Page 43 of Daddy's Little Sunshine

Grinning, he shrugged. “Merry Christmas, sunshine.”

She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Daddy,” she whispered.

“Welcome.” With a chuckle, he nudged her away. “I think someone else wants a hug.”

The second she let go, she found herself wrapped up in her father’s arms. “My little Lainey-bug. God, I missed you.”

“I missed you, too. I can’t believe you’re here. How long are you staying?”

“That’s the other part of your present, sunshine.”

“What?” She pulled back from her father’s embrace, looking between him and a smiling Andrew. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the official story is, we were killed in a tragic boating accident during our Christmas trip to the Caribbean,” her father explained, a small smile playing on his lips.

“What’s the real story? What aren’t you telling me?”

“We’re moving in next door!” Clapping her hands, her mother’s face lit up.

“What?” Confused, she looked from her parents to Andrew and back again. “There is no next door.”

“There is about two miles that way.” Andrew gestured to the right of the cabin. “It went up for sale a few months ago, so I snatched it up. Everything’s been taken care of. Took us a few months, but we got it worked out.”

“You’re moving? Here? Really?”

“Yes! Your young man asked us to spend Christmas here, but then we’ll be moving over to the cabin down the road.” Her mother’s eyes filled with tears. “I couldn’t stand another minute away from my baby.”

“Mom.” Melissa pressed her face to her mother’s neck again and held on for all she was worth. “God, I’ve missed you.” She pulled away and grinned. “Come inside and tell me all the gossip from back home. I’ll make cocoa and we can open presents.”

“One present,” Andrew said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Rolling her eyes, she looped an arm through her mother’s and turned to go inside. “One present, I know, I know.”

“Is he always so bossy?” her mother asked.

“Yeah.” Melissa glanced back and caught her daddy’s eye. He winked and made a shooing motion with his hands. “Yeah, he is.”

With her parentstucked away in the guest bedroom down the hall, Melissa sat on the edge of the bed she shared with her daddy, nervously twisting the ring on her left hand. He’d sent her to their room not long after her parents had gone to bed, to wait for the “talk” he’d mentioned when he’d found her on the front porch by herself.

Just when she’d decided she’d had enough waiting, the door to the bedroom opened. Daddy stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Pinning her withthe look, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Care to explain your thought process this afternoon, little girl?”

“Umm.” She twisted the ring faster. “Not really?”

His scowl deepened. “Are you supposed to go outside alone if you see someone coming? Especially if you don’t recognize them?”

“No, sir.”

“What are you supposed to do if someone comes to the house?”

“I’m supposed to get you.” Looking up, she gave him her best puppy dog eyes. “I tried! I called, but you didn’t answer!” Even to her own ears, the excuse rang hollow.

“Melissa Blaire Parsons,” he intoned using the name Rico had secured for her. “This isn’t a large house. It would have taken you two minutes to come find me.”

“I’m sorry. But I wasn’t even in danger!”

“You could have been. And regardless, you broke a rule. What happens to little girls who don’t follow Daddy’s rules?”

“They get punished,” she answered softly.

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