“You want to sleep here another night?” Mikayla asks, surprise in her voice. She moves over, closer to her brother and adjusts the blanket so I can sit down.
“I’ve never been here. I was hoping you’d show me around,” I suggest.
“But it’s the beginning of December,” she says, like that means something to me.
I just look at her; my head tilted in confusion.
“Dude, it’s wet, and cold. We’re out here because your deck has a fireplace,” Jack says, pointing to the gas fireplace in the wall.
“I thought this was a normal room until we came out here,” Mikayla says. Then, she places her hand on my thigh. “But we can go to the Farmer’s Market tomorrow and grab dinner at a fun local restaurant,” she adds. “We will just have to buy you a raincoat.”
“I have a coat, why not just buy an umbrella?”
Both Jack and Mikayla laugh at me. “Trust me. You want a raincoat,” Jack says, still chuckling.
Even with the shitshow we had earlier, we all venture downstairs to find a restaurant for dinner.
Seattle is an interesting city. It’s definitely a city, but there are virtually no chain restaurants anywhere. At all. If it’s a chain, it’s a Seattle chain. I’ve never seen anything like it.
We walk around, yes, it’s cold, but it’s not raining, though it’s five thirty and basically pitch black out.
We find ourselves at a pub. It’s rustic inside, but quiet and quaint. We order burgers. Jack and I get a beer, and Mikayla orders a glass of red wine. The food is delicious. And I find myself relaxing and enjoying the company after everything we dealt with today.
“I needed this after today,” Jack says, leaning back in the booth we are sitting at.
“Do you think she came over just because we were there?” Mikayla asks. “Like she knew we were there?”
“Like she saw us on the cam and came over just to yell at us?” Jack asks.
“No, she telepathically sensed we had entered the house. Yes! Because of the cam!” Mikayla says sarcastically before flicking her brother on the forehead.
“What the fuck, Mick!” he yells, moving away from her. He places his hand on his forehead and holds it there. “That stung.”
“Oh please, it wasn’t that bad.” She chides, rolling her eyes.
“Both of you, stop.”
Mikayla turns and looks at me, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth, her brows raised. “Um… do I need to remind you of something?” she asks, the smirk growing into a full-fledged grin.
“Call me that word and you can sleep with Jack tonight.”
“Jack, you mind if I crash with you tonight?” Mikayla asks, turning to look at him.
“Not at all,” he says with a smile.
I frown.
“If you don’t want me to call you Daddy, don’t act like one!” she says forcefully.
And that’s the story of how I ended up begging Mikayla to sleep in my bed on our first night in Seattle.
Chapter Forty
Caine
I’m pathetic. It’s almost midnight, and I’m staring at the ceiling. She’s punishing me, and I have the distinct feeling that she’s torturing herself in the process. Right? It can’t just be me.
When Mikayla grabbed her bag and moved into her brother’s room, I played it cool. I said nothing. In fact, I walked into the bathroom and took a shower. If she wanted to play this out, I had every intention of letting her dig herown grave. I have every fucking intention.
