Page 50 of Daddy's Double Surprise

Carter, to his credit, didn’t hesitate. He pulled out a chair for me first before taking the seat beside me. Dad watched the small act with mild interest, his expression unreadable, but I could feel his disapproval hovering beneath the surface.

Luna slid into her seat across from me, a knowing look on her face as she watched the three of us settle in. “So,” she said, drawing out the word, her tone intentionally casual, “are we going to pretend this isn’t weird, or should we just get it out of the way now?”

Mom sighed, already exasperated. “Luna.”

“What? I’m just saying.” She shrugged, then shot Carter a mischievous grin. “Dad looks like he’s trying not to break something.”

Carter smiled, but my father didn’t.

“I don’t break things,” Dad said coolly. He snapped his napkin a little more violently than necessary, and Mom scowled at him. She sat as the maid walked around serving our dinner to us. Any other night, Mom would’ve done it. Nights like tonight weren’t normal. It meant Mom wanted to be present for the entire thing, which meant she probably thought there would be trouble.

“Only our will to live,” Luna joked, which drew a deep scowl from Dad, but he calmed and turned to me.

“How are you feeling, Soleil?”

Compassion for him bubbled up as I realized, as a father, he was probably worried about me after days of not hearing fromme. Motherhood had already started changing my heart, and I’d barely found out about the twins.

I reached for my water glass, mostly to buy myself a moment. Dad’s question had been simple enough, but I knew him well enough to recognize the layers beneath it. He was searching, dissecting my every movement, my tone, my hesitation.

“I’m fine,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Still adjusting, I guess.”

Dad nodded slowly, leaning back in his chair. “Adjusting,” he repeated, like he was turning the word over in his mind, deciding whether or not to challenge it.

Carter’s hand brushed my knee under the table, a silent reassurance. I glanced at him briefly before looking back at my father. “I know this probably isn’t what you wanted,” I admitted, my voice softer now, “but I am happy.”

Mom exhaled, setting her fork down gently. She folded her hands together, steeling herself, and then, in the bravest move I’d seen from her all evening, she spoke.

“I think what your father means,” she began, her voice measured but firm, “is that we’re trying to understand. You and Carter—this happened so fast, and we haven’t really had a chance to talk about it.” Her gaze flickered between us, searching, hesitant. “So, how are you two doing?”

I felt Carter straighten beside me, his hand steady on his own glass. I knew he was ready for this conversation, prepared in a way that I wasn’t sure I was.

I swallowed, then met my mother’s eyes. “We’re good. We’re…really good.”

Carter set his glass down, his fingers tapping against the rim for a second before he spoke. “I know this isn’t what you expected,” he said, his voice calm but sure. “And I know the age difference probably makes this harder to accept. But I careabout Sunny. A lot.” He paused for a beat, glancing at me before looking back at my dad. “I love her.”

My heart gave a small, unexpected squeeze at the way he said it—casual but not wavering, like it was just a fact. Because it was.

I turned to Dad, speaking before he had the chance to. “I love him too,” I said, keeping my voice even. “This isn’t some phase, or some bad decision I’m going to regret later. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Dad let out a sharp breath, dragging a hand down his face. “Jesus, Soleil.” His tone wasn’t angry, but it was edged with frustration. “Fifteen years of an age difference. You don’t think that’s a lot?”

“I mean, yeah, it’s a lot,” I admitted with a small shrug, feeling blood tinge my cheeks pink. “But it doesn’t feel like it. It’s not like I don’t know my own mind, Dad.”

He shook his head, muttering under his breath before taking a sip of his drink. “You’re twenty-eight,” he said finally, his eyes flicking between me and Carter. “You’ve still got a whole lot of life ahead of you. He’s—” He stopped, exhaled through his nose, and shook his head again. “Hell, Carter, you’re in your forties.”

Carter didn’t react, just nodded like he understood where Dad was coming from. “Yeah. And?”

Dad frowned. “And in ten years, she’s gonna be at a totally different stage of life than you. You don’t think that’s gonna matter?”

Carter’s expression stayed neutral, but I could feel him tense slightly beside me. “Look, I get the concern. I really do. But I don’t see Sunny as someone who’s just passing through my life. And I don’t think she sees me that way either.”

I nodded. “I don’t.”

Dad sighed, rubbing a hand over his temple. “I just…” He trailed off, his brows drawn together, clearly struggling with howto say what he wanted to. Finally, he settled on, “I just want you to be happy.”

I softened a little, some of my defensiveness melting away. “I am happy.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he also didn’t look like he was gearing up for a fight. Which, for now, I’d take as a small win. The difficult part of this conversation had gone over like a storm cloud, but it was out of the way and we could move on to happier things, though I knew Dad would revisit this again later, probably to nag me about making sure I was doing the right thing.

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