Page 7 of My Secret Santa Daddies

"One thing at a time," I say with a groan. I glance at my watch. “If we hurry, the hardware store will still be open.”

“Dude, I'm starving,” Cody whines, dropping his duffel bag in the soon to be dining room.

“It won’t take long. We’ll get the essentials, come back, order dinner, and then we can assess the damage.”

He sighs dramatically. “Fine. But I expect a steakhouse and a six-pack of my choosing.”

“Deal.”

Wyatt stretches, looking far too relaxed for someone who had just agreed to a months-long renovation project. “I’ll drive. Might as well get this started before Cody starts chewing on the furniture.”

Cody grumbles, clearly not thrilled about the prospect of skipping a meal for a hardware run. But we all know it needs to be done—there’s no point sitting around in a crumbling lodge without the supplies to even make it through the night.

Wyatt’s truckrumbles to life as we pile in.

“Could’ve at least brought snacks,” Cody mutters under his breath.

“You’re a grown man, Cody. You can survive an hour without stuffing your face.”

Cody leans back, his arms crossed, clearly not amused. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one running on fumes.”

I glance over at Wyatt, shaking my head. “Just drive. The faster we get to the hardware store, the sooner we can order food.”

“So,” Wyatt starts, his voice is casual, but there’s something behind it—something that makes my gut tighten. “I forgot to mention earlier… I ran into Sierra.”

Cody glances up, catching Wyatt’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Wait, Sierra? Like,ourSierra? I didn’t know she was still living in Silver Ridge?”

“Yeah, she’s still here. I found her car stuck in the snowbank earlier, last night during that storm. Pulled her out and drove her home.”

A sharp tension curls in my chest, but I don’t say anything, and focus on tightening the strap on the bag in my hand. Sierra. Of all people.

“She looked good, man,” Wyatt adds, his tone light, but there’s something else there. “Really good. I mean, she was always hot back in college, but now? There’s just something about her…

I clench my jaw, forcing myself to keep my hands steady. Cody, oblivious as always, raises an eyebrow and smirks. “Yeah, I remember her. Wild as hell at those parties we used to throw.”

“Yeah, well, seeing her today was something. She’s still got that attitude—acted like she didn’t need help even though her car was halfway buried in snow. But damn, she’s?—”

“That’s enough, Wyatt,” I say, my voice coming out sharper than I had intended.

They both pause, Cody shoots me a curious glance, but Wyatt’s the one who catches the shift first. His grin fades, his eyes narrow as he watches me carefully.

“Right. Forgot you two had a thing.”

Cody sighs, “Man, that was forever ago, though.”

I don’t respond, but the weight of their stares is impossible to ignore.

Sierra’s name is enough to send everything spinning. It’s been years—four, to be exact—since I last saw her. The memories hit me harder than expected, a tangled mess of guilt and something else I’m not ready to name.

Back in college, before Anna, it was Sierra. We were young, stupid, and everything felt like it was on fire. It was short lived and burned up fast. Then Anna came into my life, and things changed. Or at least I thought they had. But Anna and Sierra stayed close.

And now, knowing she’s still here… It twists something inside me.

Eventually, the lights of the hardware store come into view.

“Looks like we made it just in time,” Wyatt says, pulling the truck into the lot.

Cody’s already unbuckling, and halfway out the door before the truck even stops. “About time. Let’s grab what we need and get the hell out of here.”

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