Page 29 of Hot Dad Summer

Daisy cut me off as she stood up. “Jesus. Save it. Between you and Wes, I’m all full up on being someone’s regret. You can both beat yourselves up on your own time. Have a good night, Max.”

I watched with my jaw dropped as she pushed back her shoulders, fluffed her hair, and strode away from me looking just as put together as ever, despite leaving me feeling wrecked. I knew I had to have her.

23

***Daisy***

“You’re joking.” I threw my head back and laughed, doing my best to feel as unbothered as I was acting.

Flynn watched me the new way he’d been watching me, with focus and attention that felt purposeful, like he was studying me. “I’m not. His real name is Maximillian Richard Calloway.”

I snorted and then doubled over as I laughed harder. “Max Dick?!”

Wes came into the kitchen and frowned at Flynn. “Shouldn’t you be somewhere?”

“I am somewhere, big bro. I’m sitting right here, entertaining my favorite nanny with family secrets.” Winking at me, Flynn moved around the island to be closer to me and rested his hand on my lower back. The move felt like a claim.

Wes’ face went to a whole new level of grumpy. “Don’t you have a job?”

“I do. And while the kids are at day camp today, I talked Daisy into coming with me to see my marina and houseboat.” Flynn leaned into my space and brushed his nose against the shell of my ear as he did a stage whisper. “It’s parked in the very first spot. I’m a big deal.”

Before Wes could explode Max came in through the side door. He looked as aloof as ever, as if the night before hadn’t happened to him at all. It wasn’t fair. I could still feel the slight burn from his beard on my most sensitive parts and he was absolutely fine. It made me want to push him, to poke at the proverbial bear until he looked as undone as I felt.

“Well, you’re getting a late start, Maximillian.” I took joy from how quickly his face soured. Pure, childish joy.

“What did you just say?” He glared at Wes and then Flynn. As soon as his gaze moved over Flynn he knew which brother had outed his name. “What the fuck?”

I casually stepped in front of Flynn without thinking, more focused on prodding Max than anything else. It didn’t occur to me that I’d just slipped into the same position that had ended in Wes trying to fuck me through the cabinets. “Don’t be mad at Flynn, Maximillian. I think it’s a lovely name. I do think you missed out on creating your own superhero, though. Just think. Max Dick could’ve been a great comic book star. Have a crime you need solved but don’t want a talkative, fun PI? Just call Max Dick!”

Flynn gripped my hips from behind and let out a loud laugh that filled the kitchen and warmed a part of me that had fallen asleep cold the night before. “I should’ve told you his name a long time ago. This is fun.”

“Let go of her.” Wes’ voice was serious enough that it killed the laughter. Even Max, who was scowling at me, seemed taken aback by it.

Flynn’s hands tightened on my hips and the image it created hit me all at once. I connected the dots and realized exactly what Wes was seeing and thinking. Flynn didn’t. “Whoa, Wes. Who pissed in your cereal this morning? Relax.”

Being told to relax didn’t relax Wes, oddly enough. He took a step forward before Hank appeared from the open door and went straight to his feet. Hank settled like Wes hadn’t been walking and Wes had to stop moving or go down on top of my dog.

I used the distraction to slip away from Flynn and grab the two hefty lunch bags I’d packed for the two brothers I wasn’t going out with that day. I put them on the counter and forced a smile. “Don’t forget your lunches.”

Charlie ran in then, bringing down the temperature in the room. “Dad! Do you think Miss Maggie is going to let me paint my body this year? She always says we can paint anything we want and she never says anything about Billy Dearing painting on his dead turtle’s shell.”

Flynn shrugged. “You won’t know unless you ask. And that Billy kid is weird. I saw him drink from that shell once.”

Hank let out a long, pitiful howl and rolled off of Wes’ feet and onto his back. We all looked at him and it was like he waited to make sure his audience was watching before he farted. Charlie laughed so hard he went down to his knees.

“He wanted us to watch him fart!”

Flynn groaned. “Don’t get any ideas, kid. Just focus on painting your chest for day camp.”

“That’s not where I want to paint, Dad.”

Flynn choked on his coffee and ended up spilling half of his mug on himself. “Alright. I’m going to change and then take the kids to day camp so I can talk with Miss Maggie and apologize for encouraging Charlie to ask her if he can paint himself for the last three years.”

I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing. Nodding at Flynn, my voice was strained as I spoke. “I’ll wait here for you, then. I need to put in a call to the bakery before we head out anyway.”

“Head out? What are you talking about?” Max crossed his arms and took two steps closer to me. They were large steps and they allowed me to get a clearer look at his face. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes and he looked pale under his tan skin somehow.

Flynn answered before I could. “I’m taking Daisy to my marina today. She wants to check out my houseboat. I’m going to impress her with my big deck.”