“Does he treat you like shit when no one’s around?”
“Oh my God. No. He’s amazing.”
“Older single dads are hot, girl. Guys like Rowdy are a dime a dozen, but Wylder… He’s like the holy grail. Mature, responsible, attentive, kind.”
“A great fuck,” I whisper, but loud enough for her to hear.
“We’ll move that to the number one descriptor.”
And as if he can hear us talking about him, my phone rings, his face popping up on the screen. It’s the photo I snapped of him when he was undressing, and good God, it’s just as hot as watching it in real life.
“Lord,” Gigi mumbles. “Good job, girl.”
“Thanks,” I say, giving her a smile as I pick up my phone and answer. “Hey, baby.”
“Hey, princess. I’m going to be gone all day. I got a call from the camp, and Hazel fell. They think she broke her collarbone, and she’s at the hospital now. I’m going to go get her and bring her home.”
My stomach drops, thinking of little Hazel hurt and alone.
“Oh my goodness. That’s horrible. She has to be so scared.”
“Maddy’s with her. She said Hazel’s taking it surprisingly well. The summer of freedom may be over, and we didn’t really get a chance to start.”
“It’s okay, Daddy.”
“I don’t know how I feel about that word coming out of your mouth.”
“Sorry,” I say, cringing. I’ve never been with a real daddy before, and what used to be a sexy little nickname doesn’t hit the same when he’s an actual father. “Want me to come?”
“I know you have clients today. Stay here. I’ll get her and bring her home. Swing by after work if you want. If you get there before me, the key’s under the mat.”
He and I are going to have to have a conversation about safety. Leaving a key under the mat is a no-no. I thought everyone in the world knew that, but obviously, when you’re a man, you don’t put that much thought into your safety, or you figure it’ll never happen to you.
“I want. Give her a kiss from me.”
“Will do, princess. Later.”
“Later,” I tell him as he hangs up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hazel, the youngest, fell at camp, and they think she broke something.”
“Damn,” she mumbles. “Bye-bye, summer of fun.”
“It’s okay. We had a few nights, and I love the girls. They remind me so much of myself when I was younger. I just hope she’s okay. I know I’d be scared to be hurt without my dad around.”
“I’m such a sucker for my dad. He was the only one who could keep me calm when things were going to shit around me.”
“Me too,” I breathe, trying to ease my stomach. “I’m going to cancel my last client so I can be free when they get back.”
“What’s up with the mom?”
“Well, she’s…” I spend the rest of the hour explaining everything that happened with Katie. I go into every gory detail I know from my family and from Wylder himself. When I finish, Gigi looks dumb struck.
“What in the actual fuck? Who does that shit to their own kids?” is her immediate response.
“A psycho.”
