by Tia Wylder
Chapter One
It was picture perfect if Melody wasn’t in it.
Daniel Brookes sighed deeply and stopped staring at the family photo that was taken almost three years ago. Though the life of a doctor was far from glamorous in most cases, this rang especially true when it came to pediatrics. He was rather gifted with children, having a daughter of his own who was crazy about him. Just because his previous relationship with her mother hadn’t worked out didn’t mean he couldn’t give his daughter the life she deserved. He had a supportive family, and with his job, his pride, he would never want for anything. At least nothing, maybe, aside from a bit of stability. As much as he struggled to make things work with his ex-wife, the woman was simply being unreasonable. If he could just convince the courts to give him full custody, or at least the majority… he sighed once more, shaking off these thoughts. His next patient would be due at any moment, and he would be lying if he denied being excited to see them. His sister, Danielle, was bringing in her son to get a routine checkup. As was always the case when he thought of his sister, he couldn’t help cursing his parent’s poor sense of humor. Daniel and Danielle always got remarks everywhere they went, regarding how they were nearly identical down to their names even. Danielle’s son and Daniel’s daughter thankfully broke the trend. He refused to name Amanda anything that even started with the letter D, and knew his sister felt much the same about Troy.
He sorted through some papers, waiting for his nurse to fetch him and announce the arrival of his next patient. He smiled as the portly older woman peeked in his office door, offering the handsome doctor a broad smile.
“Troy Brookes is here, Dr. Brookes,” she blinked her eyes with a faint smile. He returned her grin, rising from his feet and slipping out of the office. He went to the room the nurse had relayed, peeking inside to see his young nephew rummaging through the various drawers full of supplies.
“Hey, what are you doing!?” He growled in a gruff voice, and Troy jolted upright before turning to face the doctor. The young man’s face was the picture of relief when he realized it was only his uncle who had caught him, and he stepped up to Daniel for a firm hug. Daniel kissed the top of his nephew’s head, jolting when he heard an unfamiliar voice coo about how cute the situation was. He turned, seeing his sister Danielle as expected. However, what he hadn’t expected was the beautiful woman who sat at her side. The woman offered him a bashful grin, and he grinned toothily in turn. “Danielle, you didn’t mention you were bringing a guest,” he teased, and Danielle rolled her eyes.
“What would you have done? Tidied up the place? It sure could use it,” Danielle snapped, receiving a loud guffaw in turn.
“You can always go see a doctor that would charge you. I’m sure they would see that your meticulous needs are taken care of,” Daniel grinned. He offered his hand to the other woman, smiling as she turned wide eyes upon him. “Daniel Brookes, as I’m sure you’ve heard. You are…?” He prompted, receiving a giggle and the faintest of blushes in response.
“I’m Tiffany Aegis, Danielle’s friend,” she crooned, gripping his hand and shaking it firmly.
“Best friend, who will soon be out of a house,” Danielle announced, much to Tiffany’s apparent chagrin.
“Danielle, you don’t have to tell everyone,” she sputtered, and the other woman rolled her eyes.
“As if any of us in this room are without dirty laundry. Some more than others, I’m talking about your sock drawer Troy,” she bit out, and the boy jolted upright with a bright blush.
“She’s right, Tiffany. I have my share of troubles as well. A custody battle over my daughter has gone unresolved for months, and I’m beginning to suspect it’s because I would be a single father,” Daniel muttered, going about the boy’s usual checkup. Tiffany sighed, propping her chin up in her hands.
“If a dreamy doctor has problems, what hope do the rest of us have?” She mused aloud.
“Dreamy?” Daniel repeated. He smirked, patting Troy on the head. “Danielle, Troy’s fine. The nurse will see about his vaccinations, and then you should be able to go. Miss Aegis, I must say, it was a pleasure to meet you,” he grinned. Tiffany returned his smile, rising from her seat and quickly jotting something down on a piece of paper.
“Call me if you ever need to talk, Daniel. I’m always willing to offer an open ear,” she hummed, and Danielle looked between the two with quirked lips.
