Page 12 of D*cked By Daddy

“That’s sweet. You guys must be close.”

He takes a drink of his beer. “We were. And we still are. But that’s all it is, and it would be really nice if Dad would stop pushing the issue.” He rolls his eyes and then lifts the lid to flip the steaks.

“I’ll talk to him,” I tell him. He nods and smiles at me. “So, how’s hockey going?”

“Really good,” he says, his eyes lighting up. “I’m actually shocked they let me go for a few days, but the coach is a good guy. A family-friendly guy. So I think it helped that I said it was my dad’s birthday. Once I get back, it’ll be hockey 24/7.”

“And grades,” I add, tipping my drink in his direction.

“And grades,” he agrees, smiling before he rolls his eyes. “How’s wedding planning going? Charlotte won’t shut up about it. I swear that girl texts me every damn day to talk about it.”

It warms my heart thinking about how excited Charlotte is for the wedding. I was worried about both of them warming up to me, but Charlotte was the one I was most worried about. I couldn’t imagine my dad dating someone so close to my age as a girl. I just feel like it would freak me out a little bit.

But Charlotte took to me so quickly, seeing me as a friend and treating me like I was already a part of the family. So to know that it isn’t just to my face and that she’s talking to her brother excitedly about it as well really just makes my soul happy.

“God, I love that girl,” I tell him. “But it’s going well. Honestly, there’s not a lot to plan because it’s such a small wedding. Which is exactly what I wanted. I tend to get overwhelmed easily.” I laugh. “Everything seems to be falling into place, though.”

“My legs are tired!” Charlotte groans, walking out of the house wrapped in a blanket with wet hair and baggy clothes. “That’s the most physical activity I’ve had in far too long.” She sits down in one of the rocking chairs and pulls her feet up, getting comfy with the quilt.

“Hungry?” I ask her, making my way back across the deck.

“Starving,” she moans.

“Steaks are pretty much done,” Henry says.

“Perfect. I’ll tell your dad, and hopefully, we can eat!”

I walk back inside to see how Nick is getting on with the rest of the food. Doing things like this with the family has me excited for our future, especially if we decide to move out here permanently. We could host family get-togethers for holidays with the cabin decorated to the nines and spend quality time just the two of us in between.

Honestly, moving into the cabin wasn’t even on my radar until Nick mentioned retiring here. And I don’t want him to have to give up his dreams just because he’s chosen to spend his life with someone so much younger than him. Especially when I love it up here just as much as he does.

* * *

After dinner, we all go down to the fire pit to make s’mores. We’re all wrapped in thick blankets, and Scout trots in the middle of everyone, sniffing the bags of chocolate and marshmallows we’re carrying.

Charlotte and Henry are laughing and joking together, and I watch them with a smile on my face while Nick wraps an arm around my shoulders. He pulls me close, and I breathe him in. He came down a few minutes ago to get the fire going again, so his clothes smell like smoke and fire, and it reminds me of being a kid at bonfires.

“What’re you smiling about?” he whispers low in my ear.

“Your kids,” I tell him. “You have some great kids.”

He smiles and kisses the top of my head. We all get settled and start cooking the s’mores. Charlotte and Henry are on one side of the fire, and Nick and I are coupled up on the bench seating. Scout lies at our feet while I snuggle in close to Nick.

We try not to show too much PDA around the kids out of respect for them, but I can’t stay away from him for too long. He holds my hand under the covers and feeds me gooey bites with the other, kissing the corner of my mouth when I moan at how freaking good everything tastes.

“I talked to Henry earlier,” I tell him quietly while the kids are lost in their own conversation.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm,” I hum. “I think the constant teasing about Emmy is getting on his nerves a little bit.”

“Yeah,” he sighs. “I was worried about that. I just can’t seem to help myself. I love Emmy, and I know there’s something there for her. You should see the way that girl looks at my boy. He’s blind.”

I laugh. “That may be true, and I totally understand, baby. But he’s just going to have to figure that out on his own. I’m afraid the more you push the issue, the more he’s going to push away from her.”

“Fair enough,” he says, pulling me closer and kissing my cheek. “Thank you for talking to him about it. I needed someone to tell me to knock it off.” He chuckles.

“It’s a dad’s job to pester their kids…to a certain extent.” I wink at him and kiss him on the lips.

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