Page 13

Sinclair

W hat was I doing? This was crazy. I rushed around the house, tidying up little things like the stack of books that was perpetually on my coffee table, straightening up the throw pillows on the sofa, and changing out the towels in the kitchen.

Why? Because my bright idea to help Dani and Dagger reconnect was to come to my house for an evening of cookie baking and movie watching.

It was ridiculous. First of all, I would never get rid of the memories of having my home filled with a child’s laughter. With the masculine scent of a sexy man. When combined with the cookies it would be the scent of family, which was a lie because I didn’t have a family.

Not anymore. It was just me on my own now since Dad had died a few years ago.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad bet gone wrong or a debt left unpaid, it was merely a lifetime of bad habits and bad decisions finally catching up to him.

So, no matter what it felt like tonight—or any other night for that matter—I wasn’t part of their family unit.

I was an outsider who was given a chance to step inside the circle for just a little while.

I would enjoy it while it lasted and then later I would think about the time fondly.

No more. No less.

“Get it together, Sinclair.” The house was as tidy as a small cottage could get while also looking well lived in, so I shrugged off any lingering anxiety and went to double check that I had ingredients for cookies. We could make chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, whatever Dani liked.

“Coming!” I shouted at the ringing of the doorbell, smoothing both hands down my sides and blowing out a shaky breath. Pasting on a smile, I opened the door. “Hey, guys! Welcome to my home, come on in.” I stepped back and kept my smile fixed in place.

“Hi, Miss Bronson.” Dani waved and stepped inside before turning to hand me a bouquet of wildflowers. “I got these for you.”

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back and smiled even wider. “Thank you! They’re gorgeous.” I inhaled the perfume of the flowers and let the scent wash over me. Calm me. “Come inside.”

Dani rushed to my bookshelves. Dagger moved slower, taking his time as he took in the details of my home visible from the front door. “Are you sure this is all right?”

I looked at him in confusion. “Second thoughts?”

“No, but it occurred to me too late that you might not want to give up one of your evenings for a clumsy dad and his shy daughter.”

“Dagger.” I said his name in a firm tone and placed one hand on his steely bicep. “If I didn’t want to help, I wouldn’t have agreed to help you. I wouldn’t have taken my time to think about it. I did all that just to make sure I was sure. Got it?”

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “I got it.”

“Good. Let’s go.” I clapped my hands and joined Dani in the living room. “Who wants to make cookies?”

“I do!” She spun around quickly, smiling wide. “What kind are we making?” She was so excited, just like a kid her age should be, and I knew I was doing the right thing.

“That’s up to you,” I told her, and motioned for her to follow me into the kitchen. “We can make peanut butter or chocolate chip. Or white chocolate chip. The choice is yours.”

She bounced up and down in front of the kitchen counter. “Can we make peanut butter chocolate chip, or is that too complicated?”

I shook my head. “It’s super simple, so don’t worry about that. Chocolate or white chocolate chip?”

She smiled. “White chocolate chips, please. They’re so good but I never get to have them.”

I laughed. “You’ll appreciate that on your next visit to the dentist, I promise.” My gaze went to Dagger. “Come on, this is a team effort.”

Father and daughter stood at the sink, quietly washing their hands. They were awkward with each other, but once they got started, they quickly became more comfortable.

“Dry ingredients or wet ingredients?” he asked through a grunt.

“What’s that?”

I laughed and found two sets of eyes on me. “Go ahead, answer her.”

Dagger dried his hands and blew out a breath. “I don’t know shit about making cookies except there are dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Right?”

“Yep, that’s right.” I tapped the tablet that was set up on the counter. “That’s the recipe. Read it over and then we’ll come up with a game plan. Together.”

It started out smoothly, Dagger and Dani working well together. They both communicated well, asking for tools or reading directions aloud when necessary.

“Now we have to add the flour mix to the peanut butter.” Dani read the instructions slowly, sounding out the words she was unfamiliar with like sifted . “Ready, Dad?”

“I’m ready, kid.” He held the mixing bowl high over his head, smiling wide when Dani realized what he was doing.

“It says slowly , Dad. We have to add it slowly.” Her tone was firm but patient. “That means a little at a time. Right, Miss Bronson?”

I nodded. “That’s what I’d recommend, so you don’t over mix it.”

Dagger slowly poured in the flour mixture while Dani mixed until the cookie dough came together. “Should we do the chocolate chips before we refrigerate?”

“Yeah, ‘cause we don’t want to warm up the dough,” she replied, pointing at a line in the recipe.

Dagger grinned. “Yes, Chef!”

“Sorry,” Dani mumbled, and looked away.

“Don’t ever be sorry, Dani,” he replied. “A woman in charge is a beautiful thing, even more so when that woman is my little girl.”

Her cheeks flushed. “You mean that?”

“Of course I do. Look at Miss Bronson, she’s in charge. And what about Katey, she’s a