Page 20 of A Very Daddy Christmas

Everything else will fall into place.

5

Cora

“Sweet dreams, munchkin,” I whisper as I leave Dario’s bedside.

Carefully, I walk out and close the door behind me. I hear glasses clinking downstairs. Voices. My heart skips a beat.

Go to bed, I tell myself.

But my feet carry me toward the staircase instead.

I will probably regret this, but I am curious about who they are, what they’re like. About everything.

“Room for one more?” I ask upon reaching the living room.

Sebastian’s head turns first, our eyes locked on one another. “Of course. Can I pour you a drink? Whiskey? Or something else?”

“We have some gin and tequila left from our last party,” Riggs says.

“You throw parties?” I ask.

The guys exchange amused glances while I sheepishly move closer to the empty armchair by the window. I feel like anantelope walking into the lions’ den—except I love the way these lions look at me. It makes my skin tingle all over, in a most pleasant way. A soft warmth spreads through my core, melting my muscles as I take a seat.

“We used to, before Dario came to live with us,” Waylan says. “But the liquor is still good.”

“I don’t doubt that.” I giggle. “You know what? Whiskey sounds good.”

“Ice?” he asks, already at the mini bar, grabbing a tumbler from the shelf above. “Soda?”

“No, neat please.”

Sebastian smiles. “My kind of girl.”

“Thank you,” I laugh as Waylan brings me my drink. “Dario is out like a light and sleeping like a log.”

“Wow. We struggled getting him to go to sleep, at least during the first few months. I don’t know what happened, but since that day at the Christmas fair, it seems like he’s finally relaxed and is getting used to bedtime,” he says.

“Well, I’m sure the nap helped that day. Sounds crazy, but when you’re overtired, you can’t sleep,” I reply.

“Or maybe it’s because you’re just simply amazing,” Sebastian says.

“You give me far too much credit.”

“I don’t know about that, Cora. Something about you ticks all the boxes for our little man. It’s the main reason why we offered you this position. Had Dario not been so persistent about seeing you again, we wouldn’t have made the offer.”

“And what an offer it was. I still can’t thank you guys enough.”

Waylan shakes his head. “Don’t mention it. Really. It’s our pleasure, and you’re helping us as well, Cora, don’t you forget that.” He pauses to check his watch. “I’m going upstairs. See you all later.”

“Yeah, me too,” Riggs adds.

“Later,” Sebastian tells them.

We sit silently and watch Waylan and Riggs make their way upstairs. It’s not until we hear the bedroom doors closing that we both seem to relax a little. But I’m still nervous. I’m all alone with Sebastian and my heart is beating so fast I can barely keep it together.

A sip of whiskey helps. A full gulp burns my throat, but it gets the job done.

---