Page 139 of Daddy's Naughty List

“By searching through my hair?”

“How else would I find the ones in the back of your head?” She gave him her very best Cindy Lou Who impression, blinking her large eyes extra slowly.

Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, Connor sighed and rolled to face her. With a huffed laugh, he shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re so cute, little girl. All right, let’s go see if Santa stopped by during the night.”

“Yay!” She threw her arms around his neck, giving him a quick hug before jumping off the bed and racing to the bedroom door. Hopefully it would be later in the morning before he realized that she had bumped the time on bedroom clock up an hour

“Shoes, trouble. I don’t want you coming down with a cold and missing New Year’s Eve.”

Skidding to a halt, she turned back and ran to grab her new bedroom shoes.

“Walk!” Connor barked out the order while putting on his own slippers.

Her Daddy was wearing Santa slippers!

“Yes, Daddy.” Bliss grabbed the matching puffy Santa slippers he’d bought for all of them and shoved them on her feet. They paired with the matching pajamas they all wore.

Never in a million years would she have believed he was a family-pajama-set kind of Daddy, but he was. The babies were adorable, and now they had their first family photo. She was part of a real family. That was the only Christmas present she needed.

Her Mary Poppins angel snorted. Miranda told her to hush and hide her crazy. Those shoulder angels knew her well.

There would be presents out there with her name on them. She’d told him not to, but he would have done it anyway. He’d told her not to feel guilty that she hadn’t been able to get him anything big, but she still did. He’d given her everything.

She did have one thing she hoped he’d like, but it wasn’t expensive and wrapped in thick, glossy paper like hers were. There wasn’t a big enough present in the world to equal his love for her and their girls.

Their girls.

When in the last week had she gone from thinking of them as hers and started thinking of them as theirs? The way he was with them now, it was impossible to think of them any other way. She’d been wrong. Connor accepting her daughters as his own, all of them, was the greatest gift he would ever be able to give her.

And now it was time to open those presents. She’d pouted when he’d sent her to bed right after they got the girls settled for the night, while he stayed up to clean the kitchen, even though it was spotless. She’d fallen asleep before he’d made it to bed.

Entering the family room, she skidded to a stop, unable to do anything but stare. He’d created a winter wonderland right there. No wonder he didn’t want to get up. It must have taken him hours. New ornaments hung on the tree. Four stockings hung from the mantle of the stone fireplace, though how they stayed in place as stuffed as they were she had no idea. Shimmering snowflakes hung from the ceiling and the aroma of vanilla and cinnamon filled the air. More presents now spilled halfway across the room, too numerous for the tree to contain them.

The babies wouldn’t remember any of this. No, he had done all this for her. She battled the tears gathered in her eyes and lost. Flinging her arms around him, she buried her face in his chest and cried.

“I-I- c-can’t b-believe you d-did all this f-for us. I-It’s the m-most b-beautiful sight I’ve e-ever seen.”

When he lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He was so much more than she’d ever expected to have in her life. So much more than she deserved.

“Hey now, none of that, babygirl. You deserve more than these boxes could ever hold.”

“B-but I-I didn’t b-buy you anything.” She grabbed his arm so hard he winced. She was a horrible babygirl. She should have ordered things online or gotten Winnie to pick them up. Instead, he would be sitting there watching everyone else open presents. “I will though. I promise. I’ll go out tomorrow and find you the bestest present in the world. Better than anything any other Daddy has ever gotten. Ever.”

Keeping one hand under her bottom, the other tilted her face up to him. “What are you talking about? I already have the bestest gifts a Daddy could ever receive. Don’t shake your head. Look at me. The things you’ve given me are priceless. I have three tiny blessings to care for and I get to watch grow into strong loving women like their mother. A house that now feels like a home. And most importantly, I have the gift of your love.” He kissed her forehead and patted her bottom. “Not to mention a Little trouble to keep me on my toes. Just because your gifts didn’t come in a box doesn’t mean you didn’t give me something precious.”

She tried to find disappointment in his face or hurt hiding in the gold of his eyes. The only thing she found was love and happiness. He’d meant every word he said.

He rubbed the tip of her nose with his own. “Now, are you going to see what Santa brought, or not?”

“Yes!” She hopped down and lifted the stocking with her name embroidered across the top. After plopping on the floor, she pulled out each item inside. He’d filled her stocking with pop-fidget toys, modeling clay, sparkly band bracelets to decorate, LEGO sets, and nail polishes. She felt like Aladdin going through his treasure cave.

Her favorite was a large set of washable Tattoo Pens. Connor looked on, smiling and commenting on what Santa had brought. He even let her draw a tiger on his arm with her new pens.

Just as she pulled the last gift from her stocking, Sadie’s precious voice reminded them they were not alone. Jumping up, she dashed to the girls’ rooms. Each had a bedroom to call her own, but they all branched off a shared nursery that could be turned into a playroom when they got older.

The twins were standing in their cribs, arms outstretched and waiting. Bliss and Connor each took a twin and made quick order of getting the girls changed.

Sadie did her best to break into a run, while Sophie kept her fingers wrapped around Connor’s fingers. The change in him after he’d talked to the counselor Bones found was hard to believe. He’d already been holding them and helping with feeding and changing diapers, but now he dropped all his walls and relaxed with them. He talked with the girls and fed them. He never rushed them or raised his voice when they made messes. And they adored him.

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