His Vacation: The Steel Brothers, #4

By Rachel Foster

Diesel Steel is an MMA fighter and a single dad, but more than that, he's a man who had his heart broke at very young age. Now he sleeps around, but won't let a woman into his heart. But that all changes when a shy woman decides she needs a fun time before she leaves home to take a new job. Molly Elton is not a forward woman but the sight of all those muscles do her in. One hot night later and she's aboard a plane to the states. She never expected her one night stand to follow her, or to have his daughter in her new class. They fight the attraction, but once they give in, they'll fight to keep it. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: 3rd Publishing
• Release date: Mar 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215252062

Book preview

His Vacation

Rachel Foster

Copyright © 2018 by Rachel Foster

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

His Vacation

His Vacation

1

D

iesel

Well, it is just two and a half weeks away, and I want to be ready! Becca said enthusiastically. You know seventh grade is an important year. I’m in middle school now.

I know you are, and I’m proud of you, I just don’t want you to get ahead of yourself. And no boys, I said. You’re still too young.

Dad! Come on! Boys are gross, she said.

And I hope they stay that way, I replied with a grin.

Kim didn’t care if I dated, she replied flippantly.

Well, there’s a reason you don’t live with her anymore, and that’s part of it, I replied with a bit of tartness in my tone. It bothered me that my daughter called her biological mother by her first name, but at the same time, I couldn’t blame her for it.

Her biological mother hadn’t been much of a mom to her at all, and she didn’t even feel like she had one. I’d wound up with full custody of my daughter over the summer when I learned she was on the brink of going into the foster care system – something no child of mine would ever have to face.

I hadn’t even known that I had a daughter since a few months ago, and it had been a long process to get the custody of her. Her mother wasn’t much in my life anymore, and after having my heart broken one too many times, I only slept with women, I certainly didn’t date them.

Becca was the only girl in my life I could say I absolutely loved, and she was my daughter. She was the bright, shining star that motivated me to get out of bed in the morning. Well, her and my career. As an MMA fighter getting close to retirement, I wanted to go out with a bang.

I wasn’t going to be one of those people who just faded away. I was going to be a person who was at the top of their game then quit while they were ahead, and that was it. And with all the training I had been doing lately, I had done little else with my time besides shop for school clothes with my daughter and work.

Becca and I were taking a minute near the pool in our complex to relax. She had been living with me for a few months now, but there were still times in my life when I felt like I was just getting to know her. I could never get enough of hearing about her life, that was for damn sure. She was so damn smart. I wanted to believe she took after me in that respect.

Anyway, I want to make a bunch of girl friends. Maybe even have a best friend, you know? I always spent so much time on my own at my old school. I want to have a fresh start with this one. A new beginning, she said.

And you’ll have one. Just make sure you stick to hanging out with the right people, and you’ll be fine, I told her.

My phone rang before she had the chance to answer.

It’s your Uncle Kade. I’m going to take this, I said. She sat close to me as I put the phone to my ear. She was amazed she had so many uncles, and she was absolutely in love with the fact her grandparents owned a ranch. I could tell right away she loved horses, and I was glad to be able to give her the chance to work with them.

Hey, I answered the phone. What’s going on?

Oh, I was just calling and checking in on you, seeing how the whole parenthood thing is going, ya know, before school starts, Kade said.

It’s a learning curve, I replied. But we’ve been doing more shopping than I ever thought I would be doing, and I’ve been fitting in my job around the cracks. How’s life in the UK?

Kade had recently transferred to the UK to play for the relatively new British MBA. He had been a start player over in the states, and it was time for him to branch out. We were all impressed with the fact he was overseas, and he seemed to be falling in love with the area.

He certainly was in love with the fame and novelty that was coming with him being one of the only American men in the league, but with an ego as big as he had already, it was hard for anything else to go to his head. We loved to tease him about it, though he would argue that he was as humble as the rest of us.

It’s pretty insane over here. I think you would really like it, he said. I was calling to tell you that you should head over here before you get tied down having to take care of homework with your daughter.

Oh, I don’t know about that, I said reluctantly. I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not sure I really want to take a vacation overseas right now. You know work has been insane, and I’m doing my best to figure out this whole dad thing.

Well, that was part of the reason why I called, he laughed. I know you got launched into fatherhood even more than Hayden did. You got a teenager on your hands, and a girl no less. Why not take a break before you have to deal with all that comes with having a pretty girl in school?

I already told her we aren’t doing boyfriends, I said. Tell her now so it’s not going to be an issue.

You can tell her what you want, but you know boys – and girls, Kade laughed. Come on, you know you could use the rest, and I want to show you around.

I hesitated once more. It did sound like a good trip, and he was right, I could use a break. Not to mention, I did like the UK. To be able to see him – the brother I was closest to out of all of them – and to be able to do it in the UK, well that sounded like heaven.

But, I was a father now, and I wasn’t going to abandon my little girl because I wanted to go on a vacation. She had dealt with enough in her life, and she didn’t need a father who was going to drop her when he heard of something else he wanted to do.

I’m not sure I want to leave her so soon, I said. You know we’re still getting to know each other, and I want her to know that I’m going to be here for her, no matter what.

Dad! Becca had been listening in on the conversation, and she now butted in. What are you doing? You’ve got to take this opportunity!

