Page 78 of Daddies' Holiday Toy
Carson:What fucking idiots lol. Sucks for you. Open some windows so you don’t die of methane poisoning.
Me:Yeah, already on it. Seriously, don’t bother coming up. I’m stuck playing doctor. You show up and they’ll start clinging to you, asking you to rub their feet.
Carson:Fuck that. But yeah, sounds good. I’ll stay down here. Tell them I got a flat tire of something.
Me:Sure.
Right as I’m closing out of the messages, a thought strikes me: no questions about Holly? He wasn’t even curious if she made it back into town safely?
That lights a fire in my chest instantly, anger boiling whatever left over annoyance I’ve been holding onto for Liam and Reece.
While they’re both idiots, neither of them would’ve forgotten something that important.
If they were in Carson’s position, they’d be up my ass making sure Holly was being taken care of, let alone being concerned if she made it through that storm or not.
For someone claiming to care so much about her, Carson’s fucking shit at showing it.
That’s been Holly’s whole life.
I let out a slow breath, trying to push down my anger before it gets the better of me. “It’s handled.”
“Thanks.” Liam visibly relaxes. “We should grab some more wood from the pile outside before it gets late. We’ll have a nice, cozy afternoon by the fireplace before dinner.”
“I’m in.” Reece follows him out, leaving the living room empty after they step outside.
I should follow them out, keep my hands busy until the knot in my gut loosens.
But instead, my feet carry me toward the kitchen.
Holly’s got her hair pulled back, sleeves of the shirt she borrowed from me pushed up.
Her hands are deep in a mixing bowl, flour dusted on her cheek. She doesn’t look up right away, and for a second I just watch her.
She’s moving like she’s on autopilot—measuring, stirring, mixing ingredients together to whatever it is she’s making with that restless kind of energy that I know means she’s thinking too hard about something.
“You okay?” I ask, finally stepping in.
She glances up, forces a small smile. “Yeah. Just baking something for later. You want me to make you something specific?”
“You’ve already made two batches for us when you got here. No need to stress yourself out.”
“Funny you say that. This is exactly what I do when I’m stressed. Helps me clear my mind.”
I study her face. “You worried about something?”
Her eyes flick away. “Not really.”
It’s a lie, and we both know it.
She’s wound tight, probably thinking the same thing I am about Carson.
God, it really pissed me off how little he cares about his own kid.
I get that the responsibility of being a parent can be overwhelming but Holly’s a great kid.
She’s easy to love.
How can anyonenotwant her?