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. You ladies have a good day, and of course, you too Troy,” Daniel murmured, taking the number and gently placing it in the pocket of his scrubs. Tiffany offered him a final lingering glance before following Danielle and Troy out of the room. Daniel felt himself exhale a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, slumping slightly against the exam table.
He realized belatedly that he hadn’t given the gorgeous woman his number, but soon after she left, he received a simple text message explaining that she’d gotten his number from his sister. He quirked his lips in a smile, musing how such a thing might have made him angry in the past, but now he’s fortunate to have his sister as a wingman of sorts. He texted back again once he was in the privacy of his office, telling her that he hoped she would keep in touch. She answered with a single emoticon, it’s lips pursed into a kiss. He chuckled to himself, shoving his phone back in his pocket. He knew he would continue the text conversation later, but the present time required he invest his full attention in his work at the office.
“Dr. Dan… Daniel,” a whispering voice asked, “I am heading to cafeteria, do you want me to bring anything for you?”
Glanced with his baby blue eyes toward the clock on the side of the wall. It was long passed his usual lunch break hours. He sighed knowing the nurse had a crush on him, “No, thanks. I have brought my own.” He quickly immersed himself completely in the next patient record waiting on his desk.
The day was a usual one, filled with checkups and sniffly noses. He could only count down the minutes until he was free to go pick up his daughter from his ex-wife’s house. Though he supposed he should have been grateful that she agreed to watch young Amanda while he worked his busy job, he couldn’t help feeling as though it only harmed his chances of getting custody.
Daniel sighed deeply, pulling his cellphone out to check for any missed called and unanswered text messages.
Nada. Nothing.
He wasn’t a deadbeat by any means, and could certainly afford a babysitter. He simply didn’t see the need for the time being, considering how obnoxious his ex was about seeing that she got proper visitation. He had to remind himself at times that he didn’t have full custody of his daughter yet, and visitation wasn’t an issue he could rightfully press. All the same, he could only hope the woman wouldn’t try and deny him his time with their beautiful daughter. Although he may have regretted some things about being with Amanda’s mother, he would never regret his beautiful daughter.
As the day drew to a close, he found himself pulling his cellphone out of his pocket again with sweaty palms to check once more.
No missed calls.
No text messages.
Nothing from Tiffany.
As he drew a deep breath, a slow pulsating blue signal caught his attention. He quickly opened the text once more, smiling fondly upon seeing a clumsily written text from his daughter. As he was reading how excited she was to have a home, another text popped up. It was a rather melancholy message, with Amanda confessing how she wished her mother would pay more attention to her. Daniel narrowed his eyes, ignoring the other text in his inbox as he shoved his phone in his pocket. He needed to get his daughter, and he needed to get her fast. If her mother wouldn’t give her the proper love and affection she deserved, he would be certain to make up for it in buckets. He slipped into his sporty convertible, fastening his seatbelt before pulling out of the parking lot. He was always one of the last doctors to leave, but fortunately never had to deal with things such as closing the office. That was for the nurses and receptionists to t
ake care of. Though it was a relief that he got to end his day a bit early, he couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for those who wrapped up in such a thankless job.
He turned up the music on his radio, zoning out somewhat as he drove the familiar path to his ex-wife’s apartment. He could only hope he didn’t walk in on another date night that his daughter was forced to endure. He could sympathize with the fact that Melody, his ex, wanted to move on. Truly, he could. He could not sympathize, however, with the fact that she always placed her daughter secondarily to the men she dated. The music on the radio suited his mood well enough, being an old bluegrass singer balefully regaling a tale of his lost love. While Daniel didn’t consider Melody his lost love, he certainly had felt that way sometimes. There was a time where he wouldn’t have even considered taking a woman’s number. It was funny how time changed things. He had wanted to remain friends, but… well. It seemed it simply wasn’t in the cards. Melody held heaps of resentment towards him, resentment he was well acquainted with. He couldn’t help the long hours he worked, but it seemed that once Amanda was born, he simply forgot to make time for his marriage. He vowed to never make the same mistake, even though it was ultimately for the best.
