Dirty Daddy (A Single Dad Romance) (The Maxwell Family) Read online

  DIRTY DADDY

  By Alycia Taylor

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 Alycia Taylor

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  Chapter One

  Reed

  I got up early to make cereal for my daughter. On weekends, I tried to make her something a bit more substantial, simply because I either got the day off or I was allowed to go into work a little later. But on weekdays, there was just too much of a rush for me to make time for elaborate cooking as well as getting to work on time. Thankfully, Trinity was an easy child when it came to food and was currently going through a cereal obsession. I think it had more to do with the fact that I’d recently bought her a set of Nemo bowls that she enjoyed eating out of. It had taken me a long time to figure out how to get Trinity to do what I wanted her to do, but over the years I’d slowly learned a few parenting tricks. Plates, bowls and cups featuring favorite movie or cartoon characters being among those tricks.

  “Dad, when is Ryan coming back? And what about Blaire? I really like her. Did you know that we decided to be sisters? Isn’t that cool?”

  I chuckled. My brother Ryan had recently visited with his new girlfriend. Trinity had always loved her uncle, but she had taken an even bigger liking to Blaire. The two of them had been conspiratorial all week together, declaring that they were long lost sisters and friends forever. It had been nice to see Trinity interacting with a woman that wasn’t her nanny for a change, but it had also made her sad when they’d left.

  “I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

  “Maybe they will move to Seattle? It’s a cool city. I think I’m going to write a letter to Blaire and tell her all about how nice it is to live here. Will you help me write it?”

  “Of course I will. That’s a great idea.”

  “Can we do it now?”

  “I wish we could, my darling. But I have to go to work.”

  “Do I have to go to school?”

  “Not today. It’s school vacation, remember? Linda will be here soon, and she will spend the day with you. If you want, I’m sure she’ll even take you out,” I said. I’d already told Linda that she could take Trinity anywhere as long as she ran it by me first. Mostly, Trinity just wanted to go to the park, which was fine by me.

  “But Dad, why can’t you stay with me? Remember when you took time off when Uncle Ryan was here? That was fun. We can do that again. Even if they aren’t here.”

  I smiled sadly at her. I wished I could tell her how difficult it was to raise a child alone. One day she’d realize. But for now, I wasn’t going to make her feel bad for the fact that her mother left us. It wasn’t her fault.

  “I wish I could. I promise to try and get a day off soon, my darling. But sadly, Daddy has to go to work today. You know why Daddy has to work so hard, don’t you?”

  Trinity nodded. “I know. You work hard so that we can have nice things for food every day, and clean clothes to wear. And you work hard so that I can go to school and learn new things. And to help people.”

  Trinity had obviously heard me say the same things time and time again. I nodded. “That’s right. But I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? You’ll have a nice day with Linda. You always have fun with her, don’t you?”

  “I guess,” Trinity muttered. “But you promise we can spend time together soon?”

  “I promise. Now, I better get going. I hear Linda’s car. Be a good girl, okay?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  I ran upstairs to brush my teeth, and to grab my coat and my briefcase. Then I gave Trinity one more kiss goodbye. I spotted Linda in the hallway hanging up her coat and smiled at her.

  “Mornin’, Linda.”

  “Morning, Reed. Uh, do you have a minute? I really need to talk to you. It won’t be long.”

  I looked at my watch. I had an appointment that morning that I couldn’t be late for. That was the problem with working as a neurosurgeon: I couldn’t come and go as I pleased, and I certainly couldn’t just take days off when I wanted. I worked around a tight schedule that did not offer me a lot of flexibility. It was part and parcel of the job, and I had always known that going into it. What I hadn’t known, however, was that I would also have a child to look after on my own.

  “I’m so sorry, Linda. I really have to go. I’m already a little bit late and who knows what the traffic is going to be like. Can we talk later?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “I’m sorry. Is it serious?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s not serious. Don’t worry about it, Reed. We can talk later.”

  I shot her a grateful smile and headed out the door. When I got to work, I went straight to my office and prepared myself for my first client. I always liked to look through their folders and do a background check before the patient came in. It was important for me to know who I was talking to, and for them to feel comfortable around me. This was a patient that I had seen many months ago. He was suffering from acute headaches, similarly to how my brother Ryan had been. Thankfully, it hadn’t seemed too serious at the time, so I hoped that he wasn’t coming in with more issues. I sat with him for forty minutes as we ran through everything that he was going through. In the end, we both agreed that the headaches, and all the other symptoms he was experiencing, were simply due to stress. I’d seen many people like him before, and as always, I was reminded of how much stress could affect a person’s health. I wrote a note to excuse him from work for a full week and handed him a prescription.

  “Now, you promise to relax?”

  The man laughed. “I promise. I don’t know why it’s so hard. You’d think relaxing would come easily.”

