Page 29 of Grump Daddy's Baby

“She doesn’t?” Kai repeats as though contemplating the fact. “Well, I’m not sure if we can keep her or not.”

“No, Daddy,” Lark says in my defense. “She said we could have ice cream.”

“I can get you ice cream,” he vouches, not bothering to save my ass during this conversation.

Not surprised.

At all.

“Yeah, but you don’t know where they sell the bubblegum ice cream, do you?” I challenge back, finally steering my gaze over to him at the head of the table.

He’s wearing a black tee that shapes his broad shoulders and matches up with his ink.

It makes him look that much darker. A man without the need for bullshit.

Someone who knows what he wants, when he wants it, and he’ll kick out everything that doesn’t serve him.

Too bad his energy matches that shitty persona because, God forbid, if he had any charm I’d drop my panties at any given blink he gave me.

“Are you trying to say that I don’t know where to get said ice cream?” Kai asks me flatly, bringing his mug to his lips as he watches me for my answer.

“I am. Because there’s no ice cream shop in San Bernardino that sells it.”

“And you’d know this because…”

I scoff and lean back in my chair. “Because if it’s one thing I know…it’s ice cream.”

He nods and glances back at Bria. “You believe that?”

“Do you, Daddy?”

I can’t say that I don’t like the dynamic between him and his girls. How they trust him with everything and value his opinion.

I’m the outsider. So they’re looking for his opinion, to lay down how this is going to go.

If he openly wants to disagree, I’m not sure I stand a chance with Bria, but I think I might have Lark in the bag.

“Until she proves me wrong,” Kai replies, “I think we should give her a shot.”

Bria gives a curt little nod of her head. “Okay. But she needs to go back home and grab her Barbie house so she can play with us.”

Geez…

“Wouldn’t that be something?” Kai says. “I think it’d look great in her room for when all herfriendscome over.”

Guy friends.

I don’t miss the meaning.

“What friends?” Lark asks before taking another bite of her cereal.

“The friends that came over and helped her move in yesterday.”

“Do they have a Barbie house?” Bria asks seriously.

Kai doesn’t answer that question offhandedly, leaving it for me to respond to.

“They have more than a Barbie house,” I vouch as I keep my eyes locked on Kai’s. “They have the whole package.”

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