“Okay.” She nodded. “I guess it would be foolish to spend the night here when I don’t have power.”
I helped Madie walk the bedroom, and she put a change of clothes in a bag. After that, I helped her get to the bathroom so she could grab a few necessities. The walk back to my car took longer than the walk to her apartment—mainly because she kept trying to do it on her own instead of letting me help. She was always a proud lass, even when she was younger. I could tell that she didn’t like having to rely on someone else. Her body language said that, even when she was grimacing too much to say it out loud.
“In ye go.” I opened the passenger side door.
“Thank you.” She forced another smile and held my hand until she was seated in my car.
I tried to ask Madie a few questions about her situation once we were on the road, but she seemed rather hesitant to talk about it. I decided not to be too pushy. There was obviously something going on though because she was supposed to be at school. I remembered Anna telling me that Madie got a scholarship to a school in Oregon. That’s where she should have been—not applying for jobs in Los Angeles. If she was back in Los Angeles, then there was no reason for her to be living on her own and struggling to pay her bills. Her parents were good people as far as I knew. I doubted they would abandon their daughter—unless something really bad happened. If she didn’t want to talk about it, all I could do was offer a helping hand. I hoped someone would do the same thing for Anna if she was in a tough spot.
“Alright, we’re here.” I turned into my driveway and pointed at the house.
“Wow—this is a pretty nice place.” She tilted her head and looked out the window.
“It was my great aunt’s house—it’s mine now.” I parked the car and turned off the engine.
I had lived in my great aunt’s house since my divorce. I inherited it after she passed away. It looked nice on the outside, but the inside was a mess. My ex-wife and I planned to fix the house up so we could sell it, and that was still my plan, but it had become a solo project. I had plenty of time on my hands, but it was going slow. It seemed like every time I managed to get one thing fixed, I found two more problems that were even worse. Luckily, my ex-wife didn’t touch my inheritance when we got divorced, so I had enough money to live on and plenty to make the necessary repairs. The house would fetch a good price once I was finished.
“You can stay in the downstairs bedroom.” I pointed it out to Madie. “It’s not the best room in the house, but I don’t think you should try to climb the stairs.”
“That works for me.” She nodded. “I would be fine crashing on the couch—it’s just for one night.”
“No need to do that.” I helped her to the couch and leaned forward so she could sit down. “I’ll get the first aid kit—I know where mine is.”
I grabbed some supplies from the bathroom and returned to the living room. Madie’s knee was starting to show signs of bruising, and there was definite swelling, but it didn’t look like there was any permanent damage. I cleaned the wound, but I didn’t want to bandage it while she was still wearing torn pantyhose that would have to be removed later. I helped her to the bedroom and waited outside while she got changed. Luckily, she brought a pair of shorts—shorts that barely made it to her thigh and showed off her long, slender legs.
Don’t even think about that. She’s your daughter’s best friend…
It was impossible not to notice that Madie was gorgeous. She was always a bonnie lass, but she had become a breathtaking woman since I last laid eyes on her. She was no longer knees and elbows—she had curves that would have made any red-blooded man want to take a closer look. I tried to avoid staring as I tended to her wound and wrapped a bandage around her knee. I definitely didn’t want to stare—because that would just remind me that I hadn’t been with a woman since my divorce—and my daughter’s best friend was the last girl on the planet that I needed to be having dirty thoughts about.
“Alright, you should be set.” I stood up and gathered the supplies. “I’ll get ye some Advil to help with the swelling? I’m going to grab a beer—you want a soda or something?”
“I can’t have a beer?” She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head.
“I’d point out the fact that yer only nineteen, but I was nineteen once, so—fuck it.” I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
I grew up in Scotland where I could buy beer as soon I turned eighteen—and I took advantage of that every time I visited my parents.
“Thank you.” Madie smiled and took the beer from me when I returned.
I don’t know how I’d react if Anna asked for one—probably not so accommodating.
“I’ll warn you…” I twisted the top off my beer. “Once I have a few of these in me, I forget how to soften my accent—sorry in advance.”
“What’s wrong with your accent?” She sipped her beer and raised her eyebrows inquisitively. “I always liked it—still do, if I’m being honest.”
“I can’t get rid of it entirely, but I spent a lot of time trying.” I shrugged. “My ex-wife hated it.”
She wouldn’t even let me put the Mackenzie family crest on the wall or wear a kilt—but I loved her, so I tried to be the American husband she wanted me to be.
“That’s crazy. It’s part of who you are…” Madie sipped her beer. “I even hear it in Anna’s voice sometimes when she gets really mad.”
“Yeah, and her mother hates that.” I chuckled under my breath. “I took Anna to see her grandparents in Scotland when she was a kid and she even picked up a little lingo—that didn’t go over well.”
“I think I remember that.” Madie sipped her beer and smiled. “She called all the kids at school lads and lasses for several weeks.”
