Pretend Daddy

by Lulu Pratt

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Author's Note

  Pretend Daddy

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Epilogue

  Thank you!

  Well Hung (Preview)

  Lulu Pratt’s Books

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2019 by Lulu Pratt

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Author’s Note

  Pretend Daddy is a full-length 78,000+ word novel. Please note it ends at 91%.

  Thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoy Pretend Daddy.

  I’ve also included a preview of my book, Well Hung, for your enjoyment.

  Thank you, as always, to Meg and Lesli.

  Happy reading,

  Lulu xoxo

  Pretend Daddy

  I’m all about duty. To my country, my best buddy and now my little boy.

  I’m a single dad to the little boy I never knew existed until I got home.

  I don’t know anything about raising babies, the only thing I know is that I need a nanny.

  That’s when Ashley walks into my life.

  Her sweet curves and soft lips threaten to distract me, but I am duty-bound, I won’t cross the line.

  At least until I can’t resist the way she looks at me any longer.

  It’s more than the way she feels in my arms, it’s the way she’s making this house a home.

  And then the rug is ripped out from underneath us.

  Our pretend family is no more.

  But I’ve never backed down from a fight.

  I’m going to make us a forever family.

  *** A steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance with a smoking hot hero. No cliffhanger, no cheating and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.***

  Chapter 1

  ASHLEY

  STARING AT THE framed posters lining the wall, I felt a deep sense of nostalgia for a memory too fresh in my mind. The most recent addition to the wall of Dr. Harris’ office was from our rendition of Rent, a dream role I’d studied weeks for. The smile on my face in the poster brought back the happy times from rehearsals. It was my largest role to date, one I’d dreamed of since enrolling at William Peace University.

  Now, it felt so much longer than a few weeks had passed since I was on the stage, under the lights I believed were made for me. Knowing it would be a very long time before I ever got back on stage, if ever, was heartbreaking. Everything appeared to be moving in slow motion, a nightmare playing out in real life.

  “Ashley? This is important.” Dr. Harris’ voice called me back to reality.

  Sitting in her black leather chair, I could see the stress and disappointment in the lines beneath her dark eyes. She had been the one to walk me through orientation three years prior, and now she would be the one to walk me out.

  “I’m listening,” I lied. It was too hard to focus when everything in my life was falling apart.

  I pushed my shoulders back, bracing myself for the reality I’d been avoiding. For months, I’d been struggling to juggle an unpredictable waitressing schedule with occasional babysitting gigs to try to make ends meet. While I’d been able to scrape together enough to pay my rent, food and other necessities, I hadn’t been as successful with covering my tuition.

  Every day, I dreaded going to class, constantly fearing the day Dr. Harris would pull me out of class as she had just an hour earlier. I was at my wits’ end. A tiny bit of gratitude bloomed in my chest knowing the juggling routine was over.

  “Ashley, is there any way you can clear your outstanding balance?” Dr. Harris asked, though I could see in her perfectly arched eyebrows she already knew the truth.

  She had heard my entire story the day I contemplated enrolling. After my father’s passing, he left me an inheritance with the hope that I finally follow my dreams of acting. As one of the best liberal arts schools in North Carolina, I was ecstatic to enroll at William Peace University.

  Whenever I walked through the beautiful campus, I imagined my father smiling down on me, happy I had made good on the head start he left me. Dr. Harris knew there was no one else in my corner. I’d been on my own since my father’s passing, having never had a relationship with my mother and being an only child.

  “No, Dr. Harris, there isn’t,” I mumbled, unable to look into her eyes. I was letting her down, after she had done so much to help me throughout my short-lived collegiate career. Many recent afternoons were spent in her office, unsure of how I could possibly manage all that was on my plate. Dr. Harris had gone above and beyond the duties as my advisor, rebuilding my confidence every time I felt myself beginning to crumble.

  “I thought so,” she said regretfully before tapping on her keyboard, her attention focused on the computer monitor sitting on the desk that separated us.

  A long pause gave me more time to contemplate how things had gone awry. Just six months ago, everything was going well. Happily enrolled in college, I was ecstatic when my then-boyfriend Nathan decided he too wanted a degree. After a bad car accident, he was awaiting an insurance payout that would more than pay for his college education.

  It seemed like a no-brainer to lend him the money so that he wouldn’t miss the enrollment period, but time would tell that he was never serious about following in my footsteps. After constant delays he couldn’t explain, I decided to pay a visit to the university myself. My stomach dropped as I learned that not only was he not a student, he had never paid a dollar of enrollment.

