Page 25 of Her Protector Daddies

The last swipe of pancake across my plate wrapped up my meal with the best mouthful laden with syrup. Dae cleared most of his plate while he and Selena worked through the coloring book.

By the time the waitress appeared with the bill, Selena seemed much more relaxed and I was confident I could swiftly get her back under our protection.

“That was lovely,” I complimented the waitress while I scrawled my signature on the bottom of the receipt.

“Why thank you,” the waitress grinned. “It was a pleasure.”

“Ready to go?” I asked Selena as the waitress departed. She gave Dae the last crayon for the box and shrugged, then nodded.

“Sure.”

“Dad, can we go to the park?” Dae asked, bouncing in his seat.

“Sure buddy, if we?—.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” The waitress re-appeared at our booth, holding the receipt in her hand and an apologetic look on her face.

“Yes?”

“Could I see some ID? My manager…” She glanced over her shoulder and sighed. “Well, your signature doesn’t match the name on the card, so my Manager wants me to check your ID.”

“You can’t be serious,” Selena remarked sharply, her eyes wide. “Whose signature even looks like their printed name?”

“It’s alright,” I assured her, keeping a pleasant smile on my face. It wasn’t the first this sort of thing happened and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. In front of my son though, I was determined not to make it an issue.

“No, it’s not,” Selena muttered.

The waitress looked pained as I dug out my ID and handed it over to her. Her brows knit together in confusion, and her lips parted.

“Your name is… Jay-hoe?”

“Ji-Ho,” I corrected. “It’s Korean. My friends call me Jay.”

“It’s true,” Selena piped up and her eyes narrowed further. “Do you need to see my signature too or are you only profiling the Asian guy?”

“Selena,” I snapped sharply, glancing pointedly at Dae who, thankfully, was distracted by his crayons. Selena seemed to catch on and sighed as she nodded.

“I’m so sorry, sir,” the waitress mumbled, stumbling over her words as she returned my ID. “Everything seems to be in order. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

She hurried away like my very presence scorched her and I swallowed down a noise of discontentment. Expected yes, but that didn’t stop it from stinging each time.

“Does that happen a lot?” Selena asked, taking Dae’s hand as he offered it when they slid from the booth.

“Mostly. Going by Jay is easier, though. It’s a simple name, easier for people to forget when I’m asking questions,” I replied with a tight smile.

“I like your name,” Selena said as she moved past me toward the door. “It’s cute. And unique.”

Just like that, the sourness from the interaction melted away and it was replaced by the warmth that seemed to radiate from Selena as we stepped outside.

Two steps from the door, she sighed loudly and turned to me.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll tell you everything.”

10

SELENA

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