Don't Call Me Daddy (Once Upon a Daddy)

by Kelli Callahan

  “Of course!” Dan slides his finger across his tablet to unlock it.

  Dan’s higher in the company hierarchy than I am, but he still remembers when I used to be his boss, so he shows me a lot more respect than the newer guys. I’ve always liked him, so I’ll make time to hear what he has to say, even though I know most of this already.

  “Ah, you’re both here!” Bram walks into my office during the middle of Dan’s presentation. “I brought breakfast.”

  “Thanks.” I smile and take the biscuit he offers. “Guess it’s my turn on Monday, right?”

  “Nah, Kiana said she’s cooking for us Monday morning, and you know she isn’t letting me out of the house unless I bring some for you.” Bram shrugs. “Pregnancy hormones, I guess, making her all domesticated and shit.”

  “Is she doing okay?” I open my biscuit and add some jelly. “Both of Janie’s pregnancies were kind of rough; well, you remember how it was.”

  “Yeah, I do.” Bram nods and sits down. “Kiana hasn’t threatened to chop my balls off yet, so I guess things are okay so far.”

  Joking about my daughter with my best friend. Talking about the life I used to have. I do it with a smile on my face—the mask I wear every day. I love my daughter to death, even if I was a shitty father most of her life, but the fact she’s married to my best friend is never going to be completely normal in my head.

  “That’s good.” I take a bite of my biscuit.

  “What are you two working on?” Bram glances at the presentation. “Is that the Walker DeLaney account?”

  “Yep!” Dan chimes in with enthusiasm in his voice. “I’m getting Lawson prepared to make a call to Mr. DeLaney later today. Routine follow up.”

  “Good.” Bram nods. “Carry on then.”

  Dan goes through the rest of his presentation. I don’t know if Bram is just sitting in on it because he’s bored and has nothing else to do, or if he’s trying to spend more time with me. He’s made a real effort to repair our relationship after everything that happened, and I don’t hold any ill-will toward him, as long as he continues to treat my daughter right. It’ll never be the way it used to be, but that isn’t entirely his fault.

  “Alright, that’s about it.” Dan nods and wraps up his presentation.

  “Thank you, Dan.” I give him a nod and toss my empty biscuit wrapper into the trash.

  “Let me know if you need anything else.” Dan picks up his tablet and heads for the door.

  “Are you excited about the party tonight?” Bram looks over at me after Dan is gone. “I know Kiana is looking forward to seeing you.”

  “Yeah, it should be fun.” It’s a lie but a necessary one.

  I am looking forward to seeing my daughter, but we won’t get to spend much time together. She’s the boss’ wife, so she will be the belle of the ball, especially now that she’s pregnant.

  “What kind of costume are you going to wear?” Bram tilts his head inquisitively.

  “Uh…” I raise an eyebrow. “I might just go as myself. That’s pretty scary, right?”

  It certainly is to me.

  “I’m sure you can throw something together.” He laughs and shakes his head.

  Bram and I make small talk until Joanna has to pull him away for another meeting. I mess around on my computer for a little bit until it’s late enough to call Walker DeLaney on the west coast, and then I take an early lunch.

  A costume. A fucking costume. I don’t really want to wear one, but I need to keep up appearances. I head to the closest Halloween store and browse the aisles. The actual holiday is a little over a week away, so the shelves are completely pilfered. I just don’t see anything that catches my eye.

  “Is there anything I can help you with, sir?” A cute blonde wearing a Harley Quinn costume walks up to me.

  “Just trying to find something to wear…” I turn toward her. “They make you dress up every day?”

  “Yeah, but I like doing it.” She smiles. “I bet you’d look great in a Joker costume.”

  Is she flirting with me? I can’t keep my comic book people straight, but I think I remember Harley Quinn and Joker being a couple. My son would know. I could ask him if we were still on speaking terms.

  “Too much makeup to deal with.” I shake my head.

