Page 152 of Stuck with my Mountain Daddies

“I’ll call,” I said. “Let me take it.”

“You sure?” Garrett asked, watching me.

I nodded. Because it wasn’t about should. It was abouthad to.

I stepped outside, let the cold bite through the leftover heat from the fireplace. Pulled my phone out, thumb hovering for a second.

Then I called Dad.

He picked up fast. “Beckett.”

Tone sharp. Clipped. Always is when he’s pissed but trying not to yell.

“Hey,” I said, clearing my throat.

Long pause. Then, “You want to tell me why your sister found out her best friend is sleeping with her brothers from a goddamn tabloid?”

I shut my eyes. “It wasn’t intentional.”

Another pause.

“I’m not here to yell,” he said, voice losing a little of the edge. “Your mom’s been trying to talk Lucy down all day. I need to understand what happened.”

So I told him. Just the truth. No excuses. No smoothing it over.

He listened, quiet the whole time.

When I was done, he let out a sigh. “I don’t care what the Internet thinks,” he said. “You boys are grown. You love who you love. But Lucy’s blindsided, and that’s on you.”

“I know.”

“You should’ve told her. Early. Before it turned into a firestorm.”

“You’re right,” I said. Because he was.

“And now you’ve got to fix it.”

“I will.”

There was a beat of silence. Then: “How’s Riley?”

“Not great.”

“She’s family now, whether you all want to admit it or not,” he said. “So you protect her. That’s what this family does. Even when it’s messy.”

My throat went tight. “Yeah. We will.”

Then Mom took the phone.

“Beckett?” Her voice was warm. Gentle. That tone she saves for when things are bad and she’s trying to hold us all together.

“Hey, Ma.”

“Oh, honey,” she breathed. “I love you. You know that?”

“I do.”

“And I love Riley, too. I remember Lucy talking about her all the time in college. That girl is not the villain. Neither are you boys.”

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