Once Upon a Daddy: A Romance Anthology

by Kelli Callahan

  “I like it.” I leaned closer. “You should do whatever makes you happy.”

  Plus, gorgeous ink is almost as sexy as your accent.

  “Maybe…” He shrugged. “I tried to play by the rules and look where it got me.”

  “Rules?” I blinked a couple of times. “It didn’t sound like your ex-wife was making rules—it was more like demands and ultimatums.”

  You should be the only one making demands—I’d certainly listen.

  “Perhaps…” He sighed and sipped his beer.

  “So, you don’t have a girlfriend—now that you’re divorced and all?” I tilted my head slightly.

  “Nah, I been too busy with the damn house. I haven’t really been looking.” He lifted his shoulders for a slight shrug.

  “I bet you wouldn’t have to look very far.” I reached out and traced the tattoo on his forearm. “All of Anna’s friends had a crush on you—and most of their mothers.”

  “Ha.” He looked down at my hand. “My ex-wife noticed that too…”

  “She should have been noticing how lucky she was to have you.” My finger moved a little further up his arm.

  “Madie, what are you doing?” His eyes continued to focus on my finger.

  “Something—I’ve wanted to do for a really long time.” I exhaled sharply and shifted towards him.

  The alcohol mixed with the emotions of the crush that had haunted my soul since I was far too young to have those feelings—but I wasn’t a little girl anymore—and he wasn’t married. My lips found his and I started to kiss him. I wasn’t sure how he would react. There was hesitation at first and then his lips moved against mine. I felt his tongue—but before it met mine, he pulled away. He had a confused look on his face as his head leaned back.

  “Madie—we can’t do this…” He shook his head back and forth.

  But I want to—so freaking bad.

  Four

  Declan

  I knew that some of Anna’s friends had a crush on me. Anna thought it was cute to point it out—especially when she realized it wasn’t just her classmates that thought I was attractive. My ex-wife was never amused. She thought it was my fault somehow, like I was intentionally inviting the attention when I wasn’t doing a damn thing—I never even considered it. Nothing Madie said was a shock. What shocked me was Madie’s kiss. There was a natural reaction at first—lips on mine—lips that belonged to a gorgeous lass. They were soft and tempting—but I got my composure before I succumbed to them completely.

  “It’s just us…” Madie’s eyes met mine. “Nobody has to know.”

  If only it was that simple, but it’s never—simple.

  “I would know.” I exhaled sharply and gently pushed her away. “I probably shouldn’t have given you another beer—or any for that matter.”

  “It’s not just the alcohol.” She sighed. “I was one of the girls that had a huge crush on you…”

  Yeah, I’ve always been aware of that—even if you’re not just some bonnie lass with a gleam in yer eye now.

  “It’s time for bed.” I shook my head back and forth. “Let me help ye to yer room.”

  Otherwise I might second guess myself and that would be a very bad thing.

  “Okay…” She nodded and sighed again.

  Madie didn’t look happy, but she let me help her walk down the hallway to her room. Once she was safely seated on the bed with her pajamas beside her, I went out and closed her door and headed upstairs. It would have been easy to give in to temptation. I had a gorgeous nineteen-year-old girl with curves that were impossible to ignore and legs for days practically throwing herself at me. I just couldn’t do that—even if she wasn’t drunk. If the age difference wasn’t bad enough, she was my daughter’s best friend. What if Anna found out I hooked up with one of her friends? She would be appalled.

  Hopefully Madie will come to her senses once she sleeps off the alcohol—I’m sure that’s the only thing that made her try to kiss me in the first place.

  The next morning

  I woke up early, just like always did. Normally, I would have gone right to work on the house, but Madie was still sleeping, and I was pretty sure the sound of power tools would wake her up. I fixed a pot of coffee but held off on making breakfast—I didn’t know how long Madie would sleep and I didn’t want it to be cold when she finally did wake up. If her knee wasn’t better, then I was going to have to convince her to at least go to Urgent Care. It looked like a sprain, but I couldn’t be sure. There was always a chance that she did some damage to one of the ligaments.

  I guess I can clean up a few things to stay busy. That won’t make any noise at least.

  My inheritance allowed me to quit my office job—the one I hated going to every day—and focus on fixing up the house. The money from my inheritance wouldn’t last the rest of my life, but after I sold the house, I would be able to make a fresh start somewhere. I always thought my inheritance would be what allowed us to retire early and do a little traveling while we were still young enough to enjoy it. When my wife told me she wanted a divorce, I figured she would want half of the money—she was technically entitled to it—but she didn’t want a dime. Refusing to take anything from me when we split seemed to be a point of pride for her, and I certainly didn’t argue. She still hit me up for money when Anna needed something, but I had no problem providing for my daughter.

  My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a noise from Madie’s room.

  It sounds like she’s waking up.

  “Good morning to ye.” I walked into the hallway as she opened her door. “I’ve got coffee made—I’ll start breakfast.”

  “Okay, thank you.” She smiled and nodded.

  “How’s yer knee?” I looked down at her leg.

  “It seems to be a little better.” She demonstrated by putting some weight on it, but I still saw a grimace.