  I shook my head. “Oh no, it definitely doesn’t. You’re not the only one. Most people don’t know how to relax. Life is stressful. But we have to make a conscious effort to look after ourselves and to realize what is important and what isn’t. Take this week off to really think about things, and if you need another week, let me know.”

  As the man walked off, I realized what a hypocrite I was being. I worked far harder than I probably should and found it hard to relax even when I was at home. I was constantly thinking about work and always worried about my daughter. If anyone should be suffering from stress-related headaches, it was me. But, as usual, I put the thought behind me and carried on with work.

  After my third patient of the day, I took a walk over to the lunch room to get a sandwich and headed over to where Warren was seated. Warren was a good friend of mine, and being a work colleague, he understood where I was coming from. Sometimes I found it hard to relate to people who were not in the medical industry, or at least hard to relate to people who didn’t work as hard as I did. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if there was something wrong with them or with me. It was hard to tell at times.

  “Hey, man,” I said as I sat down to join Warren.

  Warren looked up mid chew and grinned. “Reed! Mr. Moneymaker himself.”

  I groaned. Sometimes I regretted telling Warren about the nickname bestowed upon
me by the motorcycle club my father belonged to.

  “I need a nickname for you.”

  Warren laughed. “How about ‘Handsome’?”

  “How about ‘Hell no.’”

  “I still can’t believe that you were once part of a motorcycle club.”

  “Hey, why not? Don’t I look like the type that rides a bike?”

  “You look like a doctor. So, no.”

  “I’ll have you know I still have my bike. And I still ride. Just not all that often.”

  “Who has the time for things like that these days?” Warren sighed. “You’ve been busy today. I came by twice, and your office door was closed both times.”

  “Yeah, back-to-back bookings today. I still have a few more to get to before I can even think of going home. And I have my poor daughter on her summer vacation now. She was begging me to stay with her today. Breaks my heart.”

  “Ah, that blows. Don’t you have a nanny?”

  “I do, but it’s not the same. Lately, she’s been a bit clingy. I just hope she’s not going to start asking about her mother. I’m not sure I can deal with that.”

  We sat for the next twenty minutes, with me complaining about how busy I was and Warren interrupting me to tell me about some woman he went out with. I had no idea where he found the time to date, but I supposed it was easier without a child. After lunch, I made my way back and continued with work until it was time to go home.

  I felt guilty driving home. I didn’t realize how late it was. My last appointment had been at six, and after that, I’d sat for another two hours doing paperwork. I only realized when I saw that it was already getting dark outside, and when I looked at my watch, I gasped. Time had gone so quickly, and I still hadn’t gotten all my work done. I tried not to think about Trinity’s face when I’d assured her I’d try to be home early.

  I pulled into the driveway and made my way inside the house. The moment I saw Linda sitting alone in the living room, I went to join her.

  “Linda, I’m so sorry. Time just flew away with me. I promise you’ll get paid extra for these hours.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “Trinity is already fast asleep. She was tired tonight. Mind if we still talk?”

  I’d completely forgotten that Linda wanted to talk. I nodded and sat on the sofa opposite her.

  “All okay?”

  “Actually, I’m handing in my resignation.”

  “What? Why? Oh, Linda, I’m so sorry about making you work late. It won’t happen again.”

  “It’s not that. I have really enjoyed working here with you, Reed. And I’m going to miss Trinity so much. But I’ve decided to move to Florida for my daughter. It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a long time now, and I’ve finally decided to make the move. I’m sorry it’s so sudden, but I haven’t known how to tell you. I really am sorry, Reed. But I have to look out for my own family now.”

  I sat there in complete shock. This was not what I had expected her to say. I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of her leaving us. Finding someone that I trusted and that Trinity liked hadn’t been easy in the first place. But I always knew that she wouldn’t be with us forever, and I had to respect her wishes.

  “I fully understand. I’m going to be sad to see you go, Linda. And I’m sure Trinity is going to miss you so much. Will you still be with us for a while?”

  “I wish. I wanted to give you more notice, Reed, but unfortunately, I have to go this week.”

  “This week?”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  I forced myself to smile. “That’s okay. I really appreciate everything that you have done for us.”

  She smiled back. “Thank you for everything, and give my love to Trinity. I couldn’t bear to tell her myself tonight.”

  I let Linda out and made my way to Trinity’s room. First, her mother left her, and now her nanny was leaving, too. Trinity was too young to understand that the two incidents were not related and that they were not her fault. She looked so peaceful lying in bed, and my heart broke for her. How was I going to cope without Linda around?

  Chapter Two

  Kennedy

  It was a rainy day, and even though it wasn’t all that cold, I still decided that I’d make a chicken curry that night. There was just something about rainy weather that always made me want to curl up in front of the TV with a bowl of something warm to eat. Although, I wouldn’t be curling up in front of the TV that night. I was at work, and cooking for Mr. Wentworth.

  Mr. Wentworth lived in a house that was too big for one person right in the middle of what was probably the most expensive part of Seattle. He’d lived there with his wife, and even though they’d had no children, they liked to live extravagantly. He had been a bit of a Gatsby in his day, throwing elaborate parties whenever he felt like it. He loved telling me stories about them, and I loved listening to them. It often felt like he was talking about someone else, even though I’d seen the photos to prove it was him. But that had been a long time ago. Ever since his wife died eight months ago, there had been no more parties.

  Mr. Wentworth invited me to cook with him after I’d done a small demonstration at a shopping mall. I’d been in between jobs, and someone had given me the opportunity to hand out bites of my food along with my business card. I’d almost not done it, and I’d been sure that nothing would come of it. Also, I’d been so sure that I wanted to work in a restaurant, and I wasn’t sure if being a personal chef for anyone would be something that I’d want to do. But Mr. Wentworth had been there that day and had taken me up on my offer. He’d been battling without his wife who used to be the one that made the food each day. I’d immediately said yes. He’d seemed like such a nice man, and I’d felt so sorry for him. The pain and hurt in his eyes and been palpable and I’d started working for him the very next day. Since then, I came in twice a week to cook for him, always making enough leftovers for him to have the following day.

  I’d often wondered if I’d made a difference in his life, just by being here. I hoped so. He’d worked as a surgeon for most of his life and stopped working when his wife died. But a month after coming to work with him, he’d begun working again.

  “Sit with me,” Mr. Wentworth said as I began to dish up the curry for the evening.

  I smiled. I’d grown accustomed to him inviting me to have dinner with him, and I didn’t mind. At first, I’d felt awkward. But now I didn’t mind at all. It was nice sitting and talking to him. He wasn’t the only one that didn’t have anyone to talk to each night. I lived alone and I actually looked forward having some conversation each night that wasn’t with my cat.

  “Okay, let me get myself a bowl,” I said.

  I dished up for myself and carried it to the table. I looked up to see if Mr. Wentworth was enjoying it, and I was glad to see him close his eyes and smile at the first bite. To this day, I still worried about what people thought of my food. Even though I’d been cooking for Mr. Wentworth for months now, it was still important for me to know that he liked the food each time he ate it.

  “This is amazing, Kennedy,” he said to me.

  I grinned. “I’m glad you like it. A rainy day means a curry day in my book. And I’ve made more than usual, so there’ll be plenty for tomorrow night and maybe even a lunch or something in between. That’s if you don’t get sick of it, of course.”

  “Sick of your food? I highly doubt that.”

  “Thank you. I have a friend who cannot stand eating the same food every day. She always cooks enough for one meal. That’s not like me at all. I love leftovers. Especially curry. You’ll see—the food will taste better tomorrow.”

  “I don’t doubt it. So, how are things going with you, Kennedy? Met any nice boys lately?”

  I laughed. “I have my cat. Merlot is more than a handful, thank you very much.”

  “Merlot sounds like quite the character.”

  I laughed as I thought about my cat, who had crept into my heart a year ago and firmly stayed. I’d always been a
dog person, and in a way I still was, but Merlot was different. He was quite possibly one of the ugliest cats I’d ever seen in my life, which made him the most beautiful in my eyes. He’d been abandoned as a kitten and left to fend for himself on the streets. Caring for him and seeing him change throughout the year into a docile and chubby cat had been spectacular.

  “He is. And trust me, I don’t need a man when I’ve got him.”

  “One day you’ll eat those words. You’ll see.”

  “Maybe. Maybe. And how about you? How’s work going?”

  “Uh, actually, Kennedy, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  I looked at him and frowned. Why did he sound so serious all of a sudden? “You need to talk to me? About work?”

  “Well, sort of. I’ve actually decided to go into early retirement. I’m just not enjoying my job anymore. I have no passion for it. I keep trying, but it’s not there. And it’s not fair to my patients who deserve someone who can give them their full attention. I mean, it’s not the sort of job I can just be relaxed about. And I’ve got enough money to stop working, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t. I have a few hobbies that I want to start doing now. Things I’ve put off for a very long time because of my work. So, now is the time.”

  I smiled at him. When I’d first met Mr. Wentworth, he’d been a very sad man, and for good reasons of course. It was good to hear him talking about taking back control of his life again.

  “I’m happy for you,” I said. “You deserve this. You deserve to go out and live your life. Your wife would’ve wanted that for you.” It was something that I had often thought of but didn’t have the heart to tell him. I knew that he needed to figure that out in his own way.

  “She would. But, uh . . . I think I’m going to have to have a whole new change.”

  I had a feeling that I knew where this was going. Mostly because he couldn’t look me in the eyes. He kept his eyes firmly on his bowl of curry.