My gaze goes to his worried one, and then drops down to look at Cammie, her attention solely on some weird Disney movie about a singing snowman and princess. I shake my head. When did kids stop liking Bugs Bunny or hell even Johnny Bravo? I feel fucking old.
“You going to tell me what I got my granddaughter for her birthday?” I ask, with a smirk.
He grins. “Something she’ll like.”
I laugh, slapping him on the shoulder. “Were you going to tell me you are in love with my daughter?”
“I don’t?—”
“Don’t lie to me, Pez. It’s written all over your face.”
He scrubs his hand through his hair and looks down at the ground. “Fine. I do, but you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to do anything about it,” he vows, holding his head down. I can tell he feels like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
“Well, that’s damn disappointing,” I mutter, watching him closely.
His head jerks up quickly. He looks at me like I’m the insane one. I shake my head. That sayingyouth is wasted on the young, is true. You make everything so complicated at that age. I did the same. It shouldn’t be. Hopefully, Pez is smart enough to figure that out. It also can’t hurt if I give him a little nudge.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he argues.
“I do. You love Daphne. The woman needs a real man who cares about her, and her daughter, to have their back. You seem to be a man that can do that. Maybe I’m wrong,” I taunt him.
“I would protect the both of them with my life. You don’t even have to worry about that. I promised Cap the same thing.”
“I don’t doubt it, Pez. You already saved my son. What I don’t understand is why you seem to be keeping my girl at arm’s length.”
“Because she deserves better than me. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me—things Daphne and Cap don’t know. She deserves better than me.”
I laugh, I can’t help it. “Do you really think the officers of the Devil’s Blaze would vote in a stranger without having you vetted? I mean, I didn’t know you were the Elijah Collier that saved my son at first. Only after we got the paperwork back on you, man. I know everything and I’m telling you right now, if you let Daphne slip through your fingers, you’re not the man I thought you were.”
“Papaw?”
“Yeah, Pixie,” I say with a grin, taking the nickname I’ve heard both Daphne and Pez use.
“When can I open presents?”
“Well, let’s ask Mommy,” I respond, as I see her in my peripheral vision, walking up to us.
“Mama!” Cammie cries, practically jumping in Daphne’s arms. Daphne staggers and immediately Pez steadies her, rising up and keeping a hand on her hip to keep her from falling.
Daphne looks over her shoulder at him, with Cammie, nuzzled against her chest. “Thanks,” she whispers, embarrassment and probably something else heating her cheeks and turning them pink. It’s times like this that she reminds me of Latch the most and the ache in my chest feels like it just might destroy me.
“Mama, I want to open my prezzzents!” she exclaims drawing out the word presents and making more with a ‘Z’ sound in the word.
“But what about cake and ice cream? Or that game you wanted?”
“Where we put Olaf’s nose on him?” she squeals.
“That’s the one,” Daphne laughs.
“Can I open one gift?”
Annie comes over to join us and to my surprise she sits in the empty space on the sofa beside me. She’s not close, but it’s still a shock. I bet Doctor Dickhead wouldn’t like it, not that it means anything anymore. Our relationship is in the past. Still, I like that we can put shit aside to be here for our kids.
“She sounds just like Drew and Daphne did at that age,” she laughs, looking at me.
“She does,” I agree with a smile. Whatever else went wrong, those memories are good ones.
“Just one,” Daphne caves, making me grin. “Which one do you want to open?”
