The Daddy Box Set

by Claire Adams

  He stared at me, blinking his eyes, completely confused by what I was trying to say. Hell, I was completely confused by what I was trying to say. I took in a deep breath and continued, even though my mind was screaming at me to shut the hell up.

  “I woke up today after being at a ball game with Kayla,” I said, shaking my head and wringing my hands. “I mean, I had a dream about being at a ball game with Kayla, and it made me start thinking about how miserable I have been since we broke up. Not because I can’t go to a baseball game… Shit, I am completely screwing this up.”

  “It’s okay,” he said, laughing. “Take a deep breath. How about you let me talk for a minute, and you listen. Okay?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “That is probably the safest thing at this point.”

  “Everything has been a mess,” he said. “I don’t mean you and me, but I definitely mean the way in which we went about everything. I can’t tell you how much I cherish those weeks where we had our relationship all to ourselves. I have survived being apart from you, simply based on the fact that I could replay those days in my head. I truly believe it was a mistake to put our relationship on hold.”

  “You do?” I was shocked, assuming he was about to tell me that it was the way it was for a reason.

  “Yes,” he said, turning to me and grabbing my hands. “I know that I don’t deserve you to forgive me, or even consider taking me back, but I am praying that you understand why I did what I did. Kayla was all I had left, and I couldn’t stand to see her hurting the way that she was.”

  “God,” I said, letting out a deep breath and grabbing my chest. “Ryan, I understand why you did what you did. I came here to tell you that I wanted to fight for you. I came here to tell you that I knew what you were doing was in good heart and earnest thought, but I wanted you to reconsider. I have been absolutely miserable without you the past few weeks. I haven’t been sleeping well. You are all I think about, and my own sister didn’t even tell me she was pregnant because she felt so bad for me.”

  “Does that mean that you are willing to consider giving it another try?” He looked hopeful, and I couldn’t help but begin to tear up at the idea that he felt the same way that I did. “I don’t want to be without you, Alissa. I knew that then, and I know that even more clearly now. That was never a doubt in my mind. I need you, we need you, both Kayla and me. Your light is what brought both of us from the darkness, and since you’ve been gone, I have been struggling to keep my head above water.”

  “Look, I know that your daughter is your number one priority and that you will always put her first,” I said, grabbing his hands and holding them tightly. “I would never expect anything less. I also know that I’m not ready to give up such a good thing. We have it all, and we have since the first day that I came to babysit. I haven’t been in a place like this ever in my entire life, and I knew it was you and not just the idea of you. Your face, and Kayla’s face, run through my mind on a regular basis, hourly even, and I just can’t move past it. I know that the only thing for me to do is stop fighting my brain and start fighting to have you back. There is nothing in the world I want more than for us to be together, and to help Kayla be comfortable with me there in your lives.”

  Suddenly, my mind wasn’t so foggy anymore, and I couldn’t begin to explain how excited I was to have this man on my side and by my side as well. I wanted to jump into his arms, but the feelings were so intense that I still couldn’t move a muscle. He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair, looking at me in the eyes. I could see the caring and love in his gaze, and my heart began to beat faster. This was exactly what I wanted, but I didn’t think I would actually get it back when I woke up that morning and headed over to his office. I figured at best, we would agree to be friends and keep the past in the past. I thought that I would leave there brokenhearted and alone, not completely ecstatic and in love.

  “I promise that I will never let the shadow of my ex-wife ruin anything for us ever again,” he said, looking me dead in the eyes. “She’s not going to continue to control my life from another man’s arms. I will not allow her to affect your life or Kayla’s life like that anymore. I am so tired of living in her shadow, and I am more than ready to break free and have the life that I always wanted. I know that you are the person that I want to experience that life with, Alissa. I’m sorry that it took me this long to come to that conclusion.”

  “I don’t care how long it took you.” I laughed. “Just as long as you got here. I’ve been waiting, knowing in my heart that you would eventually come back to me, and that we would be able to move forward with what we wanted from the beginning, to just be together.”

  “I won’t let you go again,” he said.

  He reached over and wiped the tear that fell from the corner of my eye and trickled down my cheek. I leaned my face into the palm of his hand and closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of his skin. I never thought I would feel his hands touching me again, nor did I think that I would hear him tell me he cared about me. I opened my eyes as he reached over and cupped my face in his hands, his mouth moving toward mine, and our eyes locked. As his lips pressed into mine, I could feel the electricity move through my entire body, and I leaned into him, letting go of everything that I had been holding onto since we said goodbye. I was finally back in the arms of the man that I loved, and I couldn’t let anything come between us again.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ryan

  I sat down on the floor and pushed the coffee table farther away from the couch in my newly-renovated living room. Alissa was right. Lightening the colors and adding those special touches made the room more inviting than it ever was. The darkness was lifted from the house, but I knew that it wasn’t just a new coat of paint. Kayla and Alissa were fetching the board games from the cabinet and carrying the snacks carefully into the room. It had only been a few days since we decided that we wanted to make this work, but Kayla was already warming up to her being there. We planned a family game night where we made a bunch of snacks, gathered around the table, and played board games until we were ready for bed. I used to do it with my mom growing up, and it was one of my favorite traditions. This would be the first time I had everyone excited and ready to participate.

