Page 115 of The Golden Hour

His parents are coming for dinner tonight and she is looking forward to seeing them. They have been so amazing in helping her, coming over to babysit or help with whatever she needs without question. Marlene and Rob never show up empty-handed, bringing over toys, books, and games for Daisy. They brought over one of Mason’s old baby blankets in a beautiful baby-blue pattern that Marlene restitched. Daisy adores it, and Honey does too, glad for her daughter to have something of her father’s. Mason had teared up when he saw Daisy lying on it.

She’s glad to have a village and honestly knows she wouldn’t have been able to do this without them.

Honey quickly takes the soiled diaper off Daisy and opens the drawer to grab a fresh one. A snicker escapes her when she sees the excessive number of diapers Mason has stuffed into the drawer, now overflowing and difficult to open and close.

Mason was changing Daisy’s diaper two nights ago, when he forgot to put more diapers in the drawer and only realized after he had already tossed the soiled one. Picking up Daisy, he walked out to the foyer only to rush back into the room, squawking like a turkey and waking Honey up from the noise he was making.

Honey could not control her laughter when she saw him holding Daisy out in front of him, their little girl giggling and kicking her feet.

There was a very large wet spot on Mason’s grey t-shirt.

“She peed on me!” Mason whisper-shouted to Honey. “Again!”

“At least it wasn’t a number 2,” Honey giggled, standing from her bed to take Daisy from him.

“Don’t put that curse on me, baby,” Mason muttered, looking down at his ruined shirt with a grimace. He glanced back at the girls and narrowed his eyes, pointing a finger at each of them. “I know you two conspire against me.”

Honey ignored the fluttering in her belly at the nickname and instead bounced Daisy in her arms.

“Us girls stick together,” Honey smirked, before lifting Daisy up to coo at her sweet face. “Isn’t that right, baby girl? You’re Mommy’s girl, aren’t you? Yes, you are. Mommy’s little flower.”

Daisy made a soft squealing noise and kicked her feet happily, making Honey pepper her face with kisses. She expected Mason to rush out of the room to the bathroom to shower, but when she glanced at him, he just stood there, pee-covered shirt and all.

The look on his face was… awe.

It’s the same look he wears whenever he looks at them.

Its softness was almost suffocating.

And Honey honestly liked the way he looked at them.

Which would stay between her and Daisy.

For now.

Now she pulls a fresh diaper from the drawer, with some effort because he really stuffed too many in there, but frowns when something else comes out with it. On the yellow rug, she finds a small piece of black plastic. Keeping one hand on Daisy, Honey bends down to grab it and sees that it’s a flash drive.

“What are you doing in there?”

They bought the changing table brand new, so it couldn’t have been from a previous owner. There’s no label on it, no note attached. But it was in her daughter’s changing table, and the only people who change her there are her family.

Tucking it into her pocket, Honey finishes changing Daisy before bringing her over to the bed and settling her on her lap. She grabs her laptop from her end table and hesitates for only a moment, suddenly imagining some computer virus sitting on the flash drive, just waiting for some dummy like her to plug it in.

Curiosity wins.

“You want to be sneaky with Mommy?” Honey tilts her head down and asks Daisy, who just smiles back at her. Honey knows that look means "absolutely."

Honey presses a kiss to her little blonde head before clicking on the file, catching baby hands when they try to slam down on the laptop keys.

When the documents open, she can’t help the gasp that escapes her.

“Oh my God…”

Mason did this.

Somehow.

Someway.