  “What about Batman?” She bites down on her bottom lip and grins. “You wouldn’t even need any of the fake muscles that most people have to stuff the suit with.”

  Okay, she’s definitely flirting with me, or she just likes to butter her customers up so that they spend more money. Either way, I’m not interested. I have too many issues to even think about taking someone out on a date.

  “Nah, I don’t want anything like that. I need something simple.” I glance around the store, hoping something catches my eye.

  “Well, there’s always Clark Kent.” She shrugs. “You could buy a Superman t-shirt and wear it under the shirt you’re wearing right now. You’d just have to unbutton it a little bit so that people can see the emblem.”

  “That could work.” I nod. “Got any glasses?”

  “Plenty to choose from.” She motions toward another part of the store. “Follow me, and I’ll show you.”

  “Thanks.” I sigh and let her lead me to them.

  I’m definitely not Superman, but it’s a simple enough costume that I can pull it off without having to do much. Kiana will probably say it’s lazy, but I don’t really care.

  I have to stop by the liquor store on the way home anyway, and I’d prefer not to draw any extra attention to myself since I’m going to have a few drinks before I arrive at the party.

  Maybe it’ll be nice to pretend to be someone other than Lawson Brooks for the evening.

  Chapter Three

  Ainsley

  The drive to the city is fairly uneventful. I get to jam out to a few of my favorite songs on the radio and get hyped for Halloween. Parties are the only thing that make the holiday special these days, and I might get to squeeze a few hometown ones in before the kids go trick-or-treating on Halloween night.

  I’m supposed to meet Sarah at the hotel before we head to the party, so that’s my first stop. I send a text to let her know I’m there and wait for her in the lobby.

  “Hey, girl!” Sarah waves to me as she approaches. “Glad you made it in one piece.”

  “Me too.” I nod. “You know I ate driving in the city.”

  “You wore your costume?” She laughs. “The party isn’t for a few hours.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t want to have to explain to my mom why I was going to a Halloween party with my costume in a bag; not that she even noticed I had a bag when I left.” I let out a sigh.

  “Wait until you see the room. It’s awesome.” She motions for me to follow her.

  “We’re not spending much time in it, are we?” I raise an eyebrow.

  “It depends on how long we stay at the party.” She shrugs. “I don’t plan to stick around after we trash that asshole’s office.”

  “Still going through with that, huh?” I step into the elevator, and she presses the button to take us to the sixth floor.

  “Hell yeah.” She nods. “Fuck him. My dad was out of work for six months after he got fired. He deserves it.”

  “I really hope we don’t get caught.” I chew my bottom lip nervously.

  “What are you worried about? You were all for this when I brought it up a few weeks ago.” Her tone reflects a hint of confusion.

  “I’m just not eager to wear another pair of handcuffs.” I sigh. “I don’t think I would make it very long in prison.”

  “We’re not going to prison, geez.” She waves off the notion. “If anyone shows up, we’ll run.”

  I was more invested in the plan when we were just going to crash the office party, but I was willing to go along with Sarah’s suggestion when she told me why we were really going. She’s gone through a lot because of her father’s issues, and she blames it all on the fact he lost his job; even though he’s
found a new one, and nothing has really changed. I understand wanting to get some revenge, but I’m not sure this is going to accomplish much. Maybe it’ll make her feel better; I guess that’s something.

  “See, look how awesome this room is. Great view!” Sarah walks to the window and opens the curtains.

  “It’s nice…” I walk up beside her. “I always wondered what it would be like to live in the city. The energy feels so much different here.”

  “It’s because everyone here has something to do besides meth.” She gives me a nudge with her elbow and laughs.

  “I think it’s more than that.” I turn away from the window and sit on the bed. “So what are we doing until the party?”

  “Well…” Sarah walks over to a small fridge in the corner of the room. “There’s a mini-bar.”

  “Doesn’t that defeat the point of getting free drinks at the party?” I raise an eyebrow.

