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“Hey, little munchkin,” I coo, taking her off her mother’s hip and onto mine. I rub the tip of my nose with hers and kiss her forehead before I gaze over at my sister. “Is Alaric home?”
“He’s in the living room playing with Gage,” she answers cheerfully, but I can hear the suspicion in her tone. “He’ll be so thrilled to see you since he missed Sunday dinner. Come in, come in.”
Not wanting to explain why Cara and I are here yet, I tilt my head to my best friend for her to follow me inside. Layla shows us to the living room, and just as she reported, we see my father on his hands and knees, playing Legos with my nephew.
I can’t help the smile that bursts forth from the sight before me.
To everyone who comes into contact with him, my dad is the epitome of mean, brooding alpha, but seeing him with his family shows just how untrue that definition is. He’s one big teddy bear when it comes to my sister and his kids. A softy if I ever saw one.
He was like that with me as well for the longest time—until I grew breasts and had boys sniffing around me, that is.
That’s when my father started laying down the law, and he hasn’t let up once.
He’s still so wrapped up in building a fort for Gage that he doesn’t realize he has company.
“Look who’s come to pay us a visit,” my sister announces, bringing his attention to us.
The twinkle in his eye and the wide smile he gives me has me racked with guilt, but I push it away and offer him a smile of my own.
“Hey, Dad,” I call, genuinely happy to see him.
“Don’t ‘hey, Dad,’ me, kiddo. Where’s my hug?” he teases, getting up from his knees and strutting toward me.
I place Sophie on the floor so he can wrap his huge arms around me, making me feel even tinier than I already am, but I don’t mind it so much. Sometimes his hugs are the only things that soothe my wayward heart.
“Sorry I wasn’t here for family dinner the other day. Missed you, kid.”
“Missed you too, Dad,” I reply, meaning every word.
Even though Alaric’s overprotectiveness can sometimes be stifling, it doesn’t make me love him any less. To me, my dad will always be our guardian angel, the man who saved my sister from certain death and then, later on, saved me from the grim reaper’s cold hands too. Sure, he manipulated Layla into marrying him beforehand, but I guess love makes you do some crazy shit.
Not that I would know.
You’re about to lie to your entire family just so you can help Gray. Sounds like pretty crazy love shit to me.
I bite my inner cheek, pushing that thought as far away from my head as possible, not wanting to give it room to grow—especially with my dad still hugging me.
I pull away from his embrace and walk over to Gage to give him a kiss. He doesn’t register my existence, though, since he’s too preoccupied with keeping his Legos away from his twin. There is a twinge of sadness that instantly claws into my heart, remembering how his namesake used to keep his toys away from me too—not that my brother had many to keep from me.
The last memory I have of him creeps up on me. He didn’t want me to use a plastic bag my mom got him for his birthday as my own personal barf bag. My melancholic expression must give me away, because before I know it, Layla is ushering us to the kitchen, leaving little Sophie and Gage to play by themselves.
“Do you girls want a drink?” she asks, opening the refrigerator door.
“Water will be fine,” Cara says sweetly.
“Beer if you have one,” I answer.
“Not happening,” my father interjects. “Turn twenty-one first, then you can have a beer under my roof.”
“You do know I’ve drunk beer before, don’t you?” I tease, nudging my shoulder with his.
“If I didn’t see it, it never happened,” he deadpans.
“Good to know,” I mutter under my breath. “Water is fine.”
Layla hands both Cara and me a bottle of water as we sit on stools at the kitchen island. When I see my best friend start playing nervously with the cap, I realize I don’t have much time before she flakes on me.
“So this isn’t a social call,” I start, to which my father instantly chuckles.