  Even worse, when I confronted Nathan, he laughed in my face, refusing to grant me the false explanation I wanted so badly. It was too awful to admit the truth, even when it stared me in my face. He had taken advantage of my kindness with no remorse. The relationship depleted as quickly as my bank account, as Nathan had taken all I had to give.

  “I think the best course of action from here is an indefinite break,” Dr. Harris continued after one last click. The hum of her printer served as the background music as our eyes finally met.

  There wasn’t disappointment, but sadness in her eyes. Sh
e was as hurt as I was that I would be leaving William Peace. I could feel it deep in my gut. My last cheerleader at the school, I would forever be grateful for all Dr. Harris had done for me throughout my years in college. As she slid the withdrawal slip onto her desk, I realized there was no reason to feel shame in front of her. Dr. Harris wanted only the best for me, and understood that graduation would always be a goal for me.

  I nodded, although it felt surreal. There was no way this was happening, not to me. Yet, here I was, leaning over the desk as my vision blurred with tears attempting to make out the details.

  The paper, still warm from the printer, explained that I could return to university as soon as I could settle my balance. I was welcome to return.

  “We can agree that this is an extremely unfortunate situation,” Dr. Harris said, and I swore I could hear her voice crack with emotion. “But it’s the best time for it to happen, if at all. The summer will give you enough time to develop a plan. And if you can find an extra job, maybe you can make enough to pay the past due balance and the fall term’s payment.”

  The optimism in her voice did nothing to spur confidence in what I knew was an impossible plan. The financial hole I was in was far too deep to climb out of in a matter of months. As I scribbled my name across the black line, I knew there was no way I would be returning anytime soon.

  “Thanks for everything, Dr. Harris,” I managed as I slowly rose to my feet before rushing to the door.

  “Ashley, I’m still here for you. My door is always open,” she called, and this time the emotion in her voice was undeniable.

  “Thanks, thanks for everything.” I forced a smile before turning away, down the hall that felt both familiar and foreign at the same time.

  William Peace University was a small school, which made news travel much faster than I imagined it did at larger universities. It was only a matter of time before my friends learned of my fate, and I didn’t want to be there to face them. I wasn’t ready.

  A poster advertising the upcoming play I was slated to star in caught my eye at the end of the hallway. Staring at the large poster for the production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the first of what I knew would be a stream of tears fell down my cheek.

  It was unbearable to imagine the mess I’d left my peers in to scramble for a replacement in such a short time frame. I hated to think of causing them any stress or added pressure because I couldn’t carry my own weight.

  I’d let everyone down, including my father. As I quickly made my way to the front door, a neon flyer caught my attention. Hanging from the bulletin board was a short writeup. A single father was looking for a full-time nanny to care for his young son. With very few details, it didn’t seem promising, but still I tore one of the hanging tabs with a phone number.

  I would need a job if there was any way I could turn my disaster into a triumph. Dr. Harris was right, I needed to find a way to make money, and I knew that a full-time nanny position would be a great start. School had prevented me from fully committing to a family, but now that I had time I could take advantage of the gigs I always had to pass up.

  It was well known that working full time with a family could lead to a big payday, but you had to be available at all hours. Now I was, and I prayed there would be an opportunity on the other end of the call.

  Chapter 2

  JAKE

  THE LITTLE BOY ran to me with a rush of excitement that filled my chest with pride. It had only been a few weeks since I met him for the first time, but he took to me like he’d known me forever. His small body crashed against my legs as I fell back on the couch, his squealing laughter the applause to my exaggerated performance.

  “Daddy hurt!” he yelled to his mother.

  I still heard my new title with disbelief. When I’d left for my first tour in Iraq many years ago, it was easy because I was doing what I had always wanted to do – serve my country.

  Anna-Louise said that she had shown the little boy my photo every day, and he did know who I was the first day I came to visit her, although I had no idea he existed for the first two years of his life.

  “He’s fine. Go play.” She angrily waved the child on. It was clear she was agitated, and I hated to imagine how she treated him when I wasn’t around. Every one of these meetings made me age a year faster. I could almost feel the gray growing in as I ran my hand through my hair, trying to restrain myself.

  Anna-Louise had never been a showstopper, but now she seemed to care less and less about her appearance. Her sandy hair looked unbrushed as she swayed on the loveseat across the room, her dark blue eyes looking at nothing in particular. Bags hung beneath her eyes, a sign that she wasn’t sleeping much. When I’d accompanied her to the doctor last week as she hadn’t arranged a babysitter, the physician prescribed a sleeping aid after learning she was struggling with insomnia. I wanted to help her, but I wasn’t sure how.

