Page 25 of A Daddy for Christmas 3: Nova

“I thought that would help, especially with the sandcastle on the back of the turtle shell that you’ve been talking about making.”

“This one has sea life molds too. Ohh, I think I see a starfish.”

“There are supposed to be two different-sized ones in there, as well as a couple plastic hermit crabs, some sand dollars, and a bunch of other toys and molds, since I thought your castle could use a few residents.”

“Oh, right on. I didn’t even think about that part.”

“Why don’t you go claim your piece of sand, and I’ll bring down the drinks and snacks I picked up for us on the way to the hotel? I’d initially planned to make a few things, but both my morning lessons ran long, and by the time I finished the second one, I was more in the mood to spend time with you than I was to cook.”

“I don’t mind in the slightest,” I replied. “Any time I get to spend with you is welcome.”

“Then I’ll be right behind you,” he said, making a shooing motion with his hands that got me scurrying to find the perfect spot close enough to the water that I could easily refill my bucket when I needed to but not too close that my sea turtle sculpture would be threatened when the tide rolled in.

Giddy with excitement, I filled my bucket with water, then carefully opened the mesh bags he’d given me so I could lay out all the objects inside. Having the chance to see all my options and have them in easy reach would make diving into the sculpture so much easier. This way I’d be able to focus, without having to pause and rummage each time I had a new idea.

Aside from hermit crabs, starfish, and sand dollars, there were several small fish, a shrimp, and an assortment of digging tools. One was perfect for making small holes or drawing outlines. As I dragged it through the sand, I pictured the way the flippers were supposed to extend before adding the neck and head.

Shit, they had tails, right? Turtles had tails.

I tried to picture one in my head, but it had been so long since I’d been to an aquarium that the images in my head kept flip-flopping between turtles with tails and turtles without tails until I finally just yanked my phone out of my pocket, turned it on, and immediately started looking for a picture of one. Until my eyes landed on a notification that I had a message from Koa. Trembling, I clicked on his name and barely allowed myself to suck in a breath as I read the words he’d written.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.

I was squirming in the sand by the time I’d finished reading it again.

“Are you okay there?” Robbie asked as he set a cooler down near the toys I’d laid out.

“Koa and Ethan want to schedule a meeting with me the Tuesday after Christmas to talk about which of the three positions they have open that I’d be best suited for,” I explained. “I have options. Oh my god, I might really get to move here.”

He swept me into a hug as the realization rapidly began to set in.

“Yup, and yes, you do have choices,” Robbie said. “So make sure you choose the one that is going to be the best fit for you. I know you said you took the job you were offered out of college because you were afraid to pass on it and not have anything else come along. I can appreciate that fear, especially when the clock was ticking and you were faced with a looming date for when you needed to move out of your dorm. This time is different. Like you said, you’ve got savings, and you covered your ass by sending everything to another member of your team to ensure that the issues your boss was complaining about were fixed, so your current job is still secure. As much as I would love for you to jump on that job and start making plans to move here, I want you to make sure it's going to be the right choice for you. If you don’t, you might find yourself in this same position a few years down the line, and that would suck.”

“Yeah, it really would,” I replied, nuzzling against his chest. “I’ll make sure I pick the right job and ask all the questions I didn’t know to ask when I was going through the application process the last time.”

“Good boy,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I stiffened, and his hands fell away from my body as he started stammering out an apology.

“Shit, I am so sorry about that; it just slipped out,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the word tumbled through my head like the repeat button was stuck, sending joy flooding through my body, even while he insisted that he’d meant nothing by it.

“I-I truly don’t mind,” I blurted, wanting the apologies to stop so I could go back to enjoying that those words had come from him. “It’s, I…it makes me feel good to hear you call me that.”

“Yeah?”

“Definitely,” I said, blowing out a long breath and relaxing as he hugged me again and started stroking my hair. “I, um…when you praised me like that, this flood of joy hit, and I just felt proud to have pleased you and happy to know that I was making good decisions for myself. Sometimes it’s just really helpful to hear that. Like, it gave me a huge confidence boost. I’m going to write out any questions I have for them so I can ask them during the interview. I don’t want to get so enthusiastic about the possibility of getting to relocate that I forget to get clarification on hours and work responsibilities. I’ve already learned the hard way that some bosses like to redefine the parameters of a job description when it suits them and fail to offer any explanation or compensation for all the extra work they suddenly heap on you.”

“In that case, I’ll make sure you always know how proud I am of you,” he replied, pressing another kiss to the top of my head. “And I hope it goes without saying that you can tell me if you’re worried about something or concerned that you aren’t making the right decision about something, even if it’s something between us.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. It’s way better to get things out in the open than to hold them in,” he replied. “I know I don’t have the same experiences as you when it comes to the innerworkings of the business world, but problems tend to boil down to common issues, and I am more than able to help with those.”

“Thank you. I am just so excited right now,” I said as I stared up at him.

“I’m excited for you,” he said, brushing a kiss over my lips that I deepened as my fingers tangled in his hair and I let out a low moan.