Possessive Daddy Next Door

Toward the end of the day, I get up and wander back inside. I’m actively avoiding thinking about my life when I nearly crash directly into the subject of my dirty afternoon daydreams. Max looks at me with a little smile on his lips and an arched eyebrow. I stumble back and cover my mouth. “Oh, shit,” I say.

“Sorry.” He chuckles. “Now I see how you hurt your ankle.”

I glare at him. “A tree broke, and you just scared me. It’s not the same thing.”

“Sure it’s not.” He cocks his head. “Having a good day?”

“I guess.” I lean against the wall and put my head against it. “Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.” He leans against the wall next to me.

“How are you supposed to pick yourself up after a really bad failure?”

He laughs a little. “I’m not sure,” he says. “That’s a big question.”

“I know.” I close my eyes and let out a breath. “Sorry. I’m a mess right now.”

“Want to talk about it?”

I open them up and shake my head. “Honestly, I’ve been actively trying to avoid doing just that.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Do you?”

He smiles. There’s a sadness in his eyes. “I had to do something like that after my wife died.”

“Oh,” I say. “Shit. I feel like a jerk now.”

“Don’t. I just, I can relate, at least a little.”

“I have to admit, my problem seems petty right about now.”

He laughs again and leans toward me. “I promise, that’s not what I meant to do.”

“How’d you go on?” I ask him, turning so my shoulder’s against the wall and I’m looking into his eyes. “I mean, I know that’s such a dumb question, but—” I shrug.

“I have Tab,” he says. “I couldn’t just stop. I have to take care of her. After it happened though, I knew I had to get out of there and find somewhere safe for us. I had to learn to move on.”

“Move on,” I say, my voice nearly a whisper. “Did you figure that one out?”

He nods. “I did. Took me a while. But I stopped wearing my wedding ring and I accepted that my life was still going forward.”

“That’s it, huh? Just accept that life goes on.”

“Pretty much. What else can you do?”

“Hide in your parents’ mansion with your little sister and pout.”

“You do look good when you pout.”

I grin at him. “I bet you think so.”

“Look, I don’t know what you’re going through, but nothing is too bad. You have a support system, a family. You’ll get through it, just might take time.”

“I’m impatient.”

“Then kickstart the process.”

“Easier said than done.”

He shrugs and crosses his arms. “I wish I could help more.”

“I know.” I lean on my back again, but this time I’m closer to him. Our shoulders are just barely touching and I feel a thrill again. “Hey, want to stay and have a drink with me? Just hang around for a little bit?”

He frowns and checks his watch. That is not a good sign.

“Sorry,” he says. “I have to get Tab from daycare.”

“Oh, right.”

“Yeah.” He hesitates. “But if you want to come to dinner?”

“Dinner… at your place?”

“Sure. You can meet Tab. I can cook, believe it or not.”

I grin at him. “Handsome and you can cook? Sign me up.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I’m more than just a pretty face.”

I blush and look away. “Sorry. I know.”

“I’m teasing.” He nudges against me. “What do you say? I can pick you up after I get Tab and bring you over?”

I hesitate. I’m not sure I’m ready to go meet his daughter, but I’m tempted. I haven’t spent any time with a man in a long time and I like being around Max. He makes me laugh, makes me smile… and makes me want to touch him. Makes me want to kiss him.

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Great.” He smiles at me. “Be out front in a half hour?”

“Sounds good.”

“See you then.” He pushes off the wall. “Oh, any dietary restrictions?”

“I only eat raw, vegan, organic food.”

He frowns. “Oh, uh—”

“Kidding,” I say, grinning at him. “I eat whatever’s handy. Usually something from a box.”

“That’s my kind of girl.” He looks relieved and walks off. I watch him go then lean against the wall again. I tilt my head back and smile.

This is such a bad idea. I’m going to meet him all the way down at the gate just so nobody sees me get into his truck with him. I don’t want him to get in trouble. Patricks would flip, and I know my parents wouldn’t be happy. Lora would keep my secret but I can’t risk having him come all the way back to the house.

I skip off to get ready. I need to shower and change and start walking down the driveway… and I don’t have enough time.4MaxShe meets me down at the gate. She slips through the bars and climbs into the passenger side. “Hey,” she says.