Page 34 of Their Perfect Daddy

“Let’s go back to the basics first. What are your parents’ names and where would this be? Then we can discuss a theme and guest list,” I tell her, interrupting an intense monologue about types of frosting.

She giggles. “Sorry. I can get carried away. Parents are Suzie and Tammy Crocker. Ideally, the event would be here in Vegas. I’m not sure how you feel about that part.”

“Vegas?” I ask incredulously. “There are dozens of planners there. Even the hotels have their own planning teams. This doesn’t make sense.”

I worry for a moment this is some type of prank call or something. Maybe I’m being duped by this woman.

Except I don’t get bad vibes.Curious ones, but not bad.

“To be completely honest, the two of them met in Bellport decades ago. They fell in love and wanted a kid of their own. It was the South though. And in a time where it wasn’t heard of for two women to have a child alone. Heck, they couldn’t even get married legally.”

I nod as I listen to her story. It’s a truth many faced. I’m thankful it’s changed; however, it doesn’t lessen what others went through.

“Anyway, there were some fertility issues, so they found donors—both for eggs and the, um, the other stuff. The sperm.” She gags and I laugh. “I hate that word. Makes me feel funny. Back to the story though, the two of them loved Bellport and have talked about moving back. They’ve only stayed here because of me.”

“Parents tend to do what’s best for their kids.” As I say the words, I picture my laborer parents who worked so hard to take care of me. They put in long hours and weekends to ensure I had everything I ever needed.

The minute I made enough to support myself, I moved out to give them breathing room. After a few months, they decided to buy an RV and travel the globe. Occasionally, they roll through to say hi. It’s usually during spring since summer is ‘Satan’s asshole’ hot according to my father.

“You still there?” Sundae’s voice pulls me back to the present.

Satan’s asshole can wait.

“I’m here. Sorry. Got distracted thinking of what this could mean for us.” A little white lie.

“Does that mean you’re taking us on?”

“Well, I can’t make the final say. My boss has to be in the loop.” Said boss turns to me with a raised brow at my words. “Actually, hold on, Sundae. Let me give him the basics. He just became available.”

She gives me an excited reply that I don’t hear as I put her on hold and face Micah.

“What does Sundae want?” he asks.

I wave my hand at the phone. “Our services obviously. But get this—it’s for a party in Vegas. The couple used to live here. Sundae wants to give them a piece of home for their anniversary.”

Micah’s eyes go wide. “That’s a big deal. I’m immediately torn between shutting it down now and taking it on without hearing anything else.”

“Yeah, that’s my opinion too. With something of this nature, one of us would have to go there to coordinate, right?” I ask the question despite knowing the answer.

There has never been an event where one of us wasn’t there to supervise from start to finish. It’s part of our process, and it guarantees we catch anything that could go amiss.

“You can totally take the time for this trip, right?”

“I mean, I guess I could,” I reply without the excitement I’d usually have.

Any other time, I’d be all about jumping at the offer. It’s just really hard to do when all I can think of is how this will take me away from the two men I’ve been waiting to see—one of them being Micah’s brother.

He doesn’t know about the first incident with Monty. And he sure as hell has no clue about the shower shenanigans.

“You don’t seem all that happy with an all-expense paid trip to Vegas. This could be a good thing for you. You’ll have access to tons of resources and if the budget is right, you can go as big as you want. I won’t be there to police you or anything.”

His words pull me from the funk I’m in. Not looking in his direction, I shrug.

“That’s true. I think I’m just tired.”

I can tell he doesn’t believe me. He doesn’t push for more information.

Instead, he picks up the call. “Hi, Sundae. My name is Micah, and I own the company. Danny was just telling me about your event.”

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