Page 9 of Single Dad Dilemma
As I pushed up to a seated position, I gave her a droll look. “I thought you did this at home.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, um, yeah, but our staircase isn’t this big.”
“Hmm.” I rolled over onto all fours and took stock of the bruises I’d likely feel the next day. “I’m not convinced, young lady.”
A sound came from the front door, a tapping barely heard over the music. “Bryce, can you turn that down, please?”
The music cut off immediately.
Bang, bang, bang.
“Oh shit,” Maggie muttered.
My eyebrows raised. “You allowed to say adult words like that?”
“No,” she hedged, her attention fixed on the front door. “Bryce,” she said in a resigned tone, “I think we’re about to get grounded for life.”
“Your dad?” I asked. Maggie nodded. “He can’t betoomad, right? You told me he’d be fine with you staying here.” My gaze darted between them. “Totally cool. The coolest.Those were your exact words.”
They didn’t answer, and boy, that did not bode well for me.
Exhaling heavily, I stood up, hopping over the edge of the mattress. In the mirror on the wall, I couldn’t help but groan at the mess of my hair, half falling out of the braid I’d done that morning. There was more angry banging at the door, which meant I was going to meet the dad with shitty-looking hair and the fresh knowledge that his kids had totally played me.
“Coming!” I yelled, almost tripping on one of the dog’s toys. “Bryce, can you hold on to him so he doesn’t run when I open the door?”
Both kids were sitting at the bottom of the stairs, Bryce with a firm grip on Larry’s collar. Larry gave me a droll look.Please,that look said,like I’d go anywhere.
I took a deep breath and pulled the door open, pasting a friendly smile on my face.
It dropped immediately becauseOh shitwas right.
The man standing at the door was big and hot and frowning. I had to admit, his resting bitch face was even more frightening than mine, because boy oh boy, there was intent behind it. When he leveled those eyes on me, I had to fight every instinct not to take a step back.
His gaze traveled to his children, and the momentary relief on his face was the only thing to convince me that I didn’t need to be all that intimidated.
“Hi, Dad,” Maggie said quietly. “Did you have a good day at work?”
“Maggie, Bryce, get your things.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Right now.”
They didn’t move, and I cut a quick glance over to Hot Angry Daddy. God, he was a specimen, wasn’t he? Sharp jawline. Straight nose. Long eyelashes. Dark hair in need of a haircut. A broad chest and heavily muscled arms covered by a black quarter-zip with a sports logo on the chest, the kind that a million dude bros would wear running errands on Saturday. Tall too. All in all, he was exactly the kind of man one would think of when you said he wasclimbable.
Not thatIwanted to; it was just a general observation. There were all sorts of people in the world who liked to climb things. Mountains. Stair machines. Tall people. Sounded like way too much work to me, thank you very much.
His gaze didn’t move from his kids, probably because they were doing an excellent impression of children who did not want to go home.
“I told Bridget where we were,” Maggie insisted. “It’s not like we hitchhiked across town or anything.”
Bryce muttered something about a flight under his breath, and she elbowed her brother. Hard.
Hot Angry Daddy was not particularly swayed by this argument. “As much as I’d love to trade stories of the things youhavedone the last year, I am not in the mood right now. I had to leave work before I was supposed to because I was worried out of my mind not knowing what happened to you two.”
Guilt gnawed at my stomach, but I kept my mouth shut.
“But I—” Maggie interjected.
“Now, Maggie,” he said firmly.
The kids stood, even though their movements were sluggish and slow, and when Bryce let go of Larry to get his backpack, the dog did exactly as I’d feared, darting straight past me to march up to our newest guest and let out a growly little bark.
