If You Give a Single Dad a Nanny: Chapter 30

“HOW’S LOLA?” MARLOW ASKS AS we head to the school auditorium.

“She was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement when I dropped her off. At least we don’t have to worry about her getting stage fright,” I say with a chuckle.

My team at work has been dealing with several major setbacks with the Vanburen project, and I had to go into the office today to address an urgent issue. Fortunately, I still got to the school early, allowing me to accompany Lola to her classroom, where she’ll wait until it’s time for her to go onstage.

Marlow smiles warmly. “It seems like we may have a future Alice in Wonderland on our hands.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

And I want you there to share all those moments with us.

In the week since Lola told Marlow she loved her, I’ve included Marlow in her bedtime routine. We take turns reading to her, and there’s something extraordinary about the three of us cuddled on the bed together like we’re a family. I never imagined I could be this happy again after Maddie left, but Marlow has changed everything.

She’s quickly become integral to our daily routine, and I can’t imagine a life without her. I long for the day when I can wake up with her by my side each morning, and she’s the last thing I see before I close my eyes at night. She and Lola hold my whole heart, and I want us to be a real family… Waffles too.

I take Marlow’s hand in mine as we enter the school’s auditorium. Other than the town buzzing with gossip and my mother sharing the news with her friends, we’ve kept our relationship low profile until now.

“Dylan, are you sure about this?” Marlow murmurs as she looks down at our entwined fingers.

I think back to the night I traced her chest with words of affirmation before fucking her into oblivion. Her body was my canvas to do as I pleased, and if she’d let me, I’d spend the rest of my life worshiping her the way I did that night.

“You’re mine, sunshine, and I want everyone to know it,” I declare.

“Wait.” She grabs ahold of my arm with her free hand. “When we get back to your place tonight, I need to talk to you about something important,” she says, chewing on her lip.

“We can talk about whatever you want,” I promise. I catch sight of my mom in the second row, motioning for us to come sit with her and Cash. “We better take our seats.”

“Yeah, okay,” Marlow says hesitantly.

I ignore the onlookers staring in our direction as we make our way to the front of the auditorium. At least now, there isn’t any question who Marlow belongs to.

She’s mine. Now and always.

“Hi, Marlow. Hey, sweetheart,” my mom greets us. “How’s our little star doing?” she asks me.

“She’s extremely excited. Where’s Dad?”

She points to the small section of seats on either side of the stage where my dad’s sitting next to Harrison with his camcorder in hand. “He’s going to film the play so Presley and Jack can watch it when they come to visit. And he wants Lola to be able to see it later, since she’s missing most of it.”

“She’ll love that,” I say.

“I tried to get him to use my phone to record, but you know how he likes that camcorder of his,” Cash chimes in. “Marlow, it’s good to see you again.” He flashes her a big grin.

“You too,” she replies sweetly.

Cash snickers as I shoot him a glare and drape my arm around Marlow, drawing her closer to me.

We all settle into our seats as the lights dim and the curtain opens. I smile with satisfaction when Marlow rests her head against my shoulder. While I appreciate my family’s unwavering support, having her by my side to share this moment with is more than I could ever ask for.

The first act moves at a glacial pace, while I impatiently wait for the “Garden of Live Flowers” scene in act two. Marlow squeezes my leg when several fifth graders dressed as flowers make their entrance.

“This is it,” she whispers with anticipation.

Sure enough, a group of first graders follow the older kids on stage. Lola is the last one to come out. She’s dressed in a green leotard and tutu, with a white headpiece shaped like a flower tied under her chin with a green ribbon. She’s absolutely adorable.

When the music plays, she sways to the rhythm of the song like we’ve practiced, but she stops when she notices Marlow waving at her.

“Hi, Marlow. Hi, Daddy,” she exclaims, waving enthusiastically with both arms.

“That’s my niece,” Cash hollers proudly.

The crowd erupts into laughter as Lola’s teacher steps out from the stage wing and gently coaxes Lola back into place. Lola goes right back to swaying with a megawatt smile for the rest of the song.

“She’s brilliant,” Marlow gushes with pride.

“It’s all thanks to you.” I kiss her forehead. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” she murmurs.

“Daddy,” Lola squeals as she comes barreling toward me, still dressed in her daisy costume.

I catch her in my arms and twirl her around. “I’m so proud of you, ladybug. You were amazing.”

“Marlow, did you see me swaying like we practiced?”

“You were perfect.” Marlow leans in to kiss her cheek. “I brought you something.” She hands Lola a single long-stem white gerbera daisy.

“It’s a daisy, just like me,” Lola exclaims. “It’s so pretty. How did you fit it in your pocket?” she asks with a puzzled expression as she looks Marlow up and down.

Today she’s dressed in a hot pink jumper with a light blue shirt underneath and wearing her favorite silver sneakers. Even on a rainy day, she’s a ray of sunshine. My ray of sunshine.

“It was too big, so I had to carry it,” Marlow explains.

She bought it from a booth the owner of Blooms had set up outside the auditorium.

“Oh, that makes sense.” Lola gently strokes the petals of her flower.

We move to the side of the hallway that’s bustling with families waiting for the rest of the kids to come out from backstage.

When my parents and brothers come to join us, Marlow leans over to me. “I’ll be right back. Quinn and Andi are here, and I want to say hi.”

I nod. “Sounds good.”

“Very impressive, little lady.” Harrison ruffles Lola’s hair as Marlow walks away.

“Thanks, Uncle Harrison.” Lola grins.

“Ladybug, that was killer,” Cash exclaims, giving her a high five. “Next time, I want a shout-out too.”

“Only if you help me practice,” Lola says in a serious tone.

“Pinky promise?”

Lola giggles, extending her pinky as Cash hooks his with hers, sealing their deal.

Next thing I know, she’s going to get in the habit of disrupting every play to say hi to someone in our family. I’ll definitely need to have a chat with her before the next one.

“Where’s my hug?” my dad questions.

“Papa,” Lola squeals, rushing over to hug my parents.

“So, brother, how’s the dog training coming along?” Cash mocks.

I shoot him a scowl. He knows perfectly well how things are going. Waffles and I have been at it for weeks with nothing to show for it. I’ve watched countless online tutorial videos and sought advice from several local dog trainers, but nothing has worked. Hell, I’d be content if he would just learn to obey my command to sit.

“You manage a team of a hundred. I’d think you’d be able to train one little dog,” Harrison says with mock disappointment. “I may need to reconsider your position at Stafford Holdings.”

“You’re such an ass,” I grumble.

“Daddy said a bad word,” Lola shouts.

Great. Of course she heard that.

I shield my face with my hand when the people nearby stare, giving me dirty looks.

My mom shakes her head in dismay.

“Shame on you,” Cash mocks.

“I’m going to go find Marlow,” I announce. “I’ll be right back.

I weave through the crowd to where she’s standing with her friends. They’re too immersed in their conversation to notice me.

My steps falter when Andi asks Marlow “When did you find out?”

“Gavin called and told me on my way to pick up Lola from school today,” Marlow says with a downcast expression.

Why does she look so sad? She was smiling a few minutes ago.

“I can’t believe it. The Paris Art Collective offered you a residency?” Quinn lets out a low whistle. “Damn girl, that’s impressive. I’m sure Gavin was over the moon.”

“How long would you be in Paris?” Andi asks.

“Three months,” Marlow replies as she anxiously taps her foot.

My stomach drops, and I’m frozen to the spot, unable to move. The hallway is packed with people and I force myself to keep a straight face even though a crippling phantom pain shoots across my sternum.

“That’s forever,” Quinn complains. “What are Andi and I going to do…”

Unable to listen any longer, I take a step back and walk in the opposite direction toward my family before Marlow and her friends notice me. My ears ring as I run my hand through my hair.

That must be what she wanted to talk about later. Part of me wants to be upset with her for not telling me sooner, but I understand she didn’t want to overshadow Lola’s special night, and I appreciate it.

We haven’t discussed our long-term future, and she hasn’t told me she’d stay, but I assumed she would after everything we’ve been through. I guess I conveniently forgot she’s not one to stay in the same place for long, especially when a new opportunity presents itself.

I should have known this was too good to be true. I was always so careful until Marlow came along, and once I finally claimed her as mine, there was no going back for me—consequences be damned. Now, I’ll be left to pick up the pieces when she’s gone.

I feel like a twenty-pound weight is on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. I know Marlow doesn’t want to take away from Lola’s big night, but I won’t be able to relax until we talk about what I just overheard.

When I get back to where my family is standing around talking, I tap my mom on the shoulder. “Hey, Mom?”

She turns around to face me. “Yeah, sweetheart? Where’s Marlow?” She looks behind me.

“She’s talking to her friends.” I motion in their direction. “Would you and Dad be willing to take Lola out for ice cream? Marlow and I have something we need to talk about in private,” I say with a tight smile.

This is one conversation that we should have with just the two of us around—regardless of the outcome.

I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her.

“Of course, sweetheart,” my mom says with a concerned expression. “Is everything okay?”

No.

“Yeah, everything is fine,” I lie.

When Marlow finishes her conversation and strides toward us, my heart aches at how damn beautiful she is. I wish I could throw her over my shoulder and take her somewhere we can talk right now, but I have to keep level-headed for Lola’s sake. There will be plenty of time for us to discuss when we get back to my place.

I’ll always support Marlow following her dreams, but I’ll be damned if I lose her in the process.