Page 57 of Enemy Daddy Next Door

“Why is there cake on the floor?!”

Hunter and I snap apart at the sound of Jessica’s tinkling voice from the foyer. I blanch; we forgot to clean up the fucking cake.

Hunter rushes to meet her in the foyer. “Amy brought it for you from the party, but Daddy was sort of a klutz and dropped it,” I hear him explain.

I giggle to myself.

“Come with me. I have a surprise for you,” he adds.

I wait in the kitchen, my heart pounding. When he rounds the corner with Jess, her face breaks into a smile. “Amy! You came for breakfast!”

I hold back a laugh. Yes, “came for breakfast” is an apt description.

Jessica squirms in Hunter’s arms, reaching for me. I meet his gaze quickly for permission, but he doesn’t hesitate to bring her over to me. I engulf her in an early morning hug, her dark brown bedhead tickling my cheeks. “How’d you sleep?” I ask tenderly.

She nestles into me. “Will you bring me more cake?”

Hunter and I both laugh. “Yes, but first, breakfast. French toast. How does that sound?”

Jessica lifts her head with a big smile. “Mmm!”

“You girls sit back and relax. I’ll get breakfast done in no time,” Hunter says in a gruff morning voice that sends a shiver down my spine.

“Yes, Daddy,” Jessica says.

I’m inclined to echo her sentiment but hold my tongue.

The two of us sit at the kitchen table and play “I Spy” until breakfast is ready. When Hunter sets the plates of French toast decorated with powdered sugar and berries, I feel like I’m at brunch or something. “This looks…amazing.”

It tastes amazing too. “Where did you learn to cook like this?” I ask before I’ve finished chewing.

“Swallow before you speak, Amy,” Jessica reminds me.

I flush and Hunter laughs. “Well, when I was a kid, I spent a lot of time with our house staff. I know that sounds very…grandiose, but –”

“It’s where you came from. I want to hear all about it.”

Hunter smiles gratefully. “Yes, well, Brigitte was our chef. And she always invited me into the kitchen to help her with the cooking. I just fell in love with it. In fact, before I took over the Ricks Group, I had been traveling a lot to try different cuisines and…I don’t know, eventually open a restaurant of my own.”

“Hunter, that’s amazing,” I say. “Can’t you picture it, Jess? Daddy in a white jacket and a chef’s hat.”

Jessica’s lips sour. “That would look silly.”

We both laugh. Hunter waves his hand. “Listen, it was a pipe dream.”

I reach out and touch his arm across the table. “If that’s what you want to do, you should do it. You have the resources –”

“But I don’t have the time,” Hunter replies. “Between work and…” He hesitates to say Jessica’s name, but the way his eyes flick to her says enough.

I hold back what I want to say next. If we were together, you’d have more time. I could take care of Jessica too. We could follow our dreams together.

“Amy?” Jessica suddenly peeps.

“Yes, honey. Do you need me to cut more of your French toast?”

She pats her mouth with her napkin delicately as if she’s seen it done that way many times before. “Are you my mommy now?”

The room goes silent. Thankfully, Jessica doesn’t notice Hunter and me sweating.

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