Page 2 of Pieces of You

Then there were two.

I looked up at Daddy. “You realize we need to eat Mexican for dinner, right?”

“I’m ready to order right fuckin’ now.” He looped an arm around my neck and kissed the side of my head. “Let’s pick up the dogs, and then we’ll get food on the way home. I should have you naked with the coffee table full of food within the hour.”

Oof. Then we better step on it!

CHAPTER 1

Tate Madden

“Daddy! Daddy Lee, Daddy, Daddy!”

“Daddy, hi! Hi! Catch me!”

I grinned to myself and threw the rag on the counter before I left the kitchen. Just in time for me to see Kingsley scoop up the girls.

Daddy’s home.

That was the last time he worked overtime on a Saturday for the rest of the year—but it was worth it. We’d both pulled extra hours to pay off a family vacation coming up in October, and it was always nice to have everything square before we set foot on the cruise ship.

“How are my girls?” He peppered their faces with kisses, and they giggled and grabbed at his face. “I hear we’re going swimming at Grandma and Grandpa’s.”

“Yeah!” Zoe was the most excited. She may have been a fish in her former life.

My parents had a pool, and it was hot as balls out, so it suited me.

I walked over to him and managed to get a quick kiss in before Kaley and Zoe could land a stray fist in my face. They were freaking wild, those two.

“I made you a snack. I thought we could leave in twenty.”

“Sounds great, but get back here. That was a lousy kiss, baby.”

I beamed and snuck close again. “Lower your weapons, sweethearts.” I put a hand on Kaley’s little paws, but she and her sister had another idea. They wanted down again.

Okay, that was a better kiss. Kingsley should clearly be in charge of all of them.

He squeezed me to him too, as the girls stormed off to finish packing their pool toys.

To two three-year-olds, that was whatever they wanted to swim with.

“I missed you today,” he murmured. “I had lunch with Franklin and almost tore him a new one when he tried to steal the last of the quesadilla you made me.”

I laughed and nuzzled his neck. “He told me. He called and asked for advice on how to get back into your good graces as fast as humanly possible—his words—so that our playtime tomorrow doesn’t begin with a punishment.”

He snorted under his breath and pressed a kiss to my temple. “He can stew on that for a while. Lemme go change, and then I can eat that snack on the way to your parents’.”

It was a plan. I couldn’t wait to cool off.

Lucas Carter

“Nope, that’s enough. You need to eat, darlin’. C’mere.” Colt grabbed my hand and dragged me in from the patio. “The boys don’t need constant watchin’.”

I wasn’t so sure. Both Corey and Kit could be reckless around the pool. What would it look like if we returned Corey to Sloan and Greer with bruises all over? They’d think we’d punished him for something.

Colt did have a point, though. I could be too much of a worrier.

“They need to get out of the water soon,” I reminded Colt. “They have to shower before we drive out to Mclean.”