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“She’s staying at your house?” I shoot him a firm glare to drop the subject. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing that you’re making breakfast for a woman after three years of self-imposed celibacy.”
My gaze is stone cold, but the guy doesn’t even shiver. Being ex-military, he’s had to stare down the devil enough times that he’s honed his poker face to a knife’s edge. If he wasn’t my oldest friend in the world, I’d have already thrown his ass out of my office for making a crack about my dry spell.
“I’ve been busy,” I growl, “unlike some people at this firm.”
“Apparently so. I mean are we talking oatmeal, or something more complicated, like French toast?” The brown carpet on his face shifts to accommodate a wiseass grin. He’s the only man I know who can grow a fuller beard than me, which he refuses to shave even in summer. I’m convinced he keeps it just for the pleasure of busting my chops.
Good-natured rivalry has been the backbone of our friendship since we were teenagers. If I did fifty push-ups, he had to do fifty-one. At parties, I took great pride in drinking his light-weight ass under the table, even if it meant apologizing to his mom in the morning.
I joined the police academy after graduation. Austin joined the fuckin’ army.
We fell out of touch and into our respective callings for a few years. When I moved to Mary’s to recuperate after getting shot, she suggested I reach out. She’d run into Austin’s younger brother, Mike, at the drugstore. He more or less hinted that my old pal was having a hard time transitioning back to civilian life. I thought about calling him, but I was too busy feeling sorry for myself.
About a week later, he showed up on my sister’s doorstep. Not bothering withHey, how are yous, he just held up a six pack and followed me outside. It was like he could sense I was at my lowest. We sat on Mary’s back porch for a while, drinking, not saying anything. Eventually, as was always the case with us, once the words started flowing you couldn’t shut us up.
We talked about all the crazy shit we’d gotten into as kids, the pretty girls we’d kissed, those burning-hot summers we worked construction for his uncle. After a while, we got to talking about starting our own construction firm.
Six months later, Pope & Parkes, LLC was born.
Naturally, Austin’s name had to come first in the lineup; it was the only way he’d settle for VP.
“Did you just come in here to bust my balls,” I ask, “or do you have an actual reason for gracing me with your presence?”
“I just came to ask if you still want me to bring ribs Saturday.”
Saturday?Well, shit. Every month, one of the senior members of the Pope & Parkes team holds a dinner for the entire office and their families. My old partner, Cal, has even been known to make an appearance from time to time. I’d completely forgotten it was my turn to host.
“Sure, bring ‘em,” I say. “The way this horde eats, the more food, the merrier.” I have no fucking clue what I’m going to tell everyone about Teagan, and the last thing I want to do is overwhelm her by filling the house with strangers. But a part of me likes the idea of introducing her to the important people in my life. Pope & Parkes is a family, and if Teagan’s my woman, that makes these people her family, too.
If she was an orphan before, she’s just been adopted by an entire construction firm.
As Austin turns to go, my gaze snags on the faded Army Ranger tattoo on his forearm. With the shitstorm I’ve been dealing with today, I’d also forgotten I wanted to ask his younger brother, one of our project managers, where he goes around here to get his ink.
“Hey, tell Mike I want to talk to him before he takes off for the day.”
“I just passed him on his way out,” Austin says. “Haven’t heard his bike though, so he might still be in the lot.”
“Shit.” I jog out to the parking lot in time to catch Mike as he’s revving up his Harley. I ask about the tattoo scene in our area, and his go-to artist, then remind him it’s his turn to bring dessert.
I lock up my office and say my goodbyes to the crew. My plan is to pick up a new smartphone, grab some groceries and then head straight home to Teagan. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her sweet smile and those wide eyes, counting down the hours, minutes, seconds until I can pull her onto my lap and get her scent all over me.
Phone and groceries acquired, I drive past a busy shopping center, and a filthy, despicable idea roots itself in my mind and grows like a weed. I turn my truck around and park, then hustle into two very different kinds of toy stores. By the grace of all that’s unholy, they have exactly the toys I’m looking for.
With Teagan’s naughty surprise taking up half my truck’s backseat, I head back to the house. Entering through the garage, I call out to make sure Teagan isn’t anywhere close by before I sneak upstairs to hide her presents.
When I do find her, she’s on the living-room rug working on a drawing, her perfect ass and those gorgeous legs spread out on my floor. I can see she’s gone and bought herself a nice array of colored pencils. The knowledge that I helped facilitate this investment in her dream fills my belly with warm satisfaction.
Sensing my presence, she rolls over and hits me with that gorgeous smile. "Hi, Daddy."
Fuck yeah. I could get used to coming home to this.
“Hey, sweetheart.” I join her on the floor and rest my hand on the small of her back. “Did you have fun shopping?”
“I did.” She crawls into my lap, and I scoop her up, pressing a kiss to her forehead first, then her lips. “How was your day?” she asks.
“Much better now that I’m home with you. What’re you working on?”
“Nothing. Just some color swatches.” She plays with the ends of my hair, her gaze turning serious. “What you said this morning, about me working for you. Do you think I could start tomorrow?”
