Page 553 of Lodestar

“What’s with the bruise?” I queried, staring at his chin.

He scratched his nose. “Your mom’s still a dead shot with an Idaho potato.”

My brows lifted. “What did you do to deserve it?”

“Do you wanna know?”

“No.” Eying him, I grimaced as I blitzed the ice cream and poured the milkshake into a glass for Kat, directing, “Don’t put it on the floor. If the cats get into it, you can clean up their diarrhea.”

Her mouth rounded. “But I’m a kid.”

“So? Kids can clean up messes too.”

“That’s not fair.”

“How is it not fair? Just don’t put the glass on the floor so they can’t spill it over and drink it, please.”

Her brow furrowed. “But I’m playing on the floor.”

“Then you need to get up off the floor and you need to drink it before getting back down on the floor. Simple.”

Paddy scratched his chin. “She always like this?”

I smoothed a hand over Kat’s hair. “Yup.”

“In my day, we didn’t let kids answer back.”

“That’s why in my day, so many adults are effed in the head,” was my pleasant retort. “Me included.”

“I know what ‘effed’ means, Dad,” Kat called out as she wandered back to the cats and put the damn glass on the table.

Score two for me.

“She’s calling you ‘Dad?’”

If I preened, so be it. “She is. Sometimes. I never know when but it’s always a pleasant surprise if she does.”

He hummed. “Interesting. Looks good on you. You’ve always had a way with kids.”

“How would you know?”

“Saw you with Declan and Eoghan.”

“They don’t count.”

“They were kids. Brothers or not!” He studied me. “Your ma mentioned she’s in therapy.”

Not willing to discuss that with her in the room, I sniffed. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a godfather just come for a visit?”

“Maybe. But you’re a special type of godfather.”

“My complex is increasing in size.”

“So’s the net worth of Acuig Corp.” I arched a brow at him. “Vanilla with or without cookie dough?”

He blinked at the change of topic. “Just vanilla, please.”

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