The Lost Seal: A Seal Romance

by Bell, Victoria

  •••

  "Open up, Daisy!"

  The toddler opened her small mouth as Nicole fed her. A few weeks had passed since her fever passed. Max had done a great job at taking care of her as she got better. She had seen how much he worried about the child. It made her realize that nothing could ever compete with the love he had for his daughter.

  She was back at work again. She had started to look after her again while Max was at work. They had come to an understanding. Neither one of them spoke about that night again, ignoring the matter as if it would go away eventually. Which she hoped it would since she had been trying to forget ever since. It was a hard job to do, to forget. Especially after it was her first time to have sex with anybody. And as much as it broke her heart, Max would never love her. Even if she gave up the last thing, she was holding onto.

  "Another one, baby," Nicole said as she scooped the remaining and fed it to Daisy.

  Nicole stared at the child, full of admiration. She could definitely say that she had fallen in love with Daisy already. With every giggle that the little girl lets out, the more Nicole gets so attached. She couldn't remember the time when she didn't want to spend time with Daisy. Couldn't remember the time when she didn't love her as if she was her own.

  Nicole knew that she was threading with dangerous water. This wasn't part of the deal. She wasn't supposed to fall in love with either Max or his daughter. This might be the life that she wanted, but it wasn't what her brother's best friend wanted. They would remain friends forever, but it could never be anything else. She would smile and pretend to be happy when he get married to the love of his life. While she breaks inside, holding onto the tears that would almost certain spill down her cheeks.

  She was surprised to find wetness pooling in the back of her eyes. She blinked, clearing her vision. Her time to be happy would come very soon. She just had to wait and be patient.

  Smiling at Daisy, she cleaned her up before playing with her. In just a couple of hours, Nicole would need to put Daisy down for her nap. She placed her down on the rug and pulled out her toys from the container Max had told her to put her toys in. They played with Barbie dolls, her ponies and even played the role of a princess. When Daisy began to yawn and be a little cranky, Nicole realized that it was time for her to be in bed.

  She sang a song that her mother used to sing to her when she was just a little kid. She wanted to pass it down to little Daisy, wanting her to feel loved and secured. Nicole was trying her best to be the mother-figure that the little girl needed. She would be here to guide her as she grows every day until her dad marries. But until that day, she would be here to support Max and Daisy.

  Nicole pressed a kiss on her forehead as Daisy's eyes fluttered. She was trying to keep her eyes open, fighting to be awake. Nicole smiled. "Sleep now, little one. We'll play later when you wake up from your nap."

  "Mama," little Daisy muttered before finally dozing off.

  She stared at the child soundlessly sleeping in her crib, unable to believe that she had called her mama. It was probably just a figment of her imagination, but could she have heard her right? Did Daisy think of her as her mother?

  She reached out to her, combing her fingers through the soft blonde curls. At the age of Daisy, she would surely look for her mom. Which made her truly wonder what happened to Max and his ex-girlfriend. What really happened that day when she walked out? Nicole had never met the woman. Not that she wanted to as she imagined her leaving Daisy. It made her blood boil, but there was more to the story than what Max was letting on.

  She made a mental note to ask Max about it later when he got home. She needed to know what happened that caused them to break up. Sure, it was none of her business. But it would truly help Nicole to understand if he told her.

  She left the child's room and closed the door behind her. Just as she was about to clean up after their mess, there was a knock on the door. She looked up from the toys she was packing up, wondering who could it be.

  Frowning, she got up and sauntered over to the door. She pressed a button on the security system so that the alarm wouldn't go off. Nicole stared at the screen to find a brunette standing in the doorway. She was looking around, as if impatient for the door to open. She thought about not opening up, knowing that it was dangerous to let any strangers in. Especially not in Max's penthouse.

  But how did this woman get here anyway?

  Chapter Eight

  After contemplating whether she should open the door or not, Nicole gathered enough courage and finally opened it. She came face to face with the intruder, noticing that the woman had blue eyes so like Daisy's it almost made her think this was her mother. It was impossible, though. Her mom had walked out two years ago and never looked back to see if her child was alive. It couldn't be this woman.

  "Can I help you?' Nicole asked politely.

  The woman took her sunglasses from her tight, white shirt and slid it into her hair. She wore a pair of tight denim jeans that accompanied her plain shirt. Her breasts were a little too big, which Nicole guessed as fake and filled with silicone. Her Prada bag around her arm, face filled with heavy make-up and plastic surgery.

  She looked Nicole up and down as if she couldn't be bothered to talk to her. "I'm looking for Max Smith. Is he around?"

  Nicole tried not to wrinkle her nose in disgust. "He's not around, sorry. Would I be able to know who's asking?"

  The woman stared at her once more. It offended her, but Nicole chose to remain silent, merely setting her jaw. "Tell him it's Cassy Henderson." With that, the woman left. Leaving her standing by the door, Nicole watched as she stepped into the elevator without looking back. The name sounded familiar to her.

