Page 63 of Make it a Double

“If I needed to ask for a favor…” I began, pausing when I noticed his eyes roll.

“What do you want, hotshot?” Okay. Didn’t love how the nickname was already sticking, but if it meant he’d help me, he could call me whatever he wanted.

“I don’t know how much Sawyer has told you about me, but, uh, I’m the father of her baby.”

Duke glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as we stepped out into the cold. “She might’ve mentioned it.”

“Right. Well, the thing is… I don’t know how to be a father. Mine isn’t exactly a role model I want to emulate.”

“You don’t say?” He snorted, rocking back on his heels. “Listen, no one knows what they’re doing.”

“But you do,” I said, earnestly. Watching Duke interact with his daughters today left me feeling more than a little in awe. He handled them with a level of grace and levity I’d never known existed until now.

“Yeah, now. But do you think I had any fucking clue when Harper was born? Absolutely not. It was like being tossed into the ocean with no life raft or buoy in sight. The best you can do is just keep your head above water.”

Did the man ever get tired of being an impossible ass? I’d rarely seen him crack so much as a smile unless he was speaking with his wife or his daughters. Or Sawyer, actually.

Maybe the issue had more to do with me than anything else. Maybe this would be a way to show him that while I was an outsider, I was hell bent on being the best man for Sawyer and the best father for our son.

I glanced down, hoping I didn’t sound as crazy as I felt. “Would you teach me?”

“Teach you? How the fuck do you want me to do that?” he asked, pulling his brows in together.

“I don’t know. Like a Daddy Daycamp or something⁠—”

“Jesus Christ, don’t fucking call it that,” he interrupted. His words ended on a low groan. “Makes it sound weirder than it is.”

“Whatever. Look… Will you help me or not? I’m desperate here.”

Duke looked around for a moment before he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sharp exhale. “What is it you want me to teach you? How to get some sense? Because that’s not something I can teach.”

“Ha ha. Very funny,” I deadpanned, blowing out a breath. Maybe this was a horrible idea. Maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut and just figured shit out on my own like everyone else. “I don’t know. How to change a diaper, or how to warm up a bottle.” I tried racking my brain for things I’d need to learn, but came up empty. What did I know about taking care of a kid? I made a mental note to visit a bookstore to pick up some new reading material. There had to be books out there on this stuff, right? “Sawyer deserves the best I have to give, and I watched you in there with your daughters. You are a better father than I ever had, so I figured you might be able to teach me a thing or two. If you don’t want to, though, I understand. I know we didn’t really get off on the right foot⁠—”

“Alright, alright! If I say yes, will you stop looking so goddamn sad?” Duke asked, glancing away and pushing his fingers through his hair. “I can’t take much more of that wounded puppy act.”

Holy shit. “Is that a yes?”

Duke stared at me for a long moment, eyes softening just a fraction. I was on the precipice of his approval, I just needed more time to prove myself. Time I'd fight to get. For the first time since I drove into his town, it felt like I was doing something right. It felt like I was doing something right for the first time since I drove into this town. “Something tells me I’m definitely going to regret this, but yes… I’ll help you.” He hesitantly brought his hand down on my shoulder, squeezing slightly.

“Thank you,” I breathed. “I promise, I won’t let you down.”

Just then, the girls came stumbling out of the diner, giggling and whispering between themselves conspiratorily. They stopped the moment they saw us, homing in on Duke’s hand on my shoulder. He dropped it immediately, stepping away and clearing his throat. “Took y’all long enough,” he grunted.

Olivia’s lips twitched, curving into a slow, knowing smile. “We wanted to give you boys a moment to bond.”

“It seemed like you were getting cozy,” Sawyer added. Her gaze was soft, but there was something else there, too. Hesitancy, maybe? Like she was curious about my intentions, but scared to ask what they were.

“Just chatting,” I said, gesturing toward my SUV. “Ready to go home?”

Sawyer looked at Olivia and took a deep breath. The woman pulled her in for a hug and whispered something I couldn’t quite make out.

“It was nice to meet you,” Harper said. “Thank you for coming to my game.”

“Thanks for having me. It was a lot of fun.”

Charlie narrowed her eyes. She might not have been Duke’s biological daughter, but they had more in common than I realized. “I don’t know what your intentions with our aunt are, but I’m watching you.” She raised her pointer and middle finger, bringing them to her eyes before turning them on me.

“Alright, sunshine,” Duke said, pulling Charlie into him. “What have we said about threatening people you don’t know?”