What the…?
I eyed the little balloon dog I’d found in my pocket, and I smashed my mouth shut.
Daddy, I know it’s you!
Somehow. It had to be him.
He knew I’d bombarded him with cute ducks, and rather than confronting me, this was his revenge. Right?
I didn’t know what to do!
“Jordan, are you ready? Ash and Nathan are outside now.”
Crap. Okay. I’d think of something later.
I hurried down the stairs and paused when I saw Emmett playing video games in the living room. “Remember dinner nextdoor at six, Em. And bring the cookies I made—they’re in a container on the kitchen counter.”
“Yeah, got it.” He didn’t look away from the TV. “Dylan’s coming over. That’s okay, right?”
“Of course. He’s always welcome.” I was just happy Emmett wouldn’t be alone. “Have fun today. James and I will be home around nine or ten tonight.”
James entered the living room as he attached the cuff links to his shirt. “No smoking near the house or where Dylan can see you.”
“I told you, Unc. I quit.”
“Nothin’ would make us happier, but we’re bein’ realistic here,” James replied. “You’re breakin’ a lot of habits now.”
Thankfully, nothing heavy, but sure, Emmett was used to hanging out with kids who drank, got high, and dabbled in whatever pills they could get their hands on.
Prescription drugs scared me the most.
Emmett swore he’d never tried anything worse than booze, weed, and cigarettes.
“I’m not gonna fuck this up,” he said quietly. “This is where I wanna be.”
I exhaled. This was where we wanted him. He did have dreams—he wanted to become a firefighter or join the military, so he couldn’t struggle too much with authority. And his grades weren’t hopeless.
Let the wedding fun begin!
I shimmied into Little mode as soon as Alexandria was in the rearview. I mean, it wasn’t exactly a flip of a switch, but I could start relaxing and let Daddy and Rigger take over. With theRileys up front and James and me in the back seat, I hummed a happy tune to myself and counted to make sure I had all the gifts. I’d lost control a little, maybe! But come on, they needed some fun sex toys for their honeymoon, and also new fridge magnets, a new sign for their mailbox, and a…
“…doormat with their last name,” I finished proudly.
“Those are amazing gifts, sweetheart.” Nathan smiled back at me. “But you know Kit’s last name is Damien, right?”
Not anymore!
But that was a surprise for Colt and Lucas.
“Like Mister Colt won’t call Kit his little Carter anyway,” I fibbed. “What did you get them?”
“Well, we’re not as creative as you are,” Rigger responded. “We picked one of the last items on the registry. An ice cream maker.”
Pffft. Typical. If brats had been allowed to choose the gifts, the ice cream maker wouldn’t have been one of the last items left on the list. That was for certain. But now I knew Kit was going to be ecstatic.
“That’s an excellent gift,” I said. “You should only go rogue from a registry if you’re a certified awesome gift-giver like me. For instance, the magnets I made are shaped like fighter jets that Kit can move into formation on the fridge. The doormat and the mailbox sign will tickle Mister Colt’s possessive streak, and the sex toys will drive all of them mad with pleasure on their honeymoon. Also, I heard Mr. West is a bit of a slut for his men. He will not complain.”
Daddy rumbled a laugh. “Next time, we’ll order you to be in charge of gift-giving.”
