Page 17 of Their Perfect Daddy

Don’t propose this time, please. Let Poppy have her moment.

Snow:

It was ONE time. Calm down, bro.

Skye:

I’m done too. The rest of you behave.

I get a load of replies back telling me I’m not the parent and to let them be. Laughter bursts out of me when Rayne sends a GIF of Jim Carey inLiar Liartugging at his hair in the courtroom. It was one of his favorite movies growing up, hence why he went into law. We watched it together a ridiculous number of times when I had to babysit for Mom while she worked.

Pushing aside those old memories, I go about my nighttime routine. I shut down everything in my place, making sure the alarm is set, and all electrical appliances are off. Once I’m sure it’s secure, I head upstairs to draw a bath.

Most people would think I was weird for preferring them to showers. My opinion is that a bath is more relaxing. Given what I do for work, it’s crucial I find ways to decompress.

While the water runs, I light a few candles and pick a smooth jazz playlist on my phone. After getting everything just right, I strip and sink under the rolling waves. The jets in the tub work overtime, creating an oasis that’s desperately needed after the tough cases I had today.

Being the best in my field means I’m often called in for the toughest cases. It’s an honor to be able to help people. It’s only when things don’t go as planned that I feel the weight of my work.

Dipping my head beneath the water, I hold my breath and let everything else go. I’m where I’m meant to be. When the time is right, everything else will fall into place. I have to believe that.

CHAPTER 6

MONTY

“You’re going to be gone the entire time?” I ask my brother as I pour another scoop of protein powder into the blender.

Micah yawns, the sound making my own appear despite having been up for an hour already. It’s a workday, which means I need to be ready to take on whatever challenge the coaches have for me.

I can’t stay the best if I don’t focus on the game. Everything else is extra.

While I love to party and hang with the guys, I’m going to focus on work above all else moving forward. I want to prove to everyone who thought I wouldn’t make it that I absolutely deserve my spot on the Bulldogs.

And now that my brother has decided to come to more of my games, I have to be even more on point.Can’t let him down. Can’t let my parents down.

Sure, they’d love me no matter what. It doesn’t mean I don’t feel pressure to make them proud.

Thinking of Micah makes me think of his friend Danny. While I’d hoped to speak to him when I visited them at work the other day, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy task. Danny madesure to avoid me the entire time, even going so far as to pretend I wasn’t there while he went back to work after a few bites of food.

My brother gave him strange looks as I tried to get more information about what they were working on. Eventually, I realized I was simply a distraction, and I needed to head out. I’d get another chance to apologize to Danny at some point.

Hopefully I can soon.

I’d spent every night thinking about him since the incident. His lean body in that lace haunts me in the best of ways. I wake up hard as a rock and am unable to function until I stroke one out to thoughts of him.

I also wanted to know if he’d gotten the gift cards I’d sent. Did he already spend the money on them? Is he trying to figure out who sent them? I had a million thoughts on the subject, yet no hope of getting answers anytime soon.

Micah’s voice brings me back to the present as he says, “It’s something I need to explore, little bro. I can’t let these feelings sit, you know?”

The way he says it makes me wonder if he’s aware of my feelings for his friend. He can’t know, can he?

Or maybe he can. While I tend to miss context clues, Micah picks up on all things subtle or not. It’s why his event planning business does so well. He can tell if his clients enjoy something before they ever open their mouth to explain their opinion.

I know my purpose is for something else completely. I thrive on the field, not in an office.

Humming, I continue to add the ingredients for my shake before I need to head to the stadium. “I get it, ok. Just gonna be weird. Our parents are off on a trip and now you are too. What am I supposed to do? It’s lame to spend the holiday alone.”

“Definitely don’t throw a party. Your teammates’ wives and partners are going to freak if they wind up hungover for the family photos,” he replies with a laugh.

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