Page 141 of Daddies' Holiday Toy

Two more turns and I’m finally there.

I spot it before anything else—Carson’s old black Chevy parked crooked at the curb, hazard lights blinking like a warning that I’m already too late to heed.

The sight punches the breath out of me.

“Fuck,” I hiss, yanking the wheel and pulling in behind him.

Even from here, I can see him through the front windows of the bakery, a broad, looming shape just inside the door.

He’s planted there, chest puffed out, hands moving as he talks, no,demandsanswers from the woman standing in front of him.

His stance is pure Carson: one foot forward, weight thrown into it in order to bear the brunt of a punch thrown his way, crowding whoever he’s facing.

And Holly…she’s stuck behind the counter, shoulders drawn tight, both hands gripping the edge while she speaks calmly to the raging storm in front of her.

Mallory’s there, too.

Thank fuck.

She’s standing half in front of Holly, chin lifted like she’s ready to go toe-to-toe with the man standing in front of her.

But Carson’s focus is locked on tight to his daughter, every inch of him radiating that dangerous blend of righteous anger and wounded pride.

I’m out of the truck before I even think about it, the cold air slicing through my coat.

The door swings open under my hand, the bell chiming too softly for the tension in here.

“Carson,” I say as soon as I clear the doorway.

His head whips toward me.

His eyes are bloodshot, jaw set so hard the tendons around his face stand out like steel cables. “You.”

The word drips with contempt, like it tastes foul in his mouth.

I hold my ground. “You need to back off.”

“The hell I do,” he snaps, stepping toward me. “My daughter’s knocked up by one of you bastards, and you think I’m just gonna?—”

“You think screaming at her is gonna fix it?” I cut in, matching his step with one of my own. “You think making her cry is gonna make her any less pregnant?”

“She’smydaughter,” he grinds out, stabbing a finger toward Holly without looking at her. “You don’t get to tell me how to talk to her.”

“Stop making this worse. It’s not going to change anything.”

Behind me, I can hear Holly’s quick, shallow breaths.

The sound hooks deep into me, twisting my heart.

I’m done letting her be treated like garbage by this man, the one person she should’ve been able to count on for protection her entire life.

I refuse to be complacent in her abuse any longer.

Carson takes another step, and suddenly we’re too close, the space between us charged enough to snap.

His voice drops, low and lethal. “Was it you?”

My hands flex at my sides, but I don’t move. “Doesn’t matter.”