He’s never been fooled by charm or excuses, and I can already tell from the way his gaze sharpens that today isn’t going to be an exception to that.
He doesn’t speak right away, he just looks at each of them one by one, internally ticking off boxes on a mental checklist.
“Didn’t see a missed call from any of you about any breakfast plans,” he says at last.
“Hence thesurprisepart,” Callum answers instead.
Dad’s eyes flick toward him, assessing him carefully.
There isn’t much to Callum’s face though that gives him away.
Not enough for my dad to latch onto and pick apart like he can with Dean and maybe Grant.
I step forward before anyone can say something that makes this situation seem any more suspicious than it already is. “You know, if you weren’t out all night, they may have even surprised you with breakfast inbed.”
He snorts, a small smile ticking up at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, really? Would’ve loved to see that.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding when he scoops Eli up into his arms.
The crisis, at least for now, seems to have passed.
Dad can’tproveanything strange has happened right under his nose. Not without something tangible, at least.
And unless one of the guys lets something slip, we’re in the clear.
For now.
He reaches over to brush a crumb from Eli’s chin, his large, calloused hand gentle against my son’s small face.
For a man who’s spent most of his life barking orders and fighting tragedies, my dad has always had this incredible softness when it comes to Eli.
It sneaks up on me every time I see it, melting the lines around his eyes and making him look younger by years.
“Don’t suppose you’re up to go to that ice skating rink with me like we talked about last week?” he asks.
Eli’s reaction is immediate and explosive. His entire face lights up as if someone’s flipped a switch inside him. “Really? You’re not gonna take a nap first?”
That earns a laugh out of all of us. Even my dad grins, shaking his head as he lifts Eli higher on his hip. “You think I’d want to waste time and skip out on spending my whole birthday with my best guy?”
“Let’s go!” Eli cheers, his voice echoing through the kitchen. He wiggles in Dad’s arms, already reaching for the door like the world outside is waiting just for them.
Dad chuckles, steadying him with one hand. “Hold your horses, buddy. You’re still in your pajamas.”
“Ugh.”
“Go on now.” He waves his hands toward the stairs. “Get dressed and we’ll head out. Long socks this time, so your skates don’t rub.”
Eli giggles and scrambles down from his arms, taking off up the stairs in a blur of motion.
His laughter echoes up the staircase, followed by the slam of his bedroom door and the faint sounds of drawers opening and closing.
Dad watches him go with that small, proud smile that softens him in ways I didn’t think possible.
Then he glances at me, his expression unreadable again. “You heading to the shop soon?”
I nod. “Just for a few hours. Going to set up some displays for that tree lighting ceremony that’s happening in the park tomorrow night. I figured putting together a few racks of light-up ornaments will draw a few customers in on their way over.”
“Smart planning.”
