Page 70 of Hey, Daddy

No doubt that he would, but still. I had to keep it quiet. Him getting involved meant he got his father involved, and his father was the chief of police.

“So does this mean you’ll be moving in with my sister at her place by mine?” Shasha asked after a long moment.

I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Nastya slip out of the restroom, stopping next to Daniil’s solid bulk.

She said something to him that made him smirk, then she flipped him off and headed back to our table.

“I’m going to go pack my own bag.” She looked at me. “I’ll send you the address. Your daughter can come, too.” She paused. “She goes to West Dallas High, right?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“She can ride to school with Alexi if you want. His daughter is in Desi’s same school, but maybe not the same grade,” she offered. “You’re going to talk to her before you come, though, right?”

“Right,” I promised. “She’ll have to know at least some of it, because she’s going to question why we’re not staying at my place, and why all the extra security.”

“Good.” She looked at her family. “I’ll be fine.”

“You bet your ass you will,” Maven declared. “We’ll see you Sunday for dinner? I want an update, too, on everything.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Make sure you stay with your bodyguard at all times,” I ordered. “I’ll meet you at your house as soon as I can.”

She lowered her voice so that only I could hear before saying, “Yes, Daddy.”

I felt delicious tingles all the way home.

I packed both mine and Desi’s things—what little there was since most of it was now at Ben’s place—and headed out.

I stopped to check to make sure Nastya wasn’t at her place, then headed out after the door didn’t open.

I was halfway down the hallway when something told me to go back.

I paused, clearly wondering what it was that was causing me to hesitate.

I took a look around the breezeway that would lead me down the stairs, then turned back to survey both of our doors.

Pulling up the app on my phone, I checked to make sure that Nastya’s apartment was, indeed, empty, then headed down the stairs to my cruiser.

The drive to Ben’s place took ten minutes, and when I got there, Ben’s wife, Kendall, and their twins, Castle and Carrie, were on the porch decorating the front glass with hearts for Valentine’s Day.

I left my crap in the car and got out, heading up to Castle and hoisting him up in the air.

He squealed and laughed, then said, “Hey, right there. I can reach the corner like this!”

I held him in place long enough to draw the most misshapen heart I’d ever seen, then put him down onto his feet.

“Me next!” Carrie declared.

I lifted her up even higher.

“You know, we’re never going to be able to get that heart off,” my sister-in-law drawled.

I loved Kendall.

I loved even more that she loved my brother so much.

They were a great couple, and I loved how sweet and welcoming she was to my brother and his twins when she came into their life.

---