. She walked over and set the dog on the bed, and Bella ran up to lick my daughter’s face.

  “Well, I’m going to hurry. Please call me if you need anything at all,” I said as I grabbed a few things. Stella waived her hand dismissively.

  “Take your time. I thought this sounded like fun.” I smiled and nodded. In my opinion, this was the farthest thing from fun, but if that’s what she wanted to call it, for the sake of Kellie, we could call it fun.

  I sped up the freeway, pushing the speed limit. I wanted to get home and get out of my grungy clothes, and I really wanted to shower. I hated feeling this way. I hopped into the shower once I got back, enjoying the moment of solitude and the feel of the hot water running down my back. I had always taken long showers, but few felt as good as this one did.

  When I finally stepped out, I sighed as I walked into my room and sat on my bed. It was emotionally draining to try to keep up a positive attitude all the time. I knew I had to for Kellie. I had to show her that things were going to be just fine. I didn’t want her to ever think that something bad might happen, or that this cancer might get the best of her. The more I could get into her head nothing would defeat her, the stronger I believed she would be.

  I pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and another t-shirt, then I looked at myself in the mirror as I shaved. It was the first time a razor had touched my face for a few days, and I watched as the years melted from my face. I always looked younger with a five o’clock shadow than I did with a beard, though with my hectic schedule, it seemed that I sported a beard more often than anything else.

  Once I was completely freshened up, I decided I would surprise Kellie with a few more of her things. I grabbed a couple more wigs, knowing which ones she liked the best. She would insist that she liked them all the same, but that was because she knew I took the time to pick out each one for her. At times she would get them for her birthday or Christmas, at other times I would surprise her with them for the sake of it.

  She hated going bald, and there were few things that brought a smile to her face like being able to change up her style just because she felt like it. Though she did have a bit of her hair growing now, I knew she still felt self-conscious about it, and I wanted to ease that if I could.

  I grabbed a couple more toys and shirts, and I hesitated before leaving. The little rug on the floor by her bed might not be what the hospital would prefer to have, but I wasn’t going to let them tell her no.

  I was going to do anything I could to brighten her day.

  I folded it in half and slipped it into the bag; I could drape it across the foot of her bed. That would keep it off the floor and out of the way of the nurses, but at the same time, it would allow for my daughter to have the rug she wanted, and that little bit of extra vibrance would brighten her day.

  I glanced back over the apartment before I left, checking to make sure everything was in its place. I didn’t want to get back to the hospital and realize I’d forgotten anything or have to send Stella back over here to check on something that I might have forgotten.

  Hanging by the door was a photo of Kellie and me when she was much younger. We both looked so happy and young in the photo, so full of life. It brought a lump to my throat as I saw it, and I gently ran my fingers over her small face. I promised her silently that she was going to be this healthy again. The day was coming when she would be able to run and play like every other child.

  Then, I left.

  I sped back to the hospital, my mind on everything but nothing at the same time. I couldn’t focus on anything in particular, but my mind wouldn’t shut off. Every turn brought a new wave of thoughts and emotions, and every straightway made me wonder how I was going to get through this time of my life. I felt crushed by all that was pressing in on me, and I didn’t know how I was ever going to survive.

  Kellie. Kellie was how I would survive. I had to keep going so she could keep going. I was the rock, the anchor. I didn’t need one as long as I could be one, and for her, I would be one.

  I hurried back through the halls of the hospital, eager to see how Kellie was doing. I’d only been gone a few hours, but it was enough for me to want to have her back by my side. When I slipped into the room, I found Kellie sound asleep next to Stella. Stella had her eyes closed, but she wasn’t sleeping.

  Her dog was nestled between the two of them. They looked so peaceful; I almost could picture them as my family — happy and healthy.

  Stella opened her eyes when she heard me come in, and she quickly and silently grabbed her dog and rose from the bed. She stuffed the little creature back in her purse, then she and I slipped out into the hall.

  “Thank you so much for everything,” I breathed.

  “You look a million times better,” she said with a teasing grin.

  “I feel better,” I said with a smile. “Thank you.”

  “Stay strong; things
are going to get better,” she said. I nodded. I resisted the urge to hug her, but I stopped her before she left.

  “I’m going to keep working from here as much as I can,” I said.

  “And, I’ll keep going the best I can on my end,” she replied. She waved, and I lifted my hand, and she turned to go. I stood in the hall a few minutes, watching as she walked away. I had always thought her beautiful, but I was seeing another side of her that only made me appreciate her all the more.

  I shook my head. Those kinds of thoughts weren’t important.

  My daughter. She was the important one, I thought.

  She was the one I would focus on.

  Chapter 14

  “I told them that we need it done by the end of the day, and they said they’d make sure it was,” Jace said with a grin as he drummed his hands on my desk. Although I had considered moving my stuff into Anthony’s office while he was away, I decided against it at the last second, instead choosing to stay where I was.

  I had all my stuff set up there, so there really was no reason for me to change it. I was surprised at how well things were going for me as Anthony’s fill-in. I would have thought no one would respect me or that I was going to have problems with controlling or directing the attitude of the office.

  But it quickly became evident everyone was willing to work with me. Perhaps it was the way I related to them, or perhaps they could sense that the only way this was going to work would be if we pulled together and did our best to make it happen. Whatever the reason, I didn’t have any trouble at all giving directions and knowing they would be followed.

  Even the editors were on board with me being in charge — which is more than they seemed to be for even Anthony. I hadn’t heard a single complaint from any one of them, let alone had any issues getting the manuscripts pushed through to them, then to the next tier in publishing.