  She tried to remember where she had heard that name from. Only to realize that she was the woman who had tried her best to stay in contact with Max. But no matter how much Nicole asked Max to answer her damn calls and messages, he would just shrug and tell her to ignore it. She had thought about telling to block her, but the woman was persistent. Besides, the brunette would probably find another way to nag him. It was none of her business, really. But Nicole couldn't help but get involved.

  As soon as Max came home, she was already on the edge of her seat. She wanted to know about his history with that woman. It didn't make sense why she badly needed to know, but Nicole knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if he didn't tell her.

  "What has you on edge so suddenly?" Max joked when he walked in on her pacing around the living room.

  "Who's Cassidy Henderson, Max?" she asked straightforwardly.

  An invisible curtain fell over his face. "Why are you talking about her all of a sudden?"

  What was about this Cassidy woman that had his mood darkening abruptly? Could it be really Daisy's mother and his ex-lover? "She came here today, Max. She was asking about you."

  "What did you say?"

  "I said you weren't here," she told him honestly.

  "Good," was all he said before he adjusted his neck tie. "When she comes around again, don't open the door no matter what she does. Make sure that the security system's on, okay?"

  "What?" she asked completely confused about what was suddenly happening. "It's obvious she's an ex-girlfriend of yours, Max. So, why don't you tell me about her and how you guys came to be?"

  "I don't have the time to talk about this, Nicole." He muttered before he walked out of the room. Upset and angry for being dismissed, she followed him to the master bedroom and tried not to look at the bed. She had been avoiding going into this room as it only brought up memories she didn't wish to relive.

  "Your daughter called me 'mama' this afternoon, Max. She obviously misses her mom. Don't you realize that?" Nicole was so angry that she could see red flashing before her eyes. She would regret this later on. Just as she always do whenever she gets mad, and says things she didn't want to.

  "What if she called you that?" Max responded angrily. He had his jaw set and a muscle ticked along his mandible. "It obviously
doesn't mean anything, Nicole. She's not your daughter, so stop acting like you're her mom. You're just a babysitter that I hired to look after her."

  When Max told her that their night together was a mistake he deeply regretted, it had hurt. But not as much as it had hurt her until she heard him say that. She didn't know it was possible for her heart to break into tiny pieces. She tried to put them back into place, but the damage had been done. No one would be able to take back what they had said. Just as he wouldn't be able to hold off what he said next.

  "You know, Nicole. That's the thing about you. You pretend to be my daughter's mother as if you really are. You're a grown woman, but you don't know how to act like one. You're still stuck in that pitiful childhood of yours, and I don't think you would ever get out of it."

  She didn't speak. The lump in her throat made it hard for her to utter a single word. To defend her from the insult that was coming from his mouth. She didn't want to believe what he'd just said, but as the seconds ticked by. His words began to penetrate her head. Sinking into the holes of her brain and staying there for her to remember.

  Perhaps, she was dragging her own personal life into this. She might not have lived a great childhood with her dad neglecting her, but she hadn't turned out into a fucked-up kid that Max was accusing her of. There had been good times too, and that was something that she wanted to show him, and his daughter.

  "I didn't know you thought so low of me," she whispered as the tears came. She tried to keep them at bay, but it was as if they had a mind of their own. Fat rolls of tears rolled down her face, her voice cracking.

  He didn't respond.

  "Aren't you going to tell me about your history with her?" she asked, staring at him.

  He averted his face. "It's none of your business."

  With that, she finally had enough. Nicole shook her head as sobs racked her tiny frame as she walked out of his room. She walked back to Daisy's room, kissing her a few times before picking up her stuff. Max was waiting in the living room when she comes out, his hands buried in the strands of his hair. He looked so stressed out, as if he was facing so many problems in his life, and couldn't handle it.

  "You walk out that door, Nicole," he started without looking at her. "You won't be able to walk back in here."

  She raised her chin up. "I quit, Max. I really quit."

  With that, she walked away. She didn't look back behind her, choosing to walk straight up ahead and got into her car. She would have to find another job, but that was the last thing that she wanted to think about right now. She had just lost Max and Daisy. Just because she was persistent and nosy. And couldn't keep out of people's business.

  She drove home to her apartment; feeling like a ton of bricks had fallen on her.

  •••

  "You're surprisingly quiet these days," Michael commented.

  She looked up at him as she ate her cereal. She was at his house, eating breakfast in the small kitchen that felt so cozy and comfortable to be in. She'd been staying at his house a lot lately these days. Her brother had been around for months now, which Nicole took as a good sign. She loved hanging around Michael, but there were times when they clashed. But as siblings, they always found ways to reconciliation.

  "You don't like me being quiet?" she teased as she ate another spoonful of cereal.

  He shook his head. "I didn't say that. I just find it weird not to hear you talk a lot. Did something happen?"

  She stopped in her tracks, her finger dipping into the milk without her realizing it. Michael nudged her. Nicole blinked before licking the finger that dripped with milk before she replied with a smile. "Nothing happened, of course. Why would you think that?" she tried her best to sound casual and hoped it worked.

  He must have bitten onto her excuse for he shrugged. "I just thought that something about happened between you and Max. I haven't heard you gushing out about him a lot lately. Not as much as you do before. Did you guys have a fight or something?"