  “Maybe, but I’m still having one.” She grabs a small bottle of vodka. “What’s up with your costume anyway? I thought you were going as a zombie cheerleader?”

  “I was hoping you’d help me with my makeup.” I reach into my bag and pull out the kit I got at the Halloween store.

  “Alright, I can make you ugly.” She giggles as she walks back over to me.

  Sarah’s costume isn’t nearly as complex as mine. She’s wearing a dress that she found at the thrift store and a masquerade mask. Maybe I should have done something like that. If my mom’s reaction was anything to go by, people are sure to notice me at the party. That might not be the best thing considering why we’re going.

  It’s too late to change it now.

  Sarah and I wait until the party is well underway before we leave the hotel to walk to the office building where it’s being held. Part of me hopes we’ll be turned away at the door and won’t get a chance to go through with her plan. I see that isn’t going to happen as soon as we get inside. There is a large open room where the party is being held, and nobody is checking to make sure unwanted guests don’t wander in.

  “See, it’s going to be simple.” Sarah gives me a friendly nudge with her elbow. “We’ll go in, have a few drinks, and then we’ll head upstairs.”

  “Alright, so the bar is our first stop?” I glance over at her.

  “It’s probably best if we split up and pretend to mingle.” She looks around the room. “I don’t think they’ll question one person that they don’t recognize wandering around, but if it looks like we’re here together…”

  “Yeah, good point.” I nod in agreement.

  “Remember, you’re here with Bob from Accounting.” She smiles and walks away from me.

  Hopefully there really is a Bob in the accounting department.

  Sarah can mingle if she wants, but I need a drink. I didn’t have any at the hotel, and I’m sure I’ll feel a whole lot better about her plan once I have some alcohol in my system.

  I smile and nod to the people that I pass on my way to the bar. A few guys take a second look when they see my costume. It’s certainly not appropriate for the office, and judging by what the others are wearing, it’s out of the ordinary. Sitting at the bar instead of wandering around might be a much better option for me.

  “What can I get for you, ma’am?” The bartender walks over as soon as I sit down.

  “I don’t know. What are my options?” I tilt my head inquisitively and smile.

  “If you can name it, I can make it.” He picks up his drink mixer and rattles it.

  “How about a…” It occurs to me that I don’t have any idea what I like. “Cosmopolitan?”

  “Sure, that’s easy.” He gets to work making it.

  My mom likes those. I took a sip once when she wasn’t paying attention, and it was pretty good. It takes the bartender less than thirty seconds to whip up my drink, and I give him a nod to let him know that it’s good before he moves on to someone else.

  I look around the room and wish for a moment that I had a reason to actually be at the party. There are a few guys in the room who look like my type—no surprise there, most of them are older than me and well into their careers—which means they have a girlfriend or wife and a family to boot.

  I’ve tried dating guys my own age. The attraction and chemistry isn’t there, and it always feels like something is missing. A couple of guys at the restaurant have hit on me when I stop by their table, but if they aren’t wearing a wedding band, I can see the outline where it should be. I draw my line at homewrecking; I’d rather stay single.

  “Still doing okay over here?” The bartender glances in my direction as he’s making a drink for someone else.

  “Yep! Thanks!” I smile and take another sip of my Cosmopolitan.

  I continue looking around the crowd and am somewhat thankful that nobody is paying attention to me. It will be a lot harder to put a face to who is responsible for trashing the office if I’m just one of many in the crowd. Sarah seems to be mingling pretty effectively on her own; she’s talking to a group of people who apparently have no idea she’s a party crasher.

  I take another sip of my drink, and when I put it down, my attention is drawn to a man who is walking toward the bar. He is dressed in what looks like normal office attire, except his shirt is unbuttoned, and he is wearing a Superman t-shirt underneath it. It takes me a couple of seconds to realize that it is supposed to be a Clark Kent costume.

  Clever.