  “Dad,” Kayla said, laughing as she ran into the room. “We decided that Monopoly isn’t okay because Alissa and I know you will kick our butt, so we are going to start with Clue.”

  “Oh, so instead of getting your butt kicked, you are choosing murder instead,” I said, laughing.

  “No.” She giggled, setting the popcorn and drinks down on the table. “We are solving a crime like the super sleuths in the books I’m reading for school.”

  “Well, let’s get this crime solving going then,” I said, clapping my hands.

  As I looked up, I could see Alissa walking in, carrying the game board. Kayla insisted on sitting next to Alissa, and I smiled, seeing how they interacted on such a loving and real level. We played Clue for a couple of hours, laughing and joking together as if nothing had ever happened. When we were done with that, we played a three-man version of charades, and Alissa was laughing so hard from Kayla’s interpretation of a walrus that she fell over on the floor, holding her stomach. I couldn’t think of a time that I had been happier and more at ease in my entire life. Everything before had been so organized, structured, and go, go, go. We never laughed, and I missed the sound of a house filled with voices. I kept finding myself just sitting back and taking it all in, listening to every shade of laughter that bounced off the freshly painted walls.

  I watched Alissa give Kayla her full attention, really listening to what she had to say and her wild and crazy ideas, making Kayla truly believe that she could do anything if she put her mind to it. I could see that there was actually something to my feelings, and I could already imagine some kind of future with Alissa, where she was permanently in our lives. I already wanted to have her by my side every day, afraid of the time we lost, and wanting to make sure it nev
er happened again. She was already a staple in our new life, and that was perfectly okay with me.

  Everything about my life before Alissa felt like a bad dream, and I could really step back and see how Christina and I had gone from a loving couple to two drones in a marriage that had no passion or excitement. We thought we were acting like a family because we went to parties and school events together, but in reality, we were like robots doing what everyone else expected of us. With everything falling into place, from the renovation of the house to getting Alissa back, I felt like I had finally reached a point where I could put the devastation of my marriage to Christina behind me and move forward.

  “All right, munchkin,” I said, yawning and looking at my watch. “Time to go to bed.”

  “Aww,” she groaned. “Just one more?”

  “Not tonight,” I said, kissing her forehead. “Come on; I’ll tuck you in.”

  “Dad,” she whispered, leaning up to my ear. “Can Alissa tuck me in tonight?”

  “Of course,” I said, looking over at Alissa and winking. “If it’s okay with her.”

  “Will you come tuck me in?” Kayla asked shyly.

  “Of course,” she said, standing up and taking her hand.

  “Goodnight,” I said as Kayla leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  I watched as my two girls made their way up the stairs. I leaned back against the couch and smiled, thinking about how lucky I had gotten to have these two in my life who care about me so very much. Kayla had really opened up to the idea of having Alissa around, and it had only been a few days. I could hear the two of them giggling upstairs, and I smiled, pulling myself to my feet and picking up the games. I tossed them back in the closet and then started picking up the snacks, feeling like I was the luckiest man on earth. I carried the dishes into the kitchen and began to rinse them, pausing as I felt Alissa’s hands sliding around my waist and her face pressed against my back. I dried my hands on the kitchen towel and turned around, looking down at Alissa as she pulled her head back and smiled up at me.

  “She actually let me tuck her in,” she whispered.

  “I know,” I whispered back excitedly. “Everything is working out just perfectly.”

  “The only thing I could think of to make this night better would be me in your arms,” she said, reaching up and kissing my lips. “I’m not ready to leave you yet. Why don’t you let me spend the night?”

  “Spend the night, huh?” I chuckled. “In my newly renovated bedroom? I don’t know. What are all my other girlfriends going to think?”

  “Hey,” she said, tapping me in the stomach. “I do have to say I like the sound of being called your girlfriend.”

  “Me too,” I replied, kissing her lips once again.

  “I just want to be with you tonight,” she said with a pouty lip. “I’ve been here for hours and hours before, but I’ve never actually stayed the night here. It seems like the best place to sleep ever.”

  “Oh, you want to sleep,” I said, shrugging my shoulders teasingly.

  “I’m serious.” She laughed. “I want to know what it feels like to lay in your arms and wake up the same way.”

  I was giving her a hard time, but in reality, I wanted nothing more than for her to stay the night, wrapped in my arms, and held close to me. She didn’t know it, but I had every intention of asking her to stay before she had even gotten there that night. I knew how hard it was to say goodbye to her, and on top of that, I really wanted some adult alone time with her. We hadn’t been together since before we broke up, and watching her shimmy and shake along the floor with her tiny little shorts and bouncing tits was driving me absolutely crazy.

