The Hot Daddy Box Set

by Lexi Wilson

  I knocked on the door and stepped back to wait for Brett to answer, but I was completely unprepared when he opened the door shirtless, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. Despite his weight loss, his body still had some definition, and water droplets trailed down his chest and abs. I felt a tightening at my core, and my thighs clenched involuntarily.

  “Hey, Evie,” he said with a smile. “Sorry, I grabbed a quick shower after you called; I just got back from a run. Come in,” he continued as he stepped aside.

  I crossed the threshold into the pool house and turned to face him. “I wanted to talk about Hannah,” I told him, cutting right to the chase. Being around him with his familiar smell had my head swimming.

  “Sure,” he answered affably. “Let me go grab a shirt and we can talk. Why don’t you have a seat?” he said, gesturing to the living room. I nodded and walked over to the couch as he left the room. Glancing around, I noticed that Brett had put up pictures of our family all around the space and I knew that he was trying to make it feel like home. Here he was, just returned from being held prisoner for more than four months in a foreign country where he probably never knew day to day whether he would live or die, and he came home, and his entire life was uprooted, and he couldn’t even come home to something familiar to him because we were divorced.

  Maybe I should have let him stay with us in a guest room, for Hannah at least. I knew it would have been awkward, and certainly, I was not prepared to deal with what would have surely been an avalanche of emotions with sharing my space with Brett, but maybe it would have been the right thing to do.

  “Do you want something to drink?” Brett’s voice interrupted my moral dilemma, and I looked up at him.

  “Water, please,” I answered, shaking my head to clear the thoughts. He joined me a moment later and passed me a glass. I took a sip and mumbled a polite thank you.

  “So, you want to talk about Hannah?” he prompted.

  My eyes focused on his fingers as they wrapped around his glass and lifted it to his lips. My body responded, and I felt my cheeks heat. I averted my eyes quickly to a spot on the wall above Brett’s head and took a breath to gather myself. I blamed the pregnancy hormones for still being attracted to him.

  “Yes, Hannah,” I finally said. “She had been asking about seeing you since you got home, and I think it would be a good idea if we had a custody arrangement in place, so she’ll know exactly when she will see you, and you don’t have to ask. We can just have something ready now and make this a lot easier for us.”

  He set his glass down. “Easier for us or you?” he asked. “Because this will never be easy for me.”

  “I just want to be amicable, Brett. There is no reason to make this hard. If we can agree on something, my lawyer has assured me that we can get this pushed through quickly.” I didn’t mention that my dad was still on very good terms with a retired judge in town from his time on the police force, who was also happy to call in a favor for me.

  “So, you’ve already had something drawn up?”

  “Yes.” I took the papers from my bag and held them out to Brett. His arms were folded across his chest, and he didn't reach for them.

  “It doesn't have to be like this, Evie,” he said gently. “We can go back, start over.”

  “There is nothing to start over,” I told him. Despite my out of control libido that I knew I had to toughen up. My heart went out to him and the things he went through and saw. I was not completely heartless; I did feel bad that I divorced him right around the same time he was being captured and held hostage. I felt bad that things ended the way they did, and I felt bad that when Brett came home, it was to a broken home beyond repair. But he was as much at fault for the end of our marriage as I was. There would be no going back for us.

  “Remember the first time we kissed? It was right here in this pool house,” Brett said.

  “Brett, please,” I told him. I have to harden the walls around my heart and put an end to this walk down memory lane he wants to go on. It was always how he got me in the past, reminding of the good times in the midst of the bad so I would forget why I was mad in the first place. No more though. “I don’t need to rehash our past. I lived it, and I’ve moved on.”

  “Who is the father of your baby?”

  I was stunned that he asked me so bluntly. “That is not your business,” I replied, turning my face away from in a huff.

  “Is it Matthew?” he sneered.

  I shook the papers in my outstretched hand at him again and completely changed the subject as I did not want to lie but I also was not prepared to tell him the truth. “I’ve given you every other weekend and one day a week with Hannah. We will also alternate having her for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think that is very fair while you adjust to being home.”

  He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. “I’m not going to fight with you about this, Evie. I just want to be able to see Hannah so whatever you determine is best, I’ll go along with. I’d just like to have her a little more in the summer, maybe for a week or two.”

  “Fine, the second week after school lets out and the second to last week before school starts.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I stood. “I’ll have my lawyer make the changes, and I will call you when they are ready to be signed.

  “Okay,” he replied. His tone was defeated as he sat back on the couch.

  “I’ll show myself out,” I told him. I hurried out the door and back to my car. I made the drive to my house and let myself inside, sinking onto the couch just before bursting into tears. My emotions were all over the place, and I needed a minute just to cry it out. My heart was hurting that Brett was hurt, but I also could not let myself go down that road again with him. I had to protect my heart first and foremost, but it was still causing me stress to do so. I had felt so alone so many times in the last several years of my marriage, and I felt even more alone now. But I had to be strong for Hannah and the baby I was carrying. I had to leave the past in the past. It was the only way I knew to be able to go on.