  "You've been asking a lot of questions, Michael. I don't know where all these are coming from." She played it off smoothly, adding a small laugh to match the tone of her voice.

  It was a good thing that her brother let it go. He might ask about it later again, so she had to work on her game. She didn't want Michael to get involved in whatever was going on between her and Max. It was just about the two of them, so she didn't want him to interfere. The last thing that Nicole wanted was to get both best males to be on bad terms. Just because of her stupidity.

  "I'm going to go shopping for some furniture to put into the house. Did you want to come?" Michael asked, knowing that she loved furniture shopping.

  "Of course I do!" she said, rolling her eyes up at the ceiling.

  He smirked. "Finish up and eating and get ready. We're leaving in ten minutes."

  They left his house ten minutes later and drove to the closest furniture store. She had wanted to spend time with her brother. And now that she was with him and doing it, it felt great. It felt like it was just the old days when they were kids. Without any care in the world.

  "I think this one would look great in the living room, don't you think?" her brother asked, observing a brown, leather couch.

  "I think the black one would suit your house theme, to be honest," Nicole said, giving him her ideas.

  Michael glanced at her. "You think so?"

  She nodded.

  They went to a few more stores before they finally decided on the couch she had suggested. As her brother was paying for it, Nicole noticed a cute, white wooden crib bed that Daisy would surely like. She was outgrowing that one that she had right now, and she had been contemplating about buying a new one for her. But as she stared at the crib, the more she realized that it had been months since she had spoken to Max. As much as she missed them both, her pride wouldn't let her be the first one to reach out to them. It hadn't been her who pushed herself away from them. It had been Max.

  "That crib looks great, doesn't it?" Michael said, popping behind her. "I think it would look perfectly great in Daisy's room. Her third birthday's about to come up soon. Max invited us for a small celebration at her parents' house."

  She turned to him in surprise. "Daisy's about to turn three?"

  "Yeah," he nodded before frowning. "You didn't know?"

  She shook her head. Nicole didn't know the child's birthday exactly, but she figured that it would be months away.

  "I had no idea that it's her birthday soon," she said absently. "Well, what are you thinking of getting her, Michael? She's your Goddaughter so you ought to get her something big."

  Her brother laughed before scratching a spot on his chest. "I think you can already guess what I'm about to get her." They both looked at the crib that Nicole had fallen in love with the moment she saw it. It would certainly be a great gift for her little girl.

  Chapter Nine

  Nicole felt like she was about to throw up on the day that they had to come over at Max's parents' house. She had her gift and Michael's at the back of his car, waiting to be opened by Daisy herself. It had been months since they had seen each other so things should have died down a bit. But as they got closer, she wondered how he would even react around her. Would Max consider saying hi to her? Or would they continue to ignore each other?

  "Well, there's only one way to find out," she said to herself as Michael pulled into the driveway.

  "We're here," he declared.

  Nicole was stuck in her seat and couldn't seem to get up. "I don't know if I want to go in," she said. "What if we're just intruding, Michael?"

  Her brother looked at her as if she had just grown a pair of horns. "We're not intruding. Come on out, Nicole. Don't be silly or I will pull you out. Don't make do that."

  She sighed and got out.

  The house was packed with kids and adults that Nicole hadn't met before. They were all welcoming and kind to her and her brother. She feared that she would run into Max. But the thought of not seeing him here had her disa
ppointed.

  Nicole got separated from her brother as soon as Max's parents came out. His mom led her inside the house, chattering as she led her somewhere she didn't know. "I haven't seen you in a while, dear. What hold you back from visiting us, huh?"

  She smiled. "Sorry, Mrs. Smith. I've been super busy lately. I found a job at the firm that my brother used to work at. So, it's definitely keeping me busy."

  "Max has been acting weird for the last couple of months. I don't know what's been on about, but he's not willing to share any of his secrets with me. Maybe you have any ideas? You two have been close when I last saw you two."

  How could she tell his mom that they hadn't spoken in months? Neither one of them had reached out to each other, choosing to let their pride get in the way.

  "I guess we've kind of lost touch with each other. Work had us both tied up, Mrs. Smith." Was the only excuse she could say before they reached the kitchen. To change the subject, she asked about Daisy.

  "Oh, my granddaughter's upstairs getting ready with her dad."

  "Oh," she muttered under her breath.

  Mrs. Smith must have seen the disappointment on her face for she laughed. "Don't worry. They'll be down in a minute. Would you like me to go up and tell them that you and Michael are here? Max would certainly love that."

  "No, it's okay." She said, shaking her head. "We'll see each other anyway."

  "All right then." The older woman nodded. "I've been wanting to ask you about transferring to our company. I've seen your work before, Nicole. And I've never met anyone as talented as you when it comes to painting. We're actually going to host an auction, so all the money that we raise will go towards the charity. What do you say about for us?"

  Nicole stared at the woman, flattered to be asked to work for them. Everyone that had the chance to work for the Smith's was very fortunate. The Smiths would only hire the best of the best. Not a single mediocre worker would be hired by Max's family.