I don’t know, I said. What about the shopping? What about getting ready for your school year?

You know I’ll be fine. I could go stay with Grandma and Grandpa while you’re gone. There’s still plenty of time before school starts, and it would be a great way for me to wrap up the summer with the horses. You know they would be happy to have me, you know it! she insisted.

Sounds like you’ve got someone else there who wants you to come see me, Kade said. You should listen to her. You know Ma and Pa would be happy to have her for the week, and she would get to hang out with the horses. It’s not like she’s going to have much time to do that when school starts.

You both just really want me to go to the UK, don’t you? I asked with a laugh.

Come on, Dad. You work hard, and you know you would like to rest for a while. Besides, I’ve not gotten to know Grandma and Grandpa as much as I would like. I would love it if you were able to go, Becca insisted.

She makes a good point, Kade said through the phone.

Alright, alright, so who put you two on the same team against me? I asked. You need to chill out and let me be the one who does the parenting here!

Well, you’re still new to this, so you might not realize that I’m going to say what I want to say, Becca rolled her eyes.

You wouldn’t think she was only thirteen, I told my brother. She talks like she’s closer to seventeen.

You better get used to that before it gets here, he said with a laugh. It’s just going to get worse from here on out, and you’re going to be the one trying to keep up with it all.

I’m already trying to keep up with everything, and you’re not helping the situation! I told him.

He laughed. I think I’m helping you out a lot. You work hard, and you need to come out here for a break. Your daughter thinks it’s a great idea, and she wants to go see Ma and Pa for the week. I promise you if I were to call Ma right now and ask what she thought about it, she would be on the same page as the rest of us.

You mean as the rest of you. I’m not on that page, I said. And I think you are both crazy to want me to just up and go to the UK without any sort of planning.

That’s the best way to do anything, Kade said. You just live your life spontaneously. Why not?

Because I have a daughter now! I said again.

And she wants to go to the ranch, he argued.

You know I want to live spontaneously like Uncle Kade, Becca said. I want to go to the ranch without any planning and have a good time with Grandma and Grandpa, and the horses. I’m not going to stop talking about this until you agree to let me go – and you go yourself.

I sighed. I knew they both knew that they had me cornered. I could argue with them all I wanted, but Becca was stubborn and smart. She was a lot like me in so many ways, it was hard to believe I didn’t know much about her until a few months ago.

You really want me to go? And you really want to go see the ranch for a week? I asked. I can give your Grandma a call and see if it’s okay with her right now if you want.

Yes! she said.

Alright, alright, then I’ll go, I said. But you better be good, and you better not ruin your new school clothes before school even starts.

Oh Dad! I’ve got plenty I can take out to the ranch. I’ll leave my clothes here and we can get them when I get back. It’s not going to be a big deal, she rolled her eyes and rose. I’m going to go pack!

I shook my head.

She sounds like a handful, Kade commented through the phone.

She’s just like me, I said.

Then she’s a real handful, he laughed. But it sounds like we’re settled then, you’re coming?

If you insist, I said with a sigh.

I do, he replied enthusiastically. I’ll get the plane tickets sent to you, and I’ll see you soon!

I’ll see you soon, I said. I hung up the phone and rubbed my eyes with my thumb and index finger. I didn’t know how they had managed it, but they were getting me to go to the UK for a vacation before school. It seemed so random, but I was happy Becca would be able to be out at the ranch.

And maybe they were right. I had been working hard lately, and it might do me some good to get out for a while. I was going to be a lot busier when school started, that was for sure, and I might not be able to do some of the things that I wanted to do.

It would be worth it, but I could do it now, and I might as well take advantage of that.

Not to mention Becca was packing before I’d even talked to her grandparents. Clearly, she knew they were going to welcome her out at the ranch, and she wanted to go, so I would let her.

I just needed to take a breather for a minute first.

2

One Week Later

M

olly

Come on, you never know when you’ll get the chance to go out with me again, and we need to make the most of it, Poppy said. You always get this way whenever you’re about to make a big change in your life, and it drives me crazy.

Come on, Pops, you know that I’ve got a long flight ahead of me. The last thing I want to do is fly to the States hungover. Or, worse yet, miss my flight altogether. How the hell am I going to make new plans if that happens? I asked.

You worry too much, Moll, she said. I’d get you up and out the door, no matter how hungover you were. Not to mention, if you only have a pint or two, you aren’t going to wind up in that state. You’d be right proper for your flight tomorrow!

I sighed, but she insisted. You only need to come out for one drink, maybe two, and I’ll let you go home. I just want to be able to see you for another night out before you head over to America. You know how hard it’s going to be for me with you gone.

You’ve got enough of your own friends, you’re not even going to miss me, I said, but she put her hands on her hips defiantly.

I will so! she said. They might be friends, but you are my sister, and there’s no replacing you.

"Do you really want me to go out with you that bad? I asked. You know it can’t get wild tonight, and I’m not going to keep reminding you of that."

Yes, she laughed. Yes, I really want you to go out with me.

Okay, I said. I can manage a drink or two, but we aren’t going to let it get out of hand, okay?

Okay, she beamed. I knew you would come through for me!

Wrapping her arms around me, she gave me a tight squeeze. I hugged her back. Polly was my little sister, and I knew I was going to miss her when I was working in the US, but nothing was going to stop me from pursuing my dream.

I