It was nice to reminisce. I hadn’t been able to do that with anyone since my divorce. Anna was busy with school. My ex-wife had a new boyfriend and we rarely talked unless she wanted me to send money for something that Anna needed. We exchanged a few more stories about Anna over our first beer, and I tried to ask Madie a few more questions about herself once we were halfway through the second one, but she was very elusive. I decided that it was best not to pry, even though I was curious to know why she was no longer attending college. Madie smiled more after her first beer—that was nice to see at least. She always did have a beautiful smile. I just wished that was the only thing I noticed—but it was hard not to glance at the other beautiful things she had gained as she got older.
“Alright, I guess I need to make dinner. I assume you’re hungry?” I reached out for her empty beer bottle.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Nothing fancy though—I don’t want to impose.”
“There’s no fancy food in this house.” I chuckled as I started to stand. “The microwave is my best friend these days.”
That’s my life now—microwave dinners in an empty house. At least I won’t have to eat alone tonight.
Three
Madie
“So, what is the story with this house?” I held Declan’s hand as helped me sit down at the dinner table. “You said it belonged to your great aunt?”
“Aye.” He nodded and sat down at the chair to my immediate right, which was at the head of the table. “She passed away about eight years ago and left it to me.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that!” I looked down and frowned. “We’re you two close?”
“We were.” He nodded again. “I lived with her when I came to America.”
“She had a lot of cool stuff.” I turned my head towards a picture on the wall that I assumed was her. “She was also beautiful.”
“Aye, that she was.” Declan chuckled under his breath. “She was a movie star in the 1940s.”
“Wow, she was famous?” I blinked in surprise. “Anna never mentioned that she had a famous relative.”
“Another thing my ex-wife didn’t like us talking about.” Declan shrugged. “She wanted Anna to have a normal middle-class life—said there were too many
spoiled kids with famous relatives in Los Angeles already.”
I never knew Anna’s mother was so controlling—although she always did seem to be a bit uptight.
Declan told me a little more about his great aunt while we ate. I wished I could get up and walk around the house, just so I could see everything. There were framed movie posters on the walls, beautiful vases, furniture that looked like it was hand-carved, and enough Scottish decor to know that she loved her heritage. My family didn’t have a lineage worth talking about. I certainly didn’t have any famous people in my family tree—unless you counted all the recognizable names from the Bible. That was the only history they really talked about and they took every word literally—it was part of the reason we weren’t close anymore.
“Alright, let me help ye back to the couch.” Declan stood and extended his hand. “Then I need to make a quick trip outside.”
“Why?” I tilted my head slightly as I used his hand for support.
“I quit smoking after I got married—but, I still like to have one occasionally when I drink.” He sighed. “Ye can’t tell Anna…”
“I guess I could keep your secret.” I narrowed my eyes. “If you bribe me with one.”
“Alright, come on.” He motioned to the door. “I guess I can’t really say anything since I already gave ye a beer.”
“Three beers, actually.” I looked down at the table. “Well, when I finish that one.”
“True.” He nodded.
“I think I can walk on my own now.” I put a little weight on my knee. “The bandage is giving me plenty of support.”
Declan let go of my hand, and I confirmed that I could take a couple of steps without his assistance. We retrieved his pack of cigarettes from a drawer by the door and I followed him outside. I could count the number of times I had smoked on one hand, but I did like the buzz—which I expected to be even better with a little alcohol in my system. Declan didn’t seem to be feeling it like I was, but he was right about his accent. I always noticed that he tried to force a you instead of a ye and elongate his your instead of firing off a quick yer. I just assumed it was because his accent was fading due to the time he spent in America—I never knew it was because his ex-wife was basically forcing him to give himself speech therapy because she hated his accent. I couldn’t imagine anyone hating the way he spoke—it was sexy as hell.
“Are ye okay to walk back inside on yer own?” Declan held the door open for me after we finished our cigarettes.
“I should be fine.” I smiled and nodded.
“Watch your step right there.” He pointed at the ground. “I haven’t been able to fix that part of the floor yet.”
“It looks like you have several renovation projects going.” I looked around once we were back inside.
“Aye.” Declan nodded. “I’m trying to fix the place up so I can sell it.”
“You don’t like living here?” I blinked in surprise. “It’s such a cool house.”
“It is, but it’s too big for me.” He shrugged. “I don’t need all of this extra space.”
“What are you going to do after you sell it?” I sat down on the couch and looked up at him.
“I don’t know yet.” Declan sat down beside me. “I’ve thought about going back home to Scotland. The only thing keeping me here is Anna, but she’s all grown up now.”
“I think she’d miss you if you moved that far away.” I tilted my head slightly. “Although, I’m sure she’d visit as often as possible. It would be a free vacation.”
“That it would.” He nodded and grinned.
We sat and talked while we finished our drinks. Declan told a few stories about Anna that I hadn’t heard from her directly. I could tell he loved his daughter. I wished my parents had that kind of unconditional love for me. They always treated me like a nuisance, which is part of why I spent so much time at Anna’s house. I became more of a disappointment than a nuisance once I returned home from college—and that disappointment only lasted long enough for them to disown me completely. I hadn’t told anyone what happened—not even Anna. It was just too hard to say the words out loud. I still didn’t even like to think about it, because it was the only thing that could bring me to the verge of tears. I wasn’t going to cry about it anymore—or anything for that matter. Tears weren’t going to change the past.
“I’ll get the next beer.” I reached out for Declan’s empty bottle.
“You should sit right there.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’ll get it.”
“I need to stretch my knee a little bit. It’s starting to hurt again, even when it’s elevated.” I grimaced and put some weight on my leg as I stood.
My knee was definitely swollen, but the bandage helped me walk. I hoped it would be better after a night of sleep. I really couldn’t afford to be off my feet for long. I still had to find a job—but I needed to get my car fixed first. Declan had offered to help with that—and I couldn’t really decline because I had no idea what to do if I lifted the hood. If the problem was something serious, then I was screwed, because I couldn’t afford to have it repaired. I grabbed a couple of beers and walked back to the living room. My knee let me know that it didn’t appreciate my attempt to put pressure on it, even with the bandage.
“Are ye sure ye should keep going?” He took the beer I offered. “I don’t want ye to wake up with a hangover. I’ve seen a what a pub crawl can do a lightweight.”
He’s full-blown accent now—damn that’s sexy.
“I’m fine.” I smiled and sat down next to him. “So, what do you do for fun around here? Does the television even work?”
“No, that’s an antique.” He chuckled under his breath. “I’ve made some modifications to the den though—that’s where I usually spend my time.”
“Then why are we in here?” I leaned forward to stand.
“It was close to the door.” He stood and extended his hand.
I didn’t need Declan’s support to stand or walk, but I still let him lead me down the hallway. The house seemed like a time capsule from his great aunt’s era, with a few improvements, but the den was entirely modernized. The empty beer bottles on the table suggested that he spent most of his time there—in front of the large television above the fireplace. It was too early to sleep, and I needed a distraction, so we found a movie to watch. It was a mindless comedy, but it took my mind off things. I finished my beer about halfway through and offered to grab another round. Declan didn’t like that idea, but I really did want to keep stretching my knee so that it didn’t stiffen up before I went to bed—he thought I should just keep it elevated, but I persisted. I was definitely feeling the weight on my knee when I returned, but I tried to keep a smile on my face.
“See, I’m fine.” I walked back in with two beers.
“Yeah, okay—I guess so.” He nodded and took his beer.
I tried to walk around the coffee table to my seat, but my knee protested. It seemed that Declan was right, because my second trip to the fridge didn’t go as well as the first. I tried to hobble back to my seat, but the pain caught me off guard. The pain was like a knife that went straight through the front of my kneecap. I tried to take another step, despite the agony, but my knee wasn’t having it. The pain caused me to gasp and fall forward—right towards Declan. Thankfully, he hopped up and caught me before I hit the floor. I collapsed into his arms and grimaced when I felt a spasm in the muscle that runs along the back of my leg.
“Ye really need to keep it elevated. There’s no reason to be a hero.” Declan helped me back to my seat.
“I guess you’re right.” I sighed.
“Let me get ye some ice. That should help a little bit.” Declan walked to the door and disappeared down the hallway.
I feel like damn invalid…
Declan returned with a bag of ice and I put it on my knee. He hit the button on the remote to start the movie back up and I kept my foot elevated while the ice tried to help with the swelling. I didn’t want to admit that my knee
was in bad shape, but it was pretty clear that it was more than a slight sprain. The movie gave us a few more laughs while we drank our beer, and I finished mine as the credits rolled. The ice helped with the ache, but I was scared to try and put weight on it again. I didn’t want to make it worse before it had a chance to get better.
“Another beer or are ye done?” Declan reached for my beer bottle.
“One more maybe.” I nodded and handed him my bottle.
“I’ll be right back.” Declan picked up the bag of ice that was laying across my knee. “This is mostly water now. Do ye want me to get some more ice?”
“I think I’m okay.” I bent my knee and flexed it. “Yeah, it’s fine.”
Declan walked to the kitchen and returned with two more beers. I was definitely feeling it, but I wasn’t quite ready to go to bed. I twisted the top off and took a sip. Declan picked up the remote and started flipping through movies. I wasn’t interested in another movie—I just wanted to stare at Declan. I had done my best to ignore my attraction toward my best friend’s father, but with a little alcohol in my system, my inhibitions were starting to loosen. I was feeling a little flirty, even though I hadn’t really flirted with many guys—the few times I had tried ended with disaster and embarrassment.
“You’ve added a little more ink since I saw you last.” I leaned forward and tapped his hand.
“Aye, yer right.” He nodded. “I always planned to get a full sleeve, but after Anna was born—it wasn’t a priority.”
“Any other new tattoos besides what I can see?” I tilted my head inquisitively.
“I got a little ink here.” He pulled the neck of his t-shirt down, and I saw that his chest was tattooed as well. “I might get a little more—haven’t decided yet.”
Once Upon a Daddy: A Romance Anthology Page 18
