Page 34 of Protector Daddy

I had to admit, even if my inner feminist squawked about him saying “there, there,” another part of me liked how he took charge. I was so tired of my thoughts circling round and round.

And dammit, I wanted some hard cider. I hadn’t gotten my margarita.

Or my lunch. I absolutely was not eating here.

“What time do you have to work?” I blurted.

“Hang on. I’ve got another call.”

“If it’s Mav, don’t answer it. He’s on a tear.”

Too late. He was already gone on the other line.

I was about to call my brother and ream him out when I realized, hey, I could just go back in The Spinning Wheel. Why not make my embarrassment complete?

I yanked open the door and stomped across the restaurant, well aware of all the gazes focused on me. I didn’t care. I hadn’t broken the law. Christian hadn’t broken the law. But I might be arrested depending on what my brother said on the phone—assuming that was him.

Rounding the corner of the bar, I pocketed my phone and quickly realized the booth of my family was still full and now there were a few additions—namely Brady and Tabitha. Baby Presley was MIA. Good thing. I didn’t want to go off in front of my impressionable niece.

I stopped beside the booth and five pairs of eyes swiveled my way. And yes, Maverick was on the phone. “Hi, Brady. Have you come to question me on my life choices?”

“No,” he said slowly, setting down his breadstick beside his salad. “Should I?”

I pressed my lips together. Okay, so he was playing cool. Fine. I’d focus on the real problem. “Mav, get off the phone.”

He lifted his brows and didn’t set down the phone.

“Did you hear me?” I snatched his cell out of his hand and spoke into it. “Sorry, Christian, Mav doesn’t know how to mind his own business and stay out of my personal life. I will sleep with who I want to sleep with, so he better just get that through his thick skull.”

The line remained silent. As did the table full of my family.

My first clue that my assumption about who Mav was speaking to was very, very wrong was when Vanessa covered her face. My next was when my mother closed her eyes.

“Hello, Honey. This is Chief Brooks. I’m guessing I’m not who you thought you were speaking to.”

I’d never had a near death experience before. First time for everything, I supposed.

“Hi, Chief. Here’s Mav.” I tossed the phone back at my brother and decided the only way I could redeem this day was to be alone in my apartment with no access to any human.

“Honey, sit.” My mother’s tone was no-nonsense. “Brady, grab her a chair from that empty table.”

He already was. I sank into the chair he indicated at the end of the table and thanked the waiter for bringing me over napkins and silverware and immediately requested the largest margarita on the menu.

“Oh, jeez, now she’s drinking. It’s a party now.”

I frowned at Van. “Do you blame me for needing a drink?”

“No, I do not.” She patted her nearly flat belly. “I just wish I could join you.”

My mother’s gaze darted to Vanessa’s stomach and then back to Mav, but the topic deflection from me and my bed-hopping was painfully brief.

A moment later, Mav set down his phone and cleared his throat. “The Chief would like to talk to you this afternoon if you’re free, Honey.”

SEVEN

I clicked backto Honey after I talked to my mother on the other line. She’d asked if I still could make it to Sunday dinner and mentioned how my younger brother Travis was back from modeling in a cologne ad campaign in the city. I said I’d be there then we talked a little about his ten-year-old daughter Care Bear aka Carrington so by the time I finally got back to Honey, I was full of apologies.

“Sorry, my mom wanted to talk about Sunday dinner.”

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