Page 57 of A Daddy for Maddy

He nodded and held out his hand for the fob. I set it into his palm.

I took Maddy’s hand and led him into the shadowy interior of the huge mansion.

“Wow, this place is so gigantic!” Maddy squeezed my fingers. “It looks like a museum.”

I had to agree. The huge front room was the size of an apartment, a large apartment. It seemed to go back forever. My house was big, and my living room could fit into this one four times over.

There was art with ornate frames on every wall, and furniture and tables everywhere filled with sculptures, crystals, clocks, books.

Two huge, wide staircases led up and up on either side of the room, no doubt going to different wings of the house. Beside each set of staircases towered two gigantic Christmas trees laden with lights and ornaments.

To the right, I saw movement. Ozzy and Trent were walking hand in hand down the brocaded stairs. Trent wore his usual, a black suit. Ozzy had on sparkling colors from head to toe. Glitter jeans. A long-sleeved shirt with a pink dog holding a rainbow balloon. Sneakers that lit up at the soles. It seemed he had similar tastes to Maddy.

“The master of the house has arrived.” Quinn’s voice sounded almost sarcastic. It was funny, though. My instincts had me liking him right away.

As we moved forward into the big room, I heard singing from far-off.

Quinn rolled his eyes. “That would be my husband, Drev. He sings while he cooks. He’s a very good cook, so we put up with it.”

Trent and Ozzy had stepped onto the first floor by then. Trent came toward us, saying, “He’s also a very good singer.”

“So which do you put up with, his cooking or his singing?” I asked, feeling somewhat punchy after our long drive.

“Both.” Trent and Quinn answered at the same time.

Everyone burst out laughing.

Maddy, bowed his head. “Hi, Mr. Trent, sir. Hi, Ozzy.”

“Hello, Maddy. You look well,” Trent said.

“Hi, Maddy,” Ozzy said, coming closer and holding his hand out to Maddy.

They shook, then hugged, giggling at their formality. The bond they’d seemed to have formed in such a short time back at Club 99 that fateful night they’d met had bloomed back into being as if they’d never left each other’s side. It was always like that when we four got together.

“Daddy, can I show Maddy the house?”

Trent nodded, brow low. “You may show him anything you like, little one. You keep forgetting this is your home, now, too, as much as it’s mine.”

Ozzy’s eyes got very big. “It’s Daddy’s house first, though.”

Trent smiled at him, then stretched out a hand and cupped his cheek. “It was. But not now. Not anymore.”

Ozzy bit his lower lip as if to shorten his smile. I knew when he smiled it took over his whole face.

“Can I go, Daddy?” Maddy asked.

“Yes. Go on.”

Trent and I watched the boys go off. Then he turned to me. “Would you like a drink?”

“I would. It was a long drive. Maddy napped part of the way. I was driving.”

“You deserve a drink, then.”

He led me to a smaller room with much more comfortable looking furniture, soft and plush couches with electronic controls to turn each section into EZ chairs. I sat gratefully while Trent went to an open bar along one wall and asked me what I wanted to drink.

I didn’t drink all that much. But this was the Christmas holiday. Christmas was still a week away, but I was going to celebrate. Starting now.

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