Mack Daddy - Chapter 1
Francesca
“You should get a look at the DILF at the registration desk,” Lorelai whispered as she entered my classroom. “Hottest dad I’ve ever seen in my five years here.”
I loved her to death, but my teaching assistant was a total bimbo.
She threw around the “DILF” term a lot. Daddy I’d Like to Fuck.
I sometimes had to wonder whether she was here to shape children’s lives by teaching them or to influence their lives by stealing one of their fathers.
Not to mention, this was supposed to be an uptight, religious institution.
Priests and nuns were always lurking around these halls, and she couldn’t have cared less.
“I have better things to do than fawn over married men today, Lor. None of these tables are even configured right. We have ten minutes till doors open.”
It was the first day of classes at the private Catholic school where I worked as a first-grade teacher.
Located on the outskirts of Boston, St. Matthew’s was an exclusive educational institution that welcomed boys and girls from all over the state if their parents could afford the twenty-thousand dollars per year tuition.
Unlike a certain co-worker, I took my job very seriously.
Whereas most of my friends who were teachers dreaded the end of summer, I loved everything about the first day of school: the crisp fall air, the smell of new clothes, getting into a routine again.
“Seriously, this dad was a different level of hot,” Lorelai said, pushing one of the chairs into its rightful position. “You know that perfect hair that some movie stars have? Thick, lush, shiny hair you want to run your fingers through? Like the guy from White Collar? What’s his name?”
Sliding a chair into place, I answered, “Matt Bomer.”
“Yes! That kind of hair. This guy didn’t look like him per se, but he was just that kind of handsome. Tall, muscular, smelled good. And he has the cutest little boy, too. Kid had glasses and curly hair. He might even be in this class, because he looks pretty young.”
I hadn’t met any of my new students yet. There was an orientation I had to miss due to a prescheduled trip for my mother’s destination wedding in Antigua. Another colleague had filled in for me. So, I felt even more out of the loop than usual.
I tried to get Lorelai to focus on the task at hand. “Wanna put these welcome packets on each table, please?”
Nothing seemed to be going my way today.
I’d spilled some white paint on my black skirt as I placed the individual containers at each station.
I had the bright idea that we would start the day by having the kids try their hands at painting a portrait of a new friend.
I figured it would be a good way for them to break the ice and get to know one another.
All of this would happen after the morning prayer of course, which was mandated to be the very first order of business before the day started.
Once I opened the doors, parents started trickling in with their children. I spent more time than usual on introductions, since I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet anyone at the orientation.
Getting to know each student’s individual needs and personalities would take some time, but I was always eager to familiarize myself with each and every one as fast as possible.
When I finally had my first chance to breathe after the parents and children dispersed, I was just about to head over to my desk for a quick sip of water when a familiar voice seemed to vibrate against my back.
“Frankie.”
The hairs behind my neck stiffened, and my body stilled. That familiar, baritone voice shook me to my core. There was only one person in the entire world who called me by that nickname—a name that hadn’t been uttered in years.
There was no possible explanation for why he could have been here. He lived in D.C., or maybe it was Virginia now.
He couldn’t be here.
I braced for the worst, forcing myself to turn and face him.
A sudden onslaught of heat permeated my face, and it felt like my legs were going to collapse out from under me.
Mack.
Not only was Mackenzie Morrison standing right in front of me, but he looked even more amazing than I could recall. He was everything I remembered, just magnified. His muscles were even more defined, and gritty stubble peppered his angular jaw.
His sparkling eyes were searing into mine with a determined look that made me a bit uneasy. Clearly, this reunion wasn’t having the same effect on him as it was on me. While my mouth felt numb, unable to form words, he appeared ready for this moment.
“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“You might as well be one,” I muttered under my breath.
“I expected this reaction.”
I whispered, “Jesus.”
We weren’t supposed to use the Lord’s name in vain here. I couldn’t remember my own name right now let alone a single one of the Ten Commandments.
Opting not to look him in the eyes any longer, my gaze travelled down to his large hands and the veins protruding from them. The recollection of what it had felt like to wrap my fingers in his was clear as day.
It suddenly hit me that Mack was the DILF Lorelai had been referring to. For the first and only time, she hadn’t been exaggerating about how incredibly good-looking someone was.
