Page 115 of The Single Dad Project

Awe. Pure and simple.

He was defending her, having her back.

How...novel.

And hot. Damn, was it hot.

She wanted her husband.

Oh, she was so fucked.

“I can’t say I’ve ever looked at it that way before,” her father said into the deepening silence. “But I suppose you’re correct. Hell, Lily’s always calling my squad down at the firehouse my ‘other family.’” He smiled, and her mother rolled her eyes. Dad had left a career as a teacher to become a firefighter, and now, twenty-three years later, he was the proud chief of Rose Bend’s fire department. And yes, he did consider the men and women under him his family. “If you have that, honey, then I’m happy for you.”

Kayla blew out a loud breath and moved forward, slipping between Brooklyn and Patrick, and threading her arm through his.

“Pat, it’s been a long time since we’ve talked. Too long. Buy me a cup of apple cider and catch me up on what’s been going on with you?” Kayla murmured, tipping her head to the side, her long ponytail sliding over her shoulder.

Jealousy splintered inside Brooklyn, and she didn’t try and pretend the sharp thorns embedded in her chest were anything else.

They looked good together—no, they looked like they belonged together. Kayla—tall, slim, with her delicate bone structure and almond-shaped eyes—was the perfect foil to Patrick’s big, wiry frame. They made sense in a way Brooklyn—short, fluffy and surly—did not. Yes, she loved all her curves, but most men who looked like Patrick didn’t appreciate a woman of her stature and size. Shame on them, not her.

Still...

Maybe a tiny part of her would like to know what he preferred. At least when he wasn’t drunk off his ass.

“Sure,” Patrick said. Then jerking his chin up, he asked, “Brooklyn? Are you coming with us?”

“Why? She already has hot chocolate and—” Kayla dropped her gaze “—cake. Besides, she gets to see you every day. She can do without you for a little while.”

Kayla moved forward, but Patrick didn’t budge, his attention remaining on her. “Brooklyn?”

Curving her lips in a smile that she didn’t feel, she lifted her plate. “No, you two go ahead. I’m going to finish up here then head out for the night. See you tomorrow.”

For a long moment he didn’t move, and she held his stare. Yes, part of her wanted to rip Kayla’s hands off him. But as quick as the thought entered her head, she dropkicked it down. A certificate didn’t make them husband and wife.

Deliberately turning away from him, she smiled at her parents.

“One of my coworkers is over there. I’m going to say hi real quick. I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Crossing the few feet separating them, she kissed her mom’s cheek, then her dad’s. Then she left, not turning to watch her husband walk away.

With her sister.

CHAPTER FOUR

PATRICKLOWEREDHIScell phone from his ear, staring down at its home screen. He’d been expecting the call he just ended, but now that it’d arrived...

“Shit,” he murmured, rubbing his hand over his head.

Pushing back from his desk, he stood and slid his phone into his front pants pocket. A glance around the open area revealed only empty cubicles. At a little after six o’clock on a Friday evening, he wasn’t surprised. The Reindeer Games started in a half hour, and most of the town would be at The Glen for tonight’s Yulefest activities.

Most of the town didn’t include him and Brooklyn.

He glanced down the length of the room toward the closed office door. Light filtered through the blinds, and he could just glimpse Brooklyn behind her desk. Normally, she worked until six or a little after. But for the past week, she’d extended that time, not leaving until almost seven.

There could be a variety of reasons for that. An uptick in the workload because of the holidays, for one. Preparing for the week after Christmas when Media Mavens would be closed, for another. All legit. But Patrick didn’t believe they were the only reasons. Something told him her late nights had something to do with him.

More specifically him and Kayla.

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