Page 95 of Little Bits of Daddy (Montana Daddies)

“I, uh, guess I feel a bit dizzy, and I have a slight headache.”

“What? You’re ill?” he asked. “I’m coming home right now.”

“No, no, Duke, I’m fine.”

“You’re dizzy, and you have a headache. And Sav is concerned enough to say he’s staying home with you until I finish up. I’ll leave here as soon as I call my clients and cancel.”

“No, please, Duke, don’t,” she said tearfully. “I was trying to keep this from you so I didn’t interfere with your work.”

“Excuse me?” he asked in a dark voice. “You were keeping it from me? What are we talking about exactly?”

Oh shoot. She was in trouble.

“Okay, but first, I want you to promise that I’ll be able to sit comfortably on the plane ride.”

“Sunny,” he growled.

“Fine. I’ll tell you. It wasn’t just last night that I wasn’t able to sleep. The last week or so, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night, things going over and over in my head. But I’ve always gotten back to sleep before morning. Only, it’s been getting worse and last night I didn’t sleep at all.”

“And you didn’t think to wake me? To tell me what these things keeping you up are? How the hell did I miss that you’ve not been getting enough sleep?”

“Well, I always fell back asleep before you woke up and concealer and foundation do wonders to hide my fatigue.”

He swore under his breath. Okay, now she knew he was really upset since Duke tried not to swear in front of her.

“Daddy? Am I in trouble?”

“Yes, baby girl, you definitely are.”

“Don’t come home, Daddy. I mean, I want you here, but I know you have a lot of work to do. I promise, I’ll be good and stay on the couch all day.”

There was a long moment of silence. “This is what is going to happen. Sav is going to stay with you. He was just going in to do some extra stuff that can wait. You’re going to eat the breakfast he makes you. Watch your cartoons. I’m going to call between each client to check on you. If anything changes, I’m coming straight home. I’ll be finished here around two. I’ll see you then.”

She gulped. “Okay, love you, Daddy.”

“Love you too, little one.”

Duke couldn’t believehe hadn’t noticed that she was worrying herself to the point of exhaustion over something. As he stormed into the house, he was still beating himself up. He found Sav in the living room, a cartoon playing on the TV.

“Hey,” he said, sitting up. “You’re earlier than we thought.”

Duke just grunted. “Where’s Sunny?”

“Bathroom. I’m going to head out. Give you two some privacy.”

“Sav?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks, man.”

“You know I’d do anything for you,” Sav told him. “And her.”

Duke walked into their bedroom and through to the attached bathroom just as she was cleaning herself up.

“Daddy!” she squealed in surprise. “I’m on the toilet.”

He leaned a hip against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. But he didn’t move.

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