Page 47 of My Secret Santa Daddies

“Could take a while,” Wyatt sighs, locking up his tool box. “Well into the night, depending on the damage.”

“Just what we need in the middle of a storm, right?” Cody adds with a half-smirk, though there’s no real humor behind it. “Frozen pipes and snowbanks.”

The three of them look like a unit—tight, efficient, and, despite everything, still on the same page. Meanwhile, I feel like an outsider in this lodge, like I’m watching them from behind some invisible line, unable to step across it.

“You mind keeping an eye on the kiddo?” Griffin asks me, his dark eyes settling on me.

I nod quickly, latching onto the opportunity to feel useful. "Of course. We'll be fine here."

I glance over at Jack, who grins up at me with a mouth full of toast crumbs.

“Did you see the tree?”

“I did!”

“Jack’s already got plans to finish building his snow fort outside,” Cody adds, pulling his beanie down over his head. “He’ll keep you busy.”

Griffin finishes zipping his jacket, his gaze lingering on me for just a second longer than necessary. There’s something behind his eyes—something I can’t read, but it makes my chest tighten. “We’ll be back later.”

Wyatt motions to the back patio. “Good news, though. I got the hot tub installed this morning and cleared it off if you want to dip in.”

I press my lips together. “There’s a hot tub here?”

“And a sauna, but that’s not installed yet.”

I roll my eyes, I should’ve known that Griffin was going to go above and beyond and install every gadget and toy available for his oversized vacation home. Typical Griffin.

“Hold the fort down with Sierra, okay buddy?” Griffin says as he ruffles the top of Jack’s head. Quickly, he swats at his father’smassive hand, giggling. Cody gives me a half-smile, my cheeks start to warm as my mind immediately goes to our kiss.

“Come on, we better hurry before ol’Betty freezes.”

“Any update on the power situation in town?” I ask.

“Everyone’s still in the dark except a few folks,” Wyatt sighs. “We’ll drive by your house and check in.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Sierra, it’s on the way,” Cody says, heading to the door.

Some part of me wants to call after them, to tell them to be careful driving in this weather, but the words stick in my throat. It feels silly to be nervous about them leaving, but I can’t shake the knot of anxiety in my stomach as the door closes behind them.

Am I actually worried about them?

Jack tugs on my sleeve, his face bright with excitement. “Sierra, come on! We have to finish the snow fort!”

I smile down at him, pushing the worry aside. “Alright, buddy. Let’s go.”

The day passesin a blur of laughter, snow, and Jack’s boundless energy. We spend hours outside, building walls, packing snow into towers, and creating elaborate tunnels through the fort until Jack declares itperfect. The cold bites at my cheeks, but the joy on his face makes it worth every frozen finger.

By the time we come inside, our boots covered in snow, the sun is already starting to dip below the horizon. Jack’s cheeks are flushed, and he’s still babbling about how we made ‘the best fort ever’ as I help him out of his wet clothes.

I make him a simple dinner—grilled cheese and tomato soup.

After dinner and a bath, we sit by the fire, and I read him a story while he curls up cozily in a blanket, his eyelids growing heavy with each passing minute. His mug of hot chocolate is half empty, still steaming out of the cup.

“Okay. I think it’s time for bed, buddy.”

“I’m not tired.”

---