  Chapter 15

  Brett

  I did not hear from Evie again that week about the custody arrangement for Hannah. Instead, I received a call from her lawyer on Friday asking me to come in to sign the final papers. I made the drive to his office and against everything I felt in my heart, I signed the papers. It felt like another nail in the coffin of my marriage, but still, I persevered and vowed to fix things.

  I would have Hannah for the first time on Wednesday, which meant I did not have very much time to get everything in order for her arrival. The pool house was nice, and there was plenty of room for Hannah and me both, but it was definitely not kid friendly. Not much had been updated in the house since my parents had it built, but I was thankful it was available to me nonetheless.

  My first order of business was getting a bed for Hannah for the second bedroom and having the room redone. I was fortunate to have made good money in my career, and my parents were also very wealthy and able to help also. While I was furniture shopping, I also bought a new couch and a table and chairs to make a little dining room in the space for Hannah and me. I stopped at a department store to get new bedding that I hope Hannah would like and then headed for the grocery store.

  I had no idea if her favorite things were still her favorite things, but I took my chances, texting my mom and Evie’s mom to check in with them too. I returned home loaded down with shopping bags and grocery bags and immediately set out to start building some of the furniture I had bought.

  I spent my weekend finishing up getting the house ready and turning it into a home, building dressers and bookshelves, and after the bed was delivered that as well. I redid the living room after the new couch was delivered and set the table up, so we would have a place to eat together. By the end of Tuesday, I was pretty happy with the changes I had made and felt like it was a place Hannah would enjoy coming to. After spending so much time in the house though, I was ready to get out and have a li
ttle interaction with someone my own age, so I called up an old high school buddy and made plans to meet him at a bar just outside town.

  “Hey, Mac, long time no see,” I greeted my old friend when I found him inside the bar.

  “Brett Capal, how the hell are you,? Mac replied, standing and pulling me into a hug, slapping my back.

  “I’m good, I’m good,” I told him.

  “You look good for a prisoner of war.”

  I chuckled. “That was a tough time.”

  “Yeah, I bet,” he said as we sat down. “Man, it’s great to see you.”

  “You too.” Mac and I had been on the same youth t-ball and baseball leagues growing up and then teammates on our high school team. He played third base, and I was a shortstop. When my career took off, I didn’t see my old friends often, but I was determined to change that now that I was home.

  “How is everything?” Mac asked. “I heard that you and Evie got divorced.”

  “Yeah, that is true.”

  “What happened? You guys were the golden couple. We all thought you’d guys would grow old together and did holding hands within hours of each other or some crap.”

  “That’s still the goal,” I told him.

  “But you’re divorced?” Mac said with confusion.

  “I still love her. I didn't want to be divorced but it’s what she wanted, and I thought I was doing right by her. And then I went to Egypt and Syria and saw things that made me start to rethink some of my choices. When I got captured, I had nothing but time to really think on them, and I realized that I made mistakes and I didn’t do right by her. I want to change and be a better man for her; I just gotta prove myself.”

  “She’s pregnant.”

  “Yeah, any idea who she’s been seeing?” I hoped that maybe Mac’s wife has heard something and told him.

  Mac shrugged. “She kept to herself the entire time you were missing. No one knew she was pregnant until the play the other week at the school.” His kids also attended the same charter school that Evie taught at.

  “What do you know about that Matthew guy?”

  “Mr. Davenport?” I nodded. “My youngest was in his class last year. Nice enough guy. I can tell you that while you were gone, he was always around Evie and Hannah. If we saw them out, he was always with them. And I’ve heard some people say they saw him at the house a lot. Gina says some of the other parents have seen the two of them whispering real close at school before. Do you think they’re together?”

  “I don’t know, but the first time I went to the house after I got back, he was there, and the way Hannah talked about him, and how comfortable she is with him, makes me think he’s been around for a while.”

  “Like I said, we’ve seen them all out together a lot. I’m sure you could take him though if it came down to it.”

  We laughed. “First beers are on me,” I told him. “Thanks for hanging out with me tonight; I needed this.”

  “That’s what friends are for, right?”

  “Right. No more talk about Evie though. Tell me everything I’ve missed with you and Gina and the kids.”

  “Now that I can do,” Mac replied.

  After a few beers and some burgers, reminiscing about old times and catching up on where our lives were now, Mac and I went our separate ways, and I headed home. On the way, I drove past my old house. Evie’s car was in the driveway, and a light was on in our bedroom. I slowed and stared up at the light, wondering what she must be doing. I wanted nothing more than to pull into the driveway and burst into the house and have everything that has happened these last five months just magically erase themselves from our lives.

  I can still remember that last night Evie, and I had in that bedroom and if I could go back, I would have never taken that phone call that changed everything the morning after. I would have stayed in bed with her and told her how much I loved her, and how much she meant to me. Now I was going to have to prove myself and win her affection back one day at a time. I would need to be patient for her to trust me again, to love me again, but I would wait, as long as it took.

