Page 30 of Hot Dad Summer

I thought Max was going to punch Flynn for a moment and I forced out a fake laugh before pushing Flynn towards the stairs. “Hurry up and take the kids. I’m going to call Kacey.”

Max turned his frown from his brother to me. He looked like he had something to say but swallowed it down. He turned just as Poppy ran into the kitchen and caught her in his arms when she jumped. The strain and frustration on his face melted away and left a warmth that made my chest ache. “There’s my Poppy.”

She hugged his neck tight and then planted wet kisses on both of his cheeks and forehead before leaning back and opening her mouth wide. “I brushed! Smell!”

“I don’t know… Still kind of smells like Hank’s breath if you ask me.”

I watched as their normal chaos erupted, the kind of chaos I would’ve loved to grow up in, the kind I wanted to give my kids one day. It was loud and crazy and so filled with love that just watching them let me feel like I was a part of it.

I was so caught up in watching all three kids join in on an impromptu morning wrestling match with Max that I didn’t notice Wes was moving closer. He surprised me with a hand on my waist and a look I couldn’t interpret.

“You’re going on a date with Flynn?” He kept his eyes on Hazel as he asked but there was no hiding the fact that he clearly didn’t like the idea.

“It’s not a date.” I went to move away but he caught my arm and gently pulled me closer.

“I thought we were keeping boundaries to keep things from getting weird?”

My laugh at that was genuine. “I think we’ve all crossed that bridge, don’t you?”

“What? What do you mean?”

Because I was in a snottier mood than normal I patted his chest and smiled up at him. “I don’t mean a thing, Wes. Of course, we’ve all kept to our boundaries and not crossed any lines at all.”

His eyes darted to Max and then Flynn when he came back down the stairs. “Daisy… You mean… Flynn?”

“What, Wes? You want him to regret me the same way you do?” I kept my voice low enough that only he could hear me. “Would it feel better for you if they looked me in the face and basically said they regret touching me, too? That way you don’t have to be the only jerk? Well, congrats. You’re not alone. You and Max should start a club. Plus Tyler makes three, right?”

I twisted my face into something pleasant and stepped away from him. “I’m going to miss y’all today. Remember everything so you can give me all the details while we decorate cookies tonight.”

The kids ditched Max to give me hugs. Even Hazel gave me a side hug that felt like a gold medal after weeks of almost hugs. I planted kisses on the top of each of their heads and stuck my tongue out at Hazel when she pretended to wipe it off.

Flynn looked at Wes and then back at me. “Why don’t you come with us? I’ll drive to my marina with my head out the window so you can talk to Kacey in private.”

I felt Wes stiffen beside me and made up my mind. “You know what? I think that’s a great plan. We can take bets on how many bugs you’ll catch in your teeth. What do you think, kids? Fifty? A hundred?”

I didn’t look back at Wes or Max. The same itch to not leave things bad with anyone was there, it was less like an itch and more like a horse kicking me in the head. That part of me demanded I turn around and make things better. I already had a list of things I could do around the house running through my mind, a hundred different ideas for making them see that I was worth the trouble. At the start of the summer, I would’ve folded. I didn’t want to be that person anymore, though. I didn’t want to be the person that got used up and cheated on and laughed at.

I gave my hair one last fluff on my way out the door. I had to be more than the person who made everything okay all the time.

24

***Daisy***

“You’re quiet.” Flynn glanced over at me and then looked back at the road. He was driving north from Sweetwater Cove to the next little village town, Briar’s Bluff. The roads were winding and there was always the chance of an animal running out of the thick woods on either side of it.

I shifted in my seat so I could watch him. He had one hand on the steering wheel, near the bottom, and he looked so confident and comfortable sitting there that it stole my breath for a moment. He’d slipped on a pair of shades and was chewing a piece of gum he’d found somewhere. For a moment I could see what he would’ve looked like as a teenager. Thinking about him was safer than anything else on my mind so I let the thoughts grow into a conversation.

“What were you like as a kid?”

He let out a surprised laugh. “I know that wasn’t what you’ve been thinking so hard about.”

“Maybe not but it’s what I want to think about now.” I smiled at his profile and realized I just really wanted to know more about him. “Tell me about yourself. I’ve only ever known you as Tyler’s brother.”

He shot me a heated look. “You know me as more than Tyler’s brother, sweetheart.”

I blushed and looked away. “You know what I mean.”

He let out a dramatized sigh. “Fine. I’ll spill all my deepest, darkest secrets. If you do the same. A show me yours if I show you mine deal.”