Page 246 of Broken Daddy

“She hated those freckles. She always joked about getting them removed and then I’d have to playfully spank her since I loved them.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

She turned to him, reaching up slowly to cup his face with her hands. Her arm still didn’t have full movement and strength, but it was getting close. “Don’t be sorry. I want you to talk about May. I don’t want her to be forgotten. She was a big part of your life and she always should be. Okay?”

He closed his eyes, then nodded. “Don’t know what I did to deserve you, baby. To deserve the both of you. I’m a lucky man.”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure we are the lucky ones.”

Hayes retrieved the other photos he had of May and they’d spent some time looking at them. To her surprise, he opened up, telling her stories that made her laugh and others that made her heart ache.

After a few hours, they locked the place up again and headed out to his truck. “Will you keep it?”

He sighed. “I can’t sell it. I just can’t. But it’s been useful over the last few years and I think other people could use it when they’re in trouble.”

“I didn’t know her, but I think May would like that.”

Reaching over, he squeezed her thigh lightly. “I know she would.”

One year later. . .

“Devi! Devi! Help!”

Devi turned around from where she’d been working on her pottery wheel to see Daisy waddle into her workshop.

The workshop had been finished for a couple of months now and she loved it. It looked like a miniature version of their cabin and was close enough that she didn’t have to walk far when the weather was bad.

Although Hayes usually grumbled about her going outside in the cold and would carry her back and forth if he was home.

Their cabin was now twice the size it had been thanks to a huge extension which had added on a large main suite and a playroom.

Life was amazing on the ranch. If she wanted someone to play with there were plenty of people around. But she also had privacy if she needed some time alone or just with Hayes.

Hayes rarely worked away. In fact, he’d outright refused to for the first six months that she’d lived on the ranch, but she’d slowly managed to convince him that she would be safe.

Now, he occasionally stayed away for the night. But generally only one night and someone always checked in on her.

She now had most of the movement back in her arm and hand. Although sometimes it still hurt at the end of the day when she used it too much, that seemed a small price to pay.

Because she was back to making pottery. And it made her heart lighter. Her first few works had been terrible, but after some calls to Michelle, the older lady had come out to help her and now she was starting to make some things she was really proud of.

Which had included the bowl that was now kind of a lump on the wheel.

“Oh no!” Daisy gasped. “Did I ruin your work?”

Daisy had become one of her closest friends. She was a bit of an introvert so when they were around lots of people, she often snuck off to hide.

And Devi liked to sneak off with her.

Of course, that drove their Daddies insane when they didn’t tell them that they were going somewhere to hide or play with their Lego. And usually resulted in some warm bottoms.

“No, it’s fine. What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Devi asked.

Daisy put her hand on her large belly. “God, I’m so puffed and I only walked from our cabin to here.”

Devi jumped up and helped the other woman sit. “You need to be careful, you shouldn’t overdo it.”

“You sound like Jed. Oh shoot! That’s why I’m here. Hide me.”

“Why?” she asked, glancing around. “What’s wrong?”