Page 118 of Their Perfect Daddy

As if he heard himself being mentioned, my other partner strides into the room. His eyes light up when he sees me. In a flash he’s on me, his forehead pressing to mine as he wraps me in a hug.

“Glad you’re home early,” he tells me before turning to my parents. “And it’s a pleasure to have you both here. You’ve raised a fine young man. We’re lucky to call him ours.”

It’s then the reality of it all hits my parents. Their jaws drop at his words.

“We’re?” Dad asks.

I smile and nod. “Yes sir. Skye and Monty are both mine.”

“Oh, right. Where are my manners? I’m Skye Gellar. The one over there is Monty Tempest, in case he didn’t introduce himself. He’s been known to forget.”

Monty crows. “It was one time!”

The annoyed tone he uses makes me laugh. “Still counts.”

My parents watch us as if we’re a tennis match, their gazes bouncing from person to person. I can’t tell if they’re upset by the news or if it’s really only about the surprise of it all.

“The food is ready. We should eat.” Skye’s words manage to get them moving, though they still don’t speak.

Only once we’re all seated and have taken a few bites do they come out of their trance. Dad is the first to speak up.

“I think you might want to go back to the beginning. We’ve been gone a while, but I didn’t think it was that long. You weren’t dating anyone last time we came through.”

“Correct,” I tell him as I clean my mouth. “And this, while it seems sudden to y’all, is really not. We’ve been heading in this direction for ages.”

Monty raises his hand. Mom smiles at him, nodding for him to say his piece. “To be honest with you both, I was mad about Danny from the minute I met him. He works with my brother Micah. When they came to one of my games, I near about swallowed my tongue. And after I got to know him, I sent up every wish to the universe hoping he’d be mine.”

“Isn’t that the sweetest thing,” Mom coos, her eyes filling with tears.

Skye clears his throat. “My feelings are much the same. When I saw Danny at the Christmas party the Bellport family threw, I knew I had to speak with him. Within minutes, I’d decided to pursue him. Then Monty showed up and it was as if everything finally made sense. We’ve navigated all sorts of challenges, yet nothing has kept us apart. Nothing aside from physical distance for a bit there.”

“Whatever the journey, I’m glad to see our son is in good hands,” Dad tells him.

I nearly burst into laughter at the double meaning. He has no clue how good Skye’s hands truly are. They’re worth millions at this point.

“I do have one important question.” Mom raises her spoon and twirls it around. ”Can I get the recipe for this soup? I need more of this once we’re on the road again.”

Skye immediately pulls out his phone and offers to send it to her. While they chat, Monty jumps in to explain how he helped cook too.

Dad takes their distraction as the opportunity to lean over and whisper to me. ”Maybe we ought to slow down the travel. It would be good to have a home base again. Bellport isn’t a bad place to be.”

“But you both love to travel.”

“Yes, but we also love you. And knowing you’re starting relationships and moving without us knowing hits hard. I want to be around for the big moments in your life. We can still vacation as we want. This way, it will be for shorter spurts.”

I shake my head. “Mom is going to want — ”

“Mom is going to want to get to know these two better,” she says, interrupting me. “And I can’t do that when I’m halfway across the country. Consider us moved back. We just need to find a place and that’s that.”

“I’ve got a place you can stay. Since we’ve all but moved in here, it’s just sitting unused.” Skye’s offer has the conversation shifting to the amenities he has and what the rates are.

Sitting back in my seat, I take in the scene around me. It might seem chaotic to some. For me, it’s the best kind of connection. I’m surrounded by the people who love me the most.

CHAPTER 41

MONTY

“Idon’t want to eat my vegetables. They’re yucky!” Crossing my arms, I turn my face away from what Daddy is offering.