Page 19 of Daddy Issues

Graham laughs. “Do you really?”

“Yes! I swear! I don’t even remember the name of the movie, but he reached his arm out from under the bed and covered her mouth so she couldn’t scream. It stuck with me. There’s some evil being under all beds.”

“It’s crazy what sticks with us. Want me to tuck you in from now on?”

I want to say: hell yes, please. After you screw my brains out so that I can’t even think about the possibility of something waiting under the bed for me. But instead, I shrug nonchalantly.

“I wouldn’t complain if you did.”

He scoots closer to me, hands touching my calves and pulling my legs to extend over his. My heart stampedes in my chest.

“Your turn. Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Your eyes remind me of whiskey. They’re my favorite color.”

I feel the warmth as a blush spreads across my cheeks.

“Yeah?” I ask nervously as he inches closer to me.

“Yeah.” His voice is barely above a whisper.

Graham leans in, his hand reaching out for my face as his eyes flick to my lips. I lick them slowly, anticipating him kissing me. He erases the space between us until we’re practically nose to nose, sharing air, his icy blue eyes flicking back and forth between mine.

“You’re so beautiful.”

My fingers reach out to scratch at his short beard while a smile plays at my lips just as a loud thunderclap echoes through the room, jerking us apart, my hand clasping over my heart.

“Holy shit!” I gasp.

“That was a good one. Summer’s coming soon. I should probably go check on Mila.”

“Yeah, for sure, I should probably head to bed anyway.”

We both stand and awkwardly navigate around each other. I stand there slightly disappointed, he was so close to kissing me, and god did I want it. Before Graham can get any further, I reach out and grab his forearm, my fingers curling around his skin, warmth spreading through my body at the contact. He stops, looking down at the spot where we’re connected as if he feels it too.

“Hey, I just want to make sure you’re cool that I took Mila for a girls’ afternoon to get pedicures. I didn’t realize it was her first one until it was too late. I wasn’t thinking that I could potentially be taking one of her firsts from you or another woman in your family. I’m sorry if I crossed a boundary.”

“Hey.” He looks up and down the hallway before sliding his warm hand against my cheek. “Of course it’s okay. I appreciate you being aware of it, but don’t overthink things. Mila loves you and you gave her a huge gift today. It means a lot to me that you’re not just babysitting her. You really put in the effort, Hails.”

My cheeks burn from the smile on my face, so big and genuine, not realizing how much I needed to hear that it was okay.

“Thank you for saying that. I really love her, Graham. You’ve done such a good job. She’s an incredible kid.”

Now it’s his turn to smile.

“You know what? I needed to hear that, too. It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day, and I honestly have no idea what the hell I’m doing. I swear parenting is just winging it. I forgot to change out a tooth from under her pillow with money once, and the next morning she asked why, and without even thinking, I told her that the tooth fairy can’t fly in the rain. I don’t know where it came from. I don’t even know what I’m doing, Hails.”

We both laugh and it feels so comfortable, so good, that for a second, I let myself imagine that this is our life together. Talking about parenting, kids, life. And it all feels so real that it’s hard not to want it.

CHAPTER6

graham

Walkingthrough the front door of my house, all the lights are turned off except the small table lamp in the entryway, which illuminates just enough for me to navigate through the house without tripping on anything. It’s much later than it should be, and I feel guilty for missing dinner with Mila again, but at least it doesn’t happen often. Even if it was twice this week.

Pouring a glass of water, I look around the empty, quiet space of the open living room and decide water just isn’t going to cut it tonight. Moving to the liquor cabinet that I keep locked up tight, I pull out a bottle of whiskey and pour a heavy-handed glass over ice. Taking the tumbler to the back door, I head outside and into the balmy Washington air, taking a seat on my patio couch. Nights like this are a reminder of how lonely my life is. Sure, I’ve got Mila, and I love being a dad, but it’s not the same as having a partner to share the quiet stillness of the evenings with. I never thought I wanted kids until a rosy-faced baby girl showed up on my doorstep screaming like a banshee. While I wouldn’t trade Mila for anything in the world, being a single dad has made it nearly impossible for me to date.

Taking a sip of the whiskey, I hold it up in front of my face, the moon shining through the amber liquid—the same color as Hailey’s gorgeous eyes. Our night together flashes like an erotic montage in my mind, the way her body felt under me as I filled her with my cock, her soft skin, the taste of her cum on my lips—so fucking sweet—her moans, the way her lower body arched, her breasts jutting upward as she came.

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