As he pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, he could see his young daughter riding her bike back and forth along the sidewalk. She was alone, utterly unsupervised. He jumped out of his car, trying to keep his expression relaxed as he approached the young girl he so adored. She perked up immediately upon seeing him, jumping off her bike and allowing it to crash to the ground as she bolted towards him. He thought to chastise the fact that she’d given her bicycle such little care, but decided it was not worth the potential tears. He swept the girl up into his arms when she was close enough, holding her tenderly against his broad chest. She sighed happily, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.
“Daddy, I missed you,” she exclaimed, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek. He smiled, ruffling up her hair before placing her back on the ground.
“I missed you too, honey. Where’s your mom?” He asked, his calm facade faltering slightly. Amanda puffed up her cheeks, looking annoyed as well.
“She brought one of her boyfriends home and told me to come play outside,” she huffed. Daniel quirked a brow, brushing a single curl away from his daughter’s pouting face.
“Well, I suppose I’m gonna have to break up the party to let her know I’m here to get you,” he hummed under his breath, taking his daughter by the hand. She skipped alongside him, and he kept a somewhat slow pace as to not drag her ahead. She took the initiative herself, however, bolting to the door of her apartment.
“Momma get dressed, daddy’s here to get me,” she giggled, bouncing on tiptoe. Daniel narrowed his eyes at the door, listening to his ex’s loud cursing on the other side of the door. He heard a more masculine voice as well, as well as demands for said male to stay in the bedroom. He would perhaps be more bothered if Melody hadn’t begun cheating before they’d even broken things off. He was more upset that his daughter had been left to her own devices. Once he had given his ex sufficient time to get dressed, he began to pound on the door.
“Hold the fuck up, Danny,” a hoarse voice called, and Melody threw the door open. She was clad in a dirty robe, the entire fabric littered with cigarette burns. He narrowed his eyes, glancing over her shoulder and towards her bedroom.
“Do you really think it’s appropriate to bring men home while you’re watching your daughter?” He groused, receiving a snort and a roll of the woman’s eyes in response.
“I didn’t stop living just because I broke up with you, Dan. In fact, I just recently found out what it was like to live,” she sneered. Amanda gripped her father’s hand, watching the exchange with a haunted expression. Daniel hesitated, feeling how tightly his daughter was holding him. As much as he wanted to give Melody a piece of his mind, he knew it would only upset their child. Like it or not, the woman was still Amanda’s mother.
“Well, is it alright if Amanda gathers her things? I’m here to pick her up,” Daniel muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. Melody gave slight pause, glancing towards the bedroom before ushering her daughter and ex-husband inside.
“Make it quick. Mommy loves you, Mandy,” Melody murmured, patting the young girl on the head. Amanda nodded sullenly, gathering up the few toys she brought to her mother’s house. She grabbed her tablet, making a face at the greasy fingerprints all over the surface.
“Did you let Jake touch my tablet?” She whined petulantly, looking no more pleased when the older woman took the tablet and cleaned it on her robe. Melody handed the tablet back to Amanda, who offered her father a sullen look.
“Leave it. I’ll buy you a new one to keep at my house,” Daniel gave Melody a cold gaze. Seemingly satisfied, Amanda tossed the tablet to the floor and reached up to her father, eager to be picked up once more.
“Bye, momma,” Amanda called out, and Daniel considered his ex for a long moment before turning his back and stalking back to his car. Settled contently in her father’s arms, Amanda seemed at peace for what could have been the first time all day. “I really wish you didn’t have to work so much, daddy,” she mumbled, allowing the man to slip her in the backseat and fasten her in.
“We’ll figure this out, baby girl. One way or another,” he murmured. She smiled, obviously placing all her trust in her father. Though he didn’t know how yet, he knew he was going to win this custody battle. He had to.
