Page 89 of Under Daddy's Spell

“Okay,” she whispered, feeling sick to her stomach for smashing rule number one—no lies, no fibs, no half-truths—into a million pieces.

“Just okay?”

Blinking back tears, she told him what she knew he wanted to hear. “Okay, Daddy.”

“Mmm, I like the sound of that. I’ll be over to pick you up in three hours. Can’t wait to see my sweet girl.”

“I can’t wait to see you, too, Daddy.”

“Perfect,” he hummed in approval before ending the call.

Tessa stood looking down at her phone. She couldn’t imagine anything better than an evening in, going to bed early and snuggling in her Jordan’s arms. But all she could think about was the spell and how, if it worked as well as the first time, she and Rufus might be on their way home early because Daddy might not want to be her daddy anymore.

Chapter Twenty-Five

SINCE HE PICKED THElast time, Jordan gave Tessa the choice for dinner. She went with Mexican, her favorite,rajas con queso, a kicked-up cheese dip with poblano peppers, caramelized onions, and corn. For an entrée, her go-to favorite was chicken and cheese enchiladas, all from a restaurant not far from her place. She didn’t think until after she texted him what she wanted that there wasn’t much on the menu for her health-conscious, low-carb-eating Daddy.

Her thoughtlessness made her feel worse, and she had no appetite for food, even enchiladas. She was sick thinking about tonight and what might happen when the spell kicked in. She didn’t doubt she’d end up hurting at the end of the night. Whether from a broken heart or a blistered bottom remained to be seen.

Jordan found something that worked for him. A taco salad, no shell, with chipotle lime vinaigrette, and he added avocado and grilled chicken. Because he only ate a handful of chips—his willpower was impressive—he added a side of roasted veggies and drizzled some of her queso on top. He also opened a bottle of wine and poured them each a glass. She would have preferred the rest of the bottle, for liquid courage, but she watched him put it away without asking for more.

After cleaning up from dinner together, they were snuggling on the couch with Jordan watching a sports highlights show when Tessa got up the nerve to go through with the last step of her un-hexing Jordan plan.

“Oh,” she said, sitting up suddenly as if she’d forgotten. “I brought muffins for dessert.”

“Thanks, baby, but I’m stuffed. I’ll save mine for breakfast.”

She didn’t have to fake her disappointment, but she did have to hide her near panic. Was there a time limit on the magic? Did it lose its potency if not used while fresh?

“But, Daddy, I made them specially for you.”

A little devil inside her warned,there will be hell to pay for that gigantic whopper, Teresa Grace.

“Okay,” he relented, “but only a bite.” He patted his flat stomach. “You’re a bad influence on me, baby girl.”

“After you check your scores, we can take Rufus for his walk and burn it off.”

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