Page 60 of More, Daddy
“Right. They are forced to appear friendly because of the cheerleaders, but they’ve been frenemies ever since Cadencestarted bullying Riley for getting the JV cheer job.” He peers around Riley to make sure Cadence hasn’t turned around. “She thought she was a shoe-in, and then on top of that, Riley pulled one of the girls from Cadence’s team and brought her to JV. It was… a whole thing. And after Riley recently got the Varsity Coach position over Cadence again… it kind of reignited.”
I blink at the two of them. “I knew all that. I had to sit through it when Jake told me months ago.”
Riley lowers her fork and wipes at her mouth with a cheap, paper napkin. “Youhadto sit through it?” She shakes her head. “Excuse us for being your friend and thinking you’d care about what’s going on in our lives!” She slams her fork into her empty Tupperware but stays at the table, eying what’s left on Dean’s plate.
“That seemed like a big reaction,” I reply, watching as Cadence takes her hot food to the table furthest from me. That must be by design. My bad girl. Making Daddy want her more than I already do, being such a tease. A groan rumbles through my chest but I don’t let it out, and I do my best to ignore the erection happening beneath the table.
Just looking at her, knowing what we have, I’m sitting here in a room of twenty people with a raging hard-on. I almost still can’t believe it.
Dean shrugs. “I think she’s kind of mean right now because of the baby.” We both look at her burgeoning bump.
Riley smiles at me. “All I meant to say is that just because we’re friends and you’re friends with Jake doesn’t mean your allegiance should stay with us. If you wanna bang Cadence, you have our blessing.”
Dean chokes on his soda. “Bang? I think he just said he wasn’t even looking at her. Just… through her.”
“Actually,” I clear my throat, and Dean’s focus snaps tome. I pull my hands through the sides of my hair, and let out a bellyful of sighs. “What if I did date her? Would that be so bad?”
Dean blinks at me like I’m suddenly speaking a different language. One he doesn’t understand.
Riley, on the other hand, gives me her fist and we bump. “Cadence isn’tthatawful,” she concedes. “And everyone deserves love and filthy sex.” She smiles then gets to her feet, cleaning up her lunch space before giving us each a head nod and a “see ya.”
Dean is still processing. “So online dating isn’t going well?”
I don’t know if I’m ready for Dean to know that I’ve been talking to Cadence online for months. In fact, I don’t know if that’s something anyone needs to know about. Because trying to tell the truth will result in lying, and I don’t want to lie, so I avoid the truth in total.
Nonchalantly, I shrug. “Cadence is here. I know her. She’s gorgeous. It’s easy with us. We get along really well.”
He blinks, looking over to the table near the window where Cadence is sitting, head down, EarPods in, focusing on her freezer meal. He looks back at me. “Yes, by the looks of it, the two of you are nearly engaged,” he deadpans.
The bell rings, and I haven’t eaten a bite of my—whatever the fuck it is I brought. See? I don’t even know what shit I shoved in my lunch bag because I’ve been in a Cadence Caine haze.
Hard. Aching. Wanting. Obsessing. Dreaming.
I wait to see if she’ll look my way, at all, even once, but after she dumps her meal in the trash and washes her hands, she says something to the science teacher, then leaves.
“God,” Dean says, stroking a hand over his heart. “That goodbye was emotional.”
I roll my eyes. “We agreed we wouldn’t chat at school. You know, small towns.”
I head back to my office and write up a donation letter request to the local sporting goods store. Football players could use new laces for their cleats, and new pads, too. I don’t expect Bluebell Sports Authority to fund the entire team, but I have to ask. And asking gets my mind off of her.
Thirty minutes after I work on the last sore football player, I leave the training office and head home, unable to enjoy the tangerine sunset because all I can think about is Cadence, and how hard it was being around her all day today.
How hardIwas being around her all day today.
She wants to wait until she knows if we’re serious.
I’m fucking serious.
And she’s gonna find out tonight.
I swept my kitchen floor.I started a load of laundry. I cleaned my boots, and brushed my hat. I washed my truck. I lifted weights in my garage.
And I did all of that with my laptop open nearby.
Waiting.
I can’t wait to make things official with Cadence, and on days like these, where she’s clearly busy, I’d love to punish her for not putting Daddy first.