Chapter Two
Some days later, as he pulled into the parking lot of the zoo, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and scanned his messages. He quirked a smile at the latest message from Tiffany, asking how he was doing. Amanda leaned over his shoulder, grinning toothily at the text message.
“Who’s Tiffany?” She asked in a singsong voice. He smiled sheepishly, ruffling her hair.
“Nosy little devil, aren’t you?” He retorted, gently nudging her away as he typed out a reply. He assured Tiffany that he was doing well enough, but mentioned the issues he was having with his wife. He mused it might have been a bit soon to be divulging such information, but he also couldn’t find it within him to care. He unfastened his seatbelt, opening the car door and stepping out. Amanda all but spilled out of the backseat, clapping her hands together in excitement. Going to the zoo was her favorite, and Daniel had decided she could use a bit of fun to take her mind off her mother. He grabbed her by the hand, pulling her to the ticket booth and buying one adult ticket and one child’s ticket. The young woman running the ticket booth offered him a sultry smile, and he quirked a brow good-naturedly as her touch lingered on his hand as he gave her the cash.
“You come back and see me, now,” she purred, and Daniel chuckled, shaking his head to himself as he led Amanda into the zoo. She rushed ahead as soon as he released her, squealing in excitement about wanting to see the monkeys. Daniel jogged to keep up with her, thrilled by his daughter’s exuberance. He paused as his phone vibrated, watching Amanda where she stood outside the chimpanzee exhibit. He grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and read the new message from Tiffany. Every time he read her messages, there was a sense of satisfaction bubbling up from the bottom of his heart. He could tell he was already somewhat attracted to the woman, which was something of a rarity for him. He typed out a response, looking up after he texted about his visit to the zoo with his daughter. His eyes widened as he realized Amanda was no longer in sight. He drew in an unsteady breath, jolting forward to search the nearby exhibits. Amanda was nowhere to be seen, which was somewhat strange considering she wasn’t one to wander.
“Amanda,” he called out, desperation washing over him. He heard a distant wail that he could recognize as his daughter’s voice, following the sound as quickly as he could. He continued to call his daughter’s name, stopping abruptly when he saw a man with Amanda scooped up in his arms. “Hey! Stop! That’s my daughter! Someone stop him,” he screamed, chasing after the man. Amanda wailed, struggling to get out
of the kidnapper’s grip. The man with the child grasped in his arms was beginning to gain distance on Daniel, and Daniel could only choke back a cry as the man turned the corner out of sight. “Wait, please,” he screamed out.
“Daddy,” Amanda screamed, her voice fading into the distance. Abruptly, however, he became aware of the sound of a man screaming in pain. As he caught his breath and moved to give chase once more, Amanda came stumbling around the corner, racing towards him. “Daddy, a lady helped me,” she gasped out, clinging to her father tightly. His eyes widened as he rounded the corner, seeing a familiar figure keeping the kidnapper pinned to the ground.
“Tiffany!?” He exclaimed, stepping closer. She glanced up, eyes widening in surprise.
“Oh, jeez. I promise I’m not stalking you. I was here with Danielle and Troy. I saw this guy taking off with… oh. That’s… your daughter?” Tiffany sputtered out, giving the man beneath her another sharp nudge with his elbow as he tried to squirm loose. “The police are on their way, scumbag,” she hissed at the attempted kidnapper, who simply resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to get away. Daniel stepped closer, holding his daughter tightly. It was belated that he realized Amanda was struggling to get out of his grip so he set her on the ground.
“This is Tiffany? Oh my gosh, daddy, she’s great,” Amanda announced. Tiffany smiled tentatively, exchanging a look with Daniel.
“Um… There’s something I wanted to talk about with you, Daniel,” she cleared her throat, and Amanda gasped loudly, clapping her hands against her cheeks.
“Are you asking my daddy out? Oh my goodness, that would be so exciting,” the young girl announced, clapping her hands together. Daniel made as if to correct her, but something about the look in Tiffany’s eye gave him pause. Just at that moment, the security guard at the zoo came rushing forward, eyeing Tiffany and the pinned kidnapper with an odd expression.
