Page 40 of My Secret Santa Daddies

I take a sip of my coffee. Jack is in the next room, consumed by a pile of brightly colored Legos.

“Well, looks like we’re stuck for a bit. At least we’ve got enough food.”

Wyatt grunts. “We might be the only place in Silver Ridge with power right now.”

“Generator’s got enough juice for a couple more days.”

“But this much snow, we’ll be lucky if we can even dig our way out by the time it’s done.”

I nod, casting a glance toward the stairs, listening for any sign of Sierra upstairs. It’s been a strange thing, having her back here.

Over and over, my mind keeps seeing her laid out on her bed. Her cheeks flushed, her hair a mess of gold. Those long legs all tangled up in the bed sheets.

I shake my head, trying to clear my mind.

“So, what’s the plan, boss?” I ask Griffin, wondering if he still thinks doing this ourselves was the right move. The man could’ve built five new lodges, all twice the size of this place and not put a dent in his bank account.

“For now? We wait it out. Keep an eye on the weather report. If there’s no sign of the storm letting up, we can always head down to the city?—”

He breaks off as Sierra appears at the top of the stairs, her hair still damp from a shower, wearing one of Griffin’s sweatshirts that swallows her up and a pair of leggings that hug her curves in all the right places. My eyes linger on her ass before drifting away guiltily. Fuck. I clear my throat.

Wyatt’s gaze goes straight to Sierra, as if drawn there by instinct, and it lingers a moment too long. It’s not subtle, the way he looks at her—intense, assessing. And Sierra?

She glances back at him, just a flicker of blue eyes, but it’s enough to make the air in the room shift. There’s a familiarity there, a charged undercurrent I can’t quite put my finger on.

I frown, feeling a twinge of something I can’t name. Did something happen between them? My jaw tightens as I watch the exchange. It’s not jealousy, not exactly—at least, that’s what I tell myself. It’s more… curiosity. Maybe a little annoyance. But I know Wyatt well enough to recognize that look. It’s a look I’ve seen before.

I set my mug down on the counter, the sound breaking through the silence. Wyatt’s eyes flick to me, and he quickly looks away, like he’s been caught.

Griffin is choosing to be oblivious.

“Morning,” I say.

Sierra pulls her gaze away from Wyatt, blinking rapidly as if trying to shake something off.

“Morning.” She crosses her arms over her chest, biting her bottom lip as she stares outside. “How’s it looking?”

Griffin sighs, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “Not great. Storm’s still going strong, and there’s no way the roads will be clear before tomorrow at the earliest.”

“Maybe longer,” Wyatt adds, tossing a look my way. “Depends on how bad it gets.”

Sierra’s shoulders sag in frustration. “Great,” she mutters under her breath, more to herself than to any of us. “Just perfect.”

“Sierra!” Jack bounds into the room, his small boots clomping against the floor, his cheeks flushed pink from the warmth of the fire or maybe just the energy he’s always got to burn.

Sierra’s eyes widen at the sight of him, surprise flashing across her face. “Jack—hey, buddy,” she says, and I don’t missthe way her voice softens, just a little. It’s like seeing the kid melts some of the tension she’s been carrying since she got here.

Jack skids to a stop right in front of her, practically vibrating with excitement. “Did you see the snow outside? It’s so big! Dad says it’s the most snow he’s ever seen. And I’m going to build a fort with Uncle Cody! You should help us build one!”

He’s barely pausing for breath, the words tumbling over each other in that way kids do. Sierra glances at Griffin; he’s leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold, his face caught somewhere between amusement and something unreadable. But he doesn’t intervene, just lets Jack run with it.

Sierra bends down a bit, crouching to Jack’s level.

“I’d love to help, Jack,” she says, and it’s the most genuine thing I’ve heard from her since she arrived. “But we’ll have to wait until the snow stops, okay?”

Jack’s face lights up, like her agreeing to help is the best news he’s heard all week. “Okay! And maybe we can make a snowman too! A big one! Like, taller than Dad!”

She laughs softly at that, a sound that’s warm and unexpected.

---