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I got full custody, and Andrea was granted assisted visitation once a month at a place of my choosing. I offered to pay her some money upfront so she could start her life again, but no monthly alimony. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy about it. About not getting my money, but not about not getting Sofia’s custody. And that pissed me off even more.
I didn’t want a custody battle, but it infuriated me that she cared more about her lifestyle than her daughter.
“You will play with me all day,Papi?” I was startled out of my musings at Fee’s sweet voice.
“I can’t, Princess. I need to go to work. But,” I added before she could be sad, “we’re going to have breakfast together, and play, and I’ll do your hair until I have to leave, okay? Then,” I squeezed her in my arms, “you can play with Grandma and Lisa, who’s coming today until I get back, so we could play again.”
“My Lisa’s coming?” Her face lit up.
“She is. So, let’s wash your face, brush your teeth, and get down. Deal?” She shimmied out of my lap without answering and ran for the bathroom. Even the sound of her bare feet slapping the floor warmed my heart. “There’s no need to run.”
After she was ready, we headed to the kitchen, where my mom had cooked a morning feast. “Good morning,Princesa.” She smooched Sofia, making her giggle, and placed my baby on her seat.
“Good morning, Nana. My Lisa is coming today.”
“So, I heard. I’ve heard a lot about her.” I avoided her gaze as we all settled at the table so we could eat together. We held each other’s hands and closed our eyes as my mom prayed before we dug in.
After we ate and cleaned everything, I went to the living room to play with my baby until Lisa arrived. I felt my phone buzz and decided to ignore it when I saw Andrea calling—again—most likely to ask for more money.
We were sitting on the floor while I braided Fee’s hair when the doorbell rang.
“My Lisa is here.” I wanted to scream the same thing.
I marched to the front door with a dancing Sofia around me, cleaned my sweaty hands on my pants, and took in a deep breath to compose myself before I had to greet again the young woman I craved to know better.
CHAPTER THREE
My reaction to that man never ceased to astound me. I’ve seen attractive men before. I’d dated a few of them. But never, in all my twenty-four years of life, had I experienced such a raw effect from a man.
I had no idea if it was for his dark, comforting eyes, or for how powerful his big frame seemed to be. Maybe it was the duality about him. He was built like a bear, towering over everyone around him. One look at him, and even the strongest of men would be intimidated. But one closer look proved he was just a puppy in a huge costume.
The way he doted on his daughter made any uterus within a ten-mile radius combust. One may not want a child, but one would certainly want that DILF.
He was as potent as he was endearing.
I couldn’t—nor did I want to—forget the time we met. I went to the company he worked for to interview for my job. Mia Bryant had arranged it for us, and I needed to ace it. At that moment, I just needed a job. After that, I needed to be a part of that man’s life.
I arrived at Bryants & Walker Protection and felt intimidated. The place was huge, and that company was an institution in old Holy Water. Everyone in town and around us knew about them. Their fame preceded them, so respect came easily.
I stepped inside the atrium and was greeted by the most adorable woman at the front. Her curly blonde hair framed her small face, and her smile was huge as she talked to a man I knew to be Zach Bryant, a town’s loved one and Mia’s older brother.
Her cheeks turned pink as she noticed me. She instructed me upstairs and informed someone over the company phone that I was coming up.
When I reached the hall upstairs, I followed the light voices into a room full of toys, only to find inside the woman who got me my interview, a sexy man I knew from afar—Ben Walker—the most wonderful baby boy, and a hunk of a man who would change my life forever. Danny.
The woman stood up, picked up the baby—who I learned was Ben’s son—and stretched her hand to greet me. “Hi, I’m the one who texted you. I’m Mia.”
“Hello. Thank you for arranging this interview. April talked a lot about you guys.” April Reid was my best friend since we were kids, and she worked for Izzie Turner, Ben’s woman. She was the one who vouched for me.
My eyes landed on the one I wanted to be my boss—among other things—as he tried to stand up. Not very smoothly. Daniel “Danny” Delgado was a huge man, and his frame was hard to fit everywhere. It was hard containing my shivering at his sight. Especially since he appeared to be as affected by me as I was by him.
As he got up, Danny punched a squeaky toy, pulled down a chair, and kicked a stuffed giraffe. “Hello—” He started coughing, and I loved how adorable that was. I knew it sounded crazy, but seeing him so entranced was refreshing.
Mia started again, trying to talk louder than Danny’s breakdown. “This is—” Another toy fell. “This is our china shop. And this,” she pointed her thumb over her shoulder to Danny, “is our bull.”
Finding his voice again, Danny stepped closer, not tearing down anything this time. “Hi. I’m Daniel Delgado. You can call me Danny. I’m the one who wants you. For my baby. She doesn’t have her mother now. Well, she does. I don’t mean I expect you to be her mother. I can be what she needs. Not that I could be a mother, because I’m her father. I just need a nanny. Again, for her baby.Mybaby. Not for me. I can take care of myself.” I suppressed my giggle at his fumbled words as Ben laughed, and Mia stared at Danny, horrified. “I’m not saying you couldn’t take care of me. Not that way, I mean—”
“Tell us about you, Lisa,” Mia asked, putting a stop to the charming train wreck.