  I pull away from the house even though everything inside of me wanted to ring the doorbell and go home. I was antsy by the time I get inside though, and I was not tired, so I started to clean the kitchen, scrubbing countertops and sweeping and mopping the floor. I ended up falling asleep on the couch and I when I awoke the next morning, I make myself something to eat before I got right back to cleaning, knowing Hannah would be coming over after school. I straightened the living room first and then vacuumed before going into Hannah's room to make sure everything is perfect.

  Needing another outlet for my pent-up nerves, I change into a pair of swim trunks and headed out to the pool My parents had the foresight to have the pool heated so I could go out and swim as the mood strikes.

  I swam lap after lap trying to calm myself until my mom came out and told me to come inside and eat something. I quickly changed and headed into their house to join her for lunch. After eating, I hurried back to the pool house to clean one more time, watching the clock as I did so.

  Evie was bringing Hannah over after school and the last couple of hours passed by agonizingly slow. I hadn’t spoken to Evie since she stopped by the week before, but I had texted her a couple days ago and asked her if she could drop Hannah off today. I wanted to make sure she was comfortable with the place and felt okay leaving Hannah here with me, but I also just wanted an excuse to see her and breathe her in.

  When I feel like there was nothing left for me to clean, straighten, or mop, I settled onto the couch and waited.

  Chapter 16

  Evie

  It was not my first choice to drop Hannah off at Brett’s on Wednesday, but he asked if I could and to be honest, I was nervous about her staying with him, so I hoped that seeing her off there would ease some my nerves. Hannah was so excited to see him and could not stop talking about her sleepover with her daddy. I was glad that she was starting to adjust and I hoped this arrangement wouldn’t be too much for her.

  We had packed a little suitcase for Hannah the night before, as I did not know if Brett had thought about that for her. We had wheeled it out that morning and put it in the trunk of my car before we had left for school. At the end of the day, Hannah waited impatiently in my classroom for me to finish up so we could leave and head to Brett’s parents. She danced back and forth on the balls of her feet in excitement and talked a mile a minute about her day. I tried to focus on her words, but it was hard, and I had to shake myself out of my fog several times.

  When I was finally finished, I herded Hannah out to the car, and she got herself buckled into her booster seat. I got myself in the car and made the drive to Brett’s parents. We let ourselves through the gate into the backyard and made our way to the pool house. The door swung open before we reached it.

  “Daddy!” Hannah shouted, taking off at a run to reach him.

  He scooped her up in a hug as he laughed. “Hey, Hannah Banana. How was school today?”

  “Fine. I have homework. Can you help me with it?”

  “Of course.” Brett looked up at me and smiled. “Hey, Evie. Do you want to come in?” I nodded. “Come see your room, Hannah,” he said, nudging our daughter forward.

  She took off running into the house, and Brett stood in the doorway, waiting for me to pass through. When I walked inside, I was immediately struck by the changes he had made since I had been there a week earlier. There was a new couch in the living room, and a table for them to eat at. There were books for Hannah on a coffee table too.

  “Go ahead, look around,” Brett encouraged me.

  I wandered into the kitchen and saw right away that he had Hannah’s favorite snacks on the counter. A quick peek in the fridge showed it stock with her favorite apple juice. I walked into the bathroom next and was surprised to see that he even had her favorite brand of toothpaste.

  “What made you buy that toothpaste?” I asked him as I passed him on my way towards Hannah
’s bedroom.

  “It’s her favorite, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. I’m just surprised you remembered.”

  “I remember more than you know,” he told me.

  “Mom, come here!” Hannan shouted, and I followed her voice to her room. I stopped in the doorway, and my jaw nearly hit the floor. The room had been completely redone with a four-post bed, fresh paint, and posters of the Boston Pride women’s hockey team on the wall.

  “Isn’t it cool?” my daughter asked. “And look! It’s an autographed stick!”

  “Very cool,” I agreed. “I’m going to go, but you know you can call me whenever you want, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t forget to do your homework and listen to your daddy.”

  “I will. I’ll listen to everything Daddy says and follow all the rules, I promise. I’ll be good.”

  I stooped down and hugged her, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll see you after school tomorrow, baby.”

  “Bye, mom!” she exclaimed as she went back to checking out her new bedroom.

  I walked back to the living room where Brett waited. “I want you to feel comfortable with her staying here so if you saw anything that seemed unsafe, please tell me.”

  “The place looks great, Brett,” I told him honestly. “What you did for her bedroom is amazing.”

  “Took a trip up to Boston and met up with the sports guy at the Globe I used to see when I would go into the office. He got me hooked up with the team and were really great at getting me some things to surprise her. Gave me some tickets to one of their games for one of the weekends I have her too.”

  “She will really like that. She’s gone to some Wolfpack games with some of her teammates but seeing girls like her play will be really special.”

  “I have three tickets, so you can go too.”

  “I don’t know....”

  “You don’t have to decide right now, Evie. It’s still several weeks away. Just think about it.”