  I had to keep myself from groping her in the middle of charades as she hopped around like a bunny in front of me. She had to be the sexiest contestant of charades to ever play the game, and I was totally picturing her naked as she bounced across the living room, her legs tight and her ass even tighter. I wanted to tell her yes, but I also liked to watch her squirm. I leaned down and kissed the side of her neck, feeling the goosebumps pop up on her skin. She shook as a streak of cold hit the back of her neck and laughed as she reached up and kissed me again.

  “I understand completely why I didn’t spend the night before,” she said. “It would have been a dead giveaway of our relationship, even to a 7-year-old. We were protecting Kayla, but now, she knows we are together, and she is already used to having me around.”

  “Very true,” I said, nodding.

  “I think our relationship has progressed quite a bit now that Kayla is in on the secret,” she said. “So personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.”

  “You are all about voicing your opinion now.” I laughed.

  “I learned my lesson from last time.” She smiled. “I can’t let you go and get scared off when I’m not around. When I want something, I have figured out it is best to state my case and wait for you to give in because I am irresistible, or state your rebuttal, to which I have to warn you, I have already thought through extensively when it comes to this discussion.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yep,” she said, chuckling. “I am turning over a new leaf, and I decided that I don’t want to be unhappy ever again, so I am going to tell you when I want something. Right now, I want to go climb into that soft, comfortable bed with you.”

  “And what, may I ask, are you planning on doing with me once you have me up there?”

  “That, sir, is top secret,” she said. “I have many different tricks up my sleeve, but I can’t be giving away my secrets before you have even agreed to the terms. I’ve seen the cop shows. I know that you need it in writing in front of you before you give away any precious information.”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t make it a habit of negotiating with terrorists.”

  “Did you just call me a terrorist?” She opened her mouth wide and slapped me on the arm, making me laugh and flinch at the same time.

  “All right, all right,” I said, putting my hands up. “I give in. Stop the torture.”

  “If you think that is torture, you haven’t seen anything yet,” she said with a wink. “Now come on handsome, take me to bed.”

  I smiled and kissed her deeply before reaching over and shutting the light off. I watched as she triumphantly walked from the kitchen and toward the stairs, looking back at me with a huge smile on her face. I laughed and shook my head, knowing that I was in trouble with her. I could no longer find a way to tell her “no” about anything, especially when she was flaunting her body the way she was. I clicked off the living room lights and climbed the stairs, pausing at the top.

  “You go ahead,” I said. “I’m just going to check on Kayla really fast.”

  “Okay,” she said, smiling. “Meet you under the covers.”

  She walked into the room and slowly closed the door before I walked past and tiptoed into Kayla’s room. I pulled the covers up and over her, since she had obviously tossed and turned enough to be laying in a ball, cold from the air conditioner. I leaned over and kissed her cheek, standing back up and staring at her for just a moment. She was clutching her favorite doll and looked like such a sweet angel, sleeping snuggly in her bed. It was moments like those that reminded me that Kayla was still a child, and she was the sweetest and brightest thing in my life.

  “Daddy,” she yawned with her eyes still closed.

  “Yeah, baby,” I said, leaning over closer.

  “I love you,” she said, turning over and pulling the covers tight against her.

  “I love you, too,” I whispered into her ear.

  I turned her reading light off and walked from the room, pulling the door to a crack and turning toward the hallway. I stood there for a moment, feeling how amazing it was that the house was full and ready to go. I loved the feeling of a full house, and the love was big that night. I let out a deep breath and walked toward my room, more than excited that I had Alissa all to myself.

  Chapter Twenty-Six
/>   Alissa

  I walked into the room and slowly closed the door behind me, smiling as Ryan passed to go check on Kayla. I walked over and took off my clothes, slipping my earrings off and placing them on the dresser. I looked around the bedroom and decided that there was no reason that I should wear clothes to bed. I didn’t plan on keeping them on very long anyway.

  I slipped off my panties and bra and tucked them under my clothes before slipping into the bed and under the covers. The sheets were cool, and it felt good against my naked skin. I had laid on the bed before we picked it out, but now that it was all made up and homey, I could tell just how amazingly comfortable it really was. I could definitely get used to sleeping there with Ryan’s arms wrapped around me.

  I looked up as he slowly crept into the bedroom, quietly shutting and locking the door behind him. He walked through the shadows and stood in the light of the moon as he pulled his shirt from his rippling muscles. I stared up at his tanned skin as he pulled off his pants and climbed into bed, fully filling out his short, black boxer briefs. He reached over and pulled me toward him, and I wrapped my leg through his, resting my head on his chest. He lifted up the covers and peeked inside, laughing as he put them back down.

  “That’s an interesting nightgown,” he said.

  “Yeah, it’s not my birthday, but I felt like wearing the suit,” I replied with a chuckle.

  We laid there, quietly enjoying the silence and each other’s close company. There was something inside of me that was sparking, and I realized how badly I wanted him. I wanted to show him just how much I cared about him, how amazing he was, and just how much I actually desired him. I wanted to give him everything that I had.