Page 114 of Daddy's Naughty List

Chapter Seven

Connor

Connor stifled a groan when he and Bliss pulled up at Reid and Winnie’s house, which was already decked out for Christmas. They’d gone all out with lights outlining the house, wreaths on the doors and windows, and a fully decorated tree in the front window. If Reid put one of those inflatable reindeer in his front yard, Connor wouldn’t be surprised.

Shaking his head, Connor sighed. The things Daddies did for their Littles. He knew it was for Winnie because Reid had damn sure never decorated his house before. All the houses in Arcadian Hills looked the same. And then there was his house, standing bear of adornment at the back of the subdivision. If he got one more notice from the HOA about not joining in the community spirit, he was going to shoot someone.

He'd get to it. Eventually. This year was no different from the ones before. Another year where he’d put off doing anything to decorate his house. Of course, now the Musketiaras gave him more grief about being a Scrooge than he could take. He’d string up lights and decorate his tree just to see the smiles on their faces.

What would Bliss think about his four-foot artificial tree from the local discount store? Everyone else went out to Pine & Danni’s Christmas Tree Farm and chopped down their own giant Christmas tree. The Littles loved it, and the guys had a contest to see who could chop down their tree the fastest.

Maybe he was a Scrooge, but Christmas held no fond memories for him. He was probably the only kid in his hometown who’d rather have been in school than home for the holidays. His dad was a drunk and not a nice one. He’d beat the hell out of anyone he could catch whenever he was hammered.

Winnie ran out the front door and across the yard as they pulled up in front of the house. “Bliss! I’ve been worried! Why didn’t you call me?”

“Tinkerbell!” Reid yelled as he jogged out on her heels. “What did I say about running out into the front yard by yourself?”

Winnie squealed then laughed when Reid caught her and tossed her over his shoulder, smacking her ass as he loped back inside. “Come on in. I kept dinner warm for you. Ouch! Daddy, not so hard.”

Connor didn’t catch everything Reid said, but it had something to do with clipping fairy wings. Reid set her down just inside the doorway and sent her on her way with one more squeal-inducing smack to her backside.

Connor turned to Bliss, and the longing in her eyes robbed him of breath. He cleared his throat before he spoke. “You ready to go inside?”

Bliss nodded in response. “I need to check on the girls.”

She reached for the door handle but froze when he grabbed her arm. “Do not touch that handle. I will come around and help you out and into the house.”

She faced him then, and he took the time to take in more than he had before. His gaze traveled over her long, ebony hair that didn’t gleam as much as before, her smooth, high cheekbones that were more angular, and her wide eyes now dimmed with fatigue and underscored with dark circles.

A sense of failure overwhelmed him. He’d let her down. He should have tried harder to find her and bring her back home months ago. She needed someone to care for her as much as she cared for those in her life. More and more, he was fighting the urge to be that someone. Not only did she need a Daddy, he was also beginning to think he needed a Little, too.

“I can open a car door, Connor.”

He missed the musical quality her voice usually had.

“I didn’t think you couldn’t, trouble. But just because you can doesn’t mean you’re going to. Not while I’m around.” She was determined to prove she could take care of herself, but he wasn’t so sure.

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. But the relief and satisfaction in her eyes didn’t escape him. After he opened her door, he reached in and lifted her into his arms again.

“Connor! Put me down!” She squirmed, trying to escape his arms.

That wasn’t going to happen. Not when she’d practically fainted earlier, swept away in a panic attack. Had she been to a doctor since she’d been home? He’d be putting a call in to Bones to set one up if she hadn’t. “Unless you want a taste of what Reid gave your sister, I suggest you calm down.”

She stilled, now looking every inch the Little he remembered. There was a weariness in her eyes he’d never seen before she looked away. “We both know you don’t want to go down that road with me.”

But Conn wasn’t sure what he knew anymore. He knew she was a perfect fit for his arms. He knew he liked her there. He’d told himself she was off limits now that she had kids, but her nearness had him questioning that, too.

She wasn’t taking care of herself, and that didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t know much, well, anything, about taking care of a baby, but he knew it was a twenty-four-hour-a-day job. That was for one baby, and she had three.

He clenched his jaw to hold his words back. Words he didn’t need to say, but someone sure did. Why wasn’t Reid looking out for her? The thought of anyone else taking on that responsibility made him want to punch something.

Once inside, he headed straight to the sunken living room. Bliss sucked in a breath when she spotted their big Christmas tree. Yeah, the tiny one in the window was just for show. Between the lower floor and the cathedral ceiling, Connor was pretty sure this one was thirteen feet at least.

Winnie moved in the second Connor had Bliss seated on the couch facing the tree. Trouble was in good hands as Georgia and Breezy gathered around to chat about all things Christmas and babies.

He moved to the kitchen to grab her a plate of whatever food he could find and a large mug of hot chocolate. He should have known as soon as he entered the kitchen his brothers would descend.

As usual, Deke was the first out of the gate. He’d gotten even worse since he and Suzi had worked everything out. It was hard to decide which one of them was nosier. “So, Conn, is there something you’d like to share with the class?”

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