  Anna-Louise had been like a little sister to me growing up. Her older brother Justin was my best friend since high school. One late workout session years ago, he confided in me that he wanted to join the Marines, unaware that it was my dream too. Together, we’d gone through the most intense training, what most men couldn’t stomach.

  Justin was more like a brother than a friend. There wasn’t a secret between us. On our first day in Iraq, we made a pact that if anything happened to either of us, I’d take care of his kid sister and he’d look after my mom. I never thought I’d have to fulfill that promise, but Justin was killed in combat. The funeral was my one and only break home that tour of duty. Anna-Louise was a mess and I tried to comfort her. We slept together once. I had regretted it instantly.

  I was devastated over Justin, but determined to get back to my guys. After that tour ended I signed on for another year without question. At that point, I wasn’t ready to begin looking after Anna-Louise, and it was my biggest regret.

  By neglecting my promise to Justin, I missed the first two years of his nephew’s – and my son’s – life. Anna-Louise didn’t want to tell me about my son because there wasn’t much of a history between us and I was overseas. This was far from a childhood crush turned adult love story. We barely knew each other – Justin was the glue that connected us. Now, nothing seemed to fit like it should, as the pieces of the puzzle scattered throughout my life.

  “Are you hungry, buddy?” I asked Jasper, his frail body feeling far too thin for a boy his age, in my opinion.

  Rather than answering, he turned to his mother. I could see the apprehension in his eyes as he stared across the room at Anna-Louise. She rolled her eyes, sighing loudly before finally addressing me.

  “All he wants to do is eat. All day long, he’s asking for one meal and then the next. I’m not a fucking chef, Jake,” she snapped.

  Gritting my teeth, I swallowed the reaction tickling my throat. This was no way or place to raise a child, that much I knew. I’d have to take care of Jasper full-time, one way or another. There was no way I could do it on my own. I’d never cared for anyone, but this wasn’t much of a choice. I had to do it.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Anna-Louise rolled her dark eyes, turning to face the window. “You don’t know how hard it is. I’m always alone.”

  My stomach turned at the sight of her. She used to be so full of life, but now she looked like a shell of herself, rotting away right before my eyes. Every visit to see my son led to one of these moments, where she urged me to do what was right for Jasper and give him the family he deserved.

  She was right about one thing. Jasper did deserve a family, but there was no way it could happen with the two of us. There was no connection between us, only obligation. I refused to force a relationship just for my son. When I settled down, I wanted it to be for the right reasons – because I loved the woman and she would be a great mother to Jasper. Anna-Louise didn’t fit either of those requirements.

  “I know you’re lonely, Anna-Louise. It won’t always be that way. That’s why I make sure to com
e by.”

  “These little visits don’t do shit,” she yelled so loudly Jasper cowered behind my legs.

  “Please don’t curse in front of our son,” I spoke slowly to contain my temper.

  “Our son? You haven’t been here! You don’t know what it’s like!” She whined this time, but no tears fell from her dark eyes.

  “I didn’t know. How could I be here?” I wondered aloud.

  “Because I knew we would be a burden. And look,” she held her hands in the air. “That’s exactly what we are!”

  “My son could never be a burden. I want to help. Don’t you understand that?” I could feel the frustration building in my chest. I hated when she made such claims in front of him. He was so young, but I feared he would remember these times.

  “Have you been taking your medicine?” I forced myself to ask, knowing how a question about her treatment could set her off.

  “Stop acting like you care about me. You say you’re going to help, but with your schedule there’s no way you can be with him. You don’t even know how to take care of him!”

  She was right. The idea of taking Jasper full time was terrifying. I had no idea how I could balance my life as it was with all the needs of a child. The dilemma had kept me up at night, constantly worrying about how I could make sense of it.

  “I’m getting a nanny for when Jasper is staying with me. She can help me while I’m away at work, but Jasper will always be my top priority. You have to believe I want the best for him,” I pleaded. She was impossible, fighting me at every turn, when all I wanted to do was help.

  “So that’s who you’re fucking, huh?” She sneered, twisting her lips.

  It was all I could take. Without an explanation or plan, I took Jasper into my arms. I’d planned to take him to the park. But now, as I made my way through Anna-Louise’s filthy living room, I knew I wouldn’t be bringing my son back anytime soon.