  He might be dressed like Superman’s alter ego, but he looks like he could easily pass for the Man of Steel. He’s tall enough that I have to look up when he gets closer, and judging by the way his muscles press against his dress shirt, he would make a few superheroes jealous if he put on one of their suits.

  “Mr. Brooks! Ready for a refill?” The bartender walks over to him.

  “Yeah, same as before.” He puts an empty glass down.

  Mr. Brooks. I wonder what his first name is. I instinctively look at his left hand and see no sign of a wedding band—nor a tan line. There’s something about him that I can’t put my finger on. Something that makes me feel drawn to him. It’s not the usual feeling I have when I see an older guy that I think is hot. Maybe it’s the scowl on his face—he looks like he’s pissed off at the entire world and would break someone in half if they looked at him the wrong way.

  “Is your drink okay? You haven’t touched it since the last time I checked on you.” The bartender walks in front of me, totally blocking my view of Mr. Brooks.

  “It’s great. I’m just taking it slow tonight.” I flash him a smile and take another sip.

  “Nothing wrong with that. The parties usually go pretty late.” He steps to the side, and the seat previously occupied by Mr. Brooks is empty.

  No! Oh my god…

  I quickly scan the crowd and see him walking toward one of the side doors. I should forget all about him. I’ve been down this road before. I flirt. Occasionally, they flirt with me. It never goes further than that. I really don’t know if my heart could handle a rejection from a guy like him—a guy who looks like he was chiseled from my fantasies and brought to life.

  I’ll regret it either way. I’ll spend days wondering if he could have been the one. Maybe it would be easier to just find out that he has a girlfriend. He doesn’t need a wedding band to be totally off the market.

  I finish my drink and walking toward the side door. I expect it to lead to the street, but it appears to be an enclosed patio area. There are a few people gathered there, and when I step outside, I see Mr. Brooks leaning against the fence with a cigarette in his hand.

  I immediately reach into my purse and pull one out of my pack. I haven’t even had a cigarette since my mom scolded me after I got arrested, but it gives me a perfectly good reason to approach him.

  Which I do, with my heart beating a little harder with every step I take.

  “Shouldn’t you be out saving lives? Does Superman really have time for a smoke break?” I get close enough for him to look up at me.

  Tha
t didn’t sound so cheesy in my head. My god, I’m already making a fool out of myself.

  “Only when he’s drinking.” The edge of his lip forms a half-smile. It’s sexy as fuck.

  “Think I could borrow your heat vision for a second?” I hold up my cigarette.

  “It’s out of commission for the evening.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lighter. “I can do it the old-fashioned way, though.”

  “Awesome, thank you!” I lean forward, and he lights my cigarette.

  He has the most gorgeous pair of deep-blue eyes. I could get lost in them for eternity. He seems to be friendly, despite that permanent scowl, or maybe he’s just being nice.

  “I don’t think we’ve met, have we? Do you work here, or are you here with someone else?” He extends his hand. “Lawson Brooks.”

  Fuck. I’m supposed to tell people I’m here with Bob from Accounting, but I don’t want to tell him I’m here with someone else, not as their date at least.

  “Ainsley Andrews.” I shake his hand, and it practically engulfs mine; I wish he’d just hold my hand all night. “I don’t work here. I came with a friend.”

  “They didn’t mention that we have a dress code, I see.” He laughs under his breath and takes a drag off his cigarette.

  “It was kind of a last-minute thing…” The lie rolls off my tongue before I can even think about it, but I quickly try to turn it into a joke. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to wear zombie makeup in a place like this.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant.” He looks down and shakes his head, but I hear a slight hint of humor in his tone. “I’m sure there are plenty of people here who won’t mind.”

  “Are you going to throw me out?” I take a quick puff and move a little closer to him.

  “Nah, I have more important things to do tonight.” He drops his cigarette on the ground and steps on it. “Like getting another drink. It was nice meeting you, Ainsley.”

  “You too…” My voice trails off as he walks away.