  “Ye should stay off it as much as possible today.” I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

  “I’m really sorry about last night.” She followed me into the kitchen and sat down at the table. “I know that was inappropriate—it was just the alcohol.”

  “Yeah, I figured.” I nodded and pulled out a few items so I could start breakfast. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Madie’s lips said she was sorry. Her eyes said something else entirely. I wanted to believe it was the alcohol that made her flirt—and try to kiss me—but it was clear there was more to it than that. The alcohol just gave her courage. I tried to just ignore what I saw—the devious grin that tried to form when she apologized. I made breakfast and we made small talk as we ate. She asked about Anna—I was surprised she didn’t know more than I did. I got the impression that they hadn’t talked as much as they used to, but it was understandable. Anna was away at college—which is where I thought Madie was before I saw her sitting on a bench by the bus stop with an injured knee.

  “I guess I should try and get a cab home.” Madie looked down at her plate and pushed it to the side once she was finished eating.

  “No way.” I shook my head back and forth. “I can drive ye—besides, I promised to take a look at yer car today.”

  “I know, but you’ve done so much already. I don’t want to be an inconvenience—you planned to spend the day working on your house. I’ll figure things out with my car.” She nodded, but I could see a hint of hopelessness on her face.

  “You’re not an inconvenience. You need to rest your knee. Why don’t ye do that here while I go and take care of yer car?” I pulled out my phone. “What street were ye on when it broke down?”

  Madie was a little reluctant, but she finally gave me the location, and agreed to stay put while I went to check on it. Her knee was a lot better, but I didn’t think it was a good idea for her to go back to her apartment on her own—plus, she had been without power for at least twenty-four hours. All of the food in her fridge was obviously ruined. If she couldn’t afford to pay her electric bill, I doubted she could afford to restock. I did
n’t normally like to pry, but it was going to take a little prying to figure out what was going on with her. If the situation was as bad as it appeared, she needed help—I just had to find a way to get her to accept it.

  I have no idea why her parents aren’t helping, but I can’t just ignore what I see.

  I made it to Madie’s car. There was a sticker on the window with a warning that it would be towed if it wasn’t removed by the end of the day. I pushed the key into the ignition and tried to turn over the engine. There was no response. I popped the hood and quickly realized that it wasn’t something I could repair on my own. It smelled like the oil in the engine had burnt—and when I pulled out the dipstick, I saw that it was practically bone dry. There was a good chance that the engine was fucked. I called a tow truck and followed the driver back to the mechanic I normally used. He looked everything over and didn’t believe it was beyond repair—which was a good sign. I told him to fix the car and I would pay for everything.

  At least that is one thing she won’t have to worry about.

  I decided to swing by Madie’s apartment before I went back to my house. As I expected—the fridge was a mess. A few things had already spoiled, and everything else was well on its way. I tossed everything in a garbage bag and put it by the door. I didn’t want to do much snooping, but I did take a look at the bills on the table near the door. Every single one of them was overdue with a past due balance. Even if she did find a job, it was going to take a lot to recover from that. I had an idea for how to help her, but I wasn’t sure if she would go for it. I needed a little more information before I could offer it though—which meant I would have to do more than pry.

  I’m probably going to be playing with fire—especially after I saw that look in her eyes earlier.

  Five

  Madie

  Embarrassment swept through me the moment I woke up and remembered what happened the previous night. I tried to be nonchalant and pretend that it was just the alcohol, but I knew that wasn’t the real reason—the alcohol just took a few of my inhibitions away. I saw something different in Declan’s eyes—there was a lingering hurt where I had previously only seen confidence. His divorce had taken a piece of who he was. Anna had told me that it was rough for him, but hearing it was a lot different than seeing it. I just pushed things too far—and I did regret that. It wasn’t the first time I had misjudged a situation and made a fool of myself. I was a little relieved when I saw that he wasn’t upset with me—but I still felt like I needed to distance myself from the situation. Unfortunately, I did need his help, even if I didn’t want to admit it.

  He’s shown me more kindness since he found me sitting on that bench than my parents have since I returned to Los Angeles—I know that’s part of why I tried to chase after something that was entirely one-sided.

  I kept my knee elevated for about an hour, but it was feeling a lot better than it did the day before, so I decided to look around the house a little bit. I still kept my weight off it and used the furniture for support. There were areas of the house that were in serious need of repair, and some that he had already modernized. It seemed like he was trying to keep the charm and history while updating things that were so outdated, they didn’t work. It was definitely going to be worth a lot when he was done. I looked around until I heard his car in the driveway and returned to my spot on the couch with my foot elevated.

  “How’s yer knee?” Declan opened the front door and immediately walked over to check on me.

  “It’s doing a lot better.” I leaned forward. “I might keep the bandage on until tomorrow though.”

  “That’s a good idea.” He nodded quickly.

  “How’s my car.” I sighed. “I’m afraid to ask…”

  “It needs a little work.” He sat down beside me. “I had it towed to a mechanic that I trust—he said that he should be able to fix it.”

  “Oh no…” I felt a lump rising up in my throat and panic swept through my entire body. “Declan, I can’t afford to pay for repairs!”

  “I took care of it.” He waved off my concern. “Ye can pay me back when yer able.”

  That might be a very long time…

  “Thank you, Declan.” I sighed. “I promise that I’ll pay you back when I find a new job.”

  “Let’s talk about that, lass.” He turned towards me. “I know yer in a tough spot—I want to help. Why won’t ye tell me what’s going on?”

  “I…” My eyes immediately looked down at the floor. “I made a mess of things.”

  “Ye ain’t my bairn, but I’ve always considered ye family.” He leaned forward and took my hand. “Ye can talk to me.”

  Everyone I’ve told has pulled away from me the minute I’ve told them the truth—which is why I haven’t even told Anna what really happened…

  “It’s tough.” I sighed. “I just—I screwed up.”

  “I know things aren’t perfect, but who’s perfect in this world? I’ve got my share of mistakes that haunt me.” He squeezed my hand. “Trust me, lass. I really do want to help.”

  I’ve bottled it up, but—maybe I shouldn’t pull away from the only hand that’s shown me kindness.

  “I left Los Angeles after high school, just like I planned. I went to college—and it was great a first…” I felt tears trying to form, so I closed my eyes to stifle them. “I met a guy…”

  “Aye, that’s kind of expected—being away from home.” He squeezed my hand again. “Nothing wrong with that.”

  “I—I thought he liked me…” The tears were trying their damnedest to violate my vow, but I refused to give in to them.

  “Did he hurt you, lass?” Declan’s tone shifted from calm and caring to anger—intense anger.

  “Not physically…” I exhaled sharply and opened my eyes. “But—he convinced me to take a few pictures—and send them to him.”

  “Oh no…” His tone softened.

  “Yeah.” I tried to swallow a lump that was even bigger than the first one. “The next thing I knew—they were being circulated around the school. The way people looked at me—the things they said.”

  Slut. Whore. That wasn’t even the worst of it.

  “That’s why ye left school?” He shook his head angrily and his eyes narrowed.

  “It was.” I nodded in confirmation. “I came back home. I didn’t want to tell my parents the truth, but I did. They were never very supportive, but I thought they would be there for me when everything else was falling apart.”

  “They should have been.” He nodded quickly.

  “They weren’t.” I sighed. “They practically disowned me.”

  “They did what now?” There was even more anger in his tone. “Over some fucking pictures?”

  “My parents have always been extremely religious—I’m sure you picked up on that when you met them.” I looked up at him.

  “Aye, I did notice that.” He nodded. “But to disown their child? That’s—not what family is supposed to do.”

  “I thought so too.” I nodded. “I did my best. I got an apartment with the money I had left from school. I found a job pretty quickly and things were going great, but then the company suddenly decided that they were going to downsize. I was the last one hired, so I was the first one they let go…”

  “It’s tough out there.” He sighed. “Especially if you’re trying to dig out of a hole.”

  “That’s exactly what I’ve been doing.” I swallowed hard. “I just can’t seem to catch a damn break.”

  “Well, this is where yer luck changes lass.” Declan squeezed my hand. “I’ve been needing to hire someone to help me fix up this house. If you don’t mind getting yer hands dirty, I could use them.”

  He’s offering me a job? I—didn’t expect that.

  “Really?” I blinked in surprise. “I don’t think I’m very good with power tools, but I could help with other things…”

  I’ve never been scared of breaking a nail…

  “Then it’s settled. Once your knee is heale
d up, ye can start helping me here. I’ll give ye some money up front to take care of those bills.” He nodded quickly. “I know ye won’t stiff me.”

  “No!” I shook my head back and forth. “Never!”

  “Good. Come here.” He let go of my hand and extended his arms.

  I needed a hug more than I realized. My parents weren’t really the hugging type—not that they would have given me one anyway after I told them what happened at school. Being in his arms made me want to just release all of my emotions and cry on his shoulder, but I managed to avoid it. The warmth of his hug felt reassuring, like there was finally something besides darkness ahead of me at the end of the tunnel. His generosity was overwhelming, and it made my soul long for him more than my body did. I fought that feeling, just like I fought the tears. He was trying to be a friend—and I needed to respect that.

  “Thank you so much for this.” I leaned back from his embrace. “You don’t understand how hard it’s been—or maybe you do. I’m sure you dealt with a lot after your divorce.”

  “Aye, it was tough.” He nodded quickly. “I tried to be a good husband and a good father. It just wasn’t enough…”

  “She was a fool,” I sighed.

  I would fight to have someone like you—and she just threw it all away.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I try not to think about that part of it. We just became different people. Hell, we met when we were teenagers—I don’t even know if we would have made it down the aisle if she hadn’t gotten pregnant. I think I was just supposed to be her summer fling before college…”

  “Is that what you wanted?” I tilted my head slightly. “Until she got pregnant with Anna?”

  “Me? No.” He shook his head back and forth. “I was in love—so much so that I ignored the warning signs in the beginning. Back in Scotland, we would have called her a lass that needed to be tamed—American culture is a little different.”