His tone was demanding. “Look at me, Frankie.” When I didn’t listen, he repeated, “Look at me.”
I lifted my head. To look him in the face was truly painful, triggering an onslaught of memories I preferred to keep at bay. One thing was for certain: the grown man standing before me was far more confident than the guy whom I’d last seen with tears in his eyes.
“I don’t understand. How is this possible? What are you doing here at my school?”
He slowly approached me, causing my skin to heat. “We live here now—in Massachusetts.”
We live here.
Who was ‘we’ exactly?
My heart was thumping out of my chest in a mix of fear and an oddly disconcerting excitement that I didn’t quite understand.
The wheels were turning in my head. I remembered looking at the class list and noticing a Jonah Morrison. The last name freaked me out a little, but I never could have imagined in a million years that it was Mack’s son.
“Moses never told me you were living here in Boston.”
“I know. I told him I wanted to be the one to tell you about the move.”
I stepped back a bit, too overwhelmed by the closeness of his body and the realization that he smelled the same, that his earthy scent still caused my body to have the same reaction it always had.
My eyes wandered to the corner of the room, where out of process of elimination I identified Mack’s little boy.
His son.
Oh, my God.
Mack seemed to notice where I was looking and allowed me a moment to take it all in. I could feel him watching me watching his kid.
Jonah was a bit scrawny. Through his thick glasses, I could see that he had his father’s hazel eyes but otherwise looked more like his mother. His head full of kinky curls was a darker shade of brown than Mack’s.
My eyes returned to meet his when I asked, “How did your son end up in my class?”
“If I told you it was a coincidence, would you believe me?”
“No.”
“Well, it’s not,” he was quick to admit.
“Why? Why are you doing this? Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Would it have made it any easier?”
“No,” I whispered.
“We came to the orientation. You weren’t there. I was hoping to have this happen then, not on the first day of school.”
I wasn’t sure if by ‘we’ he meant him and Jonah or him and his wife. Or was it his girlfriend? Were they even still together? I had no clue.
My heart was pounding even harder at the thought of having to meet Jonah’s mother, Torrie. “Where’s his mother?”
“She has to be at work early in the morning. I’ll be picking him up to take him to school every day since I work from home.”
It was all too much. I started to walk away. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have to attend to my students.”
The kids were talking among themselves, making a racket, and oblivious to what was going on with Mack and me.
He followed close behind. “I know this is a shock.”
“You think?” I quipped, before turning around to face him again.
“Let me just introduce you to Jonah. Then I’ll leave.
” He walked over to the boy, who was seated and messing with his lunch box.
Although I’d never met Torrie in person, I’d seen pictures and knew she was multi-racial, a beautiful mix of black and white.
Jonah’s skin was olive-toned, somewhere in between Torrie and Mack’s complexions.
“Jonah, this is your teacher, Frankie.”
“Miss O’Hara,” I quickly corrected. “Francesca O’Hara. It’s nice to meet you, Jonah.”
The boy wouldn’t look me in the eye and began to fidget.
Seemingly embarrassed by his son’s behavior, Mack raised his voice. “Jonah! Frankie is talking to you,” he said, clearly ignoring my request to be addressed more formally.
The kid’s face turned beet red. “Hi,” he finally said while reluctantly lifting his head to look at me.
“It’s great to meet you. Welcome to St. Matthew’s.”
Actually, I’m terrified to meet you.
Mack was the only parent left in the room, and we were already behind schedule.
Lorelai’s eyes were glued to the two of us. A smug grin spread across her face when she mouthed “DILF” as if I didn’t know it was Mack she’d been referring to earlier. Then, her eyes landed on Mack’s ass before she gave me a thumbs-up. His back was facing her, so he had no clue.
I addressed her, “Miss Brown, will you lead the class in the morning prayer, please, while I walk Mr. Morrison out?”
“Sure.” She winked then mouthed, “Holy fucking shit.”
My heart was pounding as Mack followed me out the door.
When I turned to him, I noticed that a look of worry on his face had replaced the confidence from earlier.
“So…my son…he gets… anxious—really nervous very easily. I worry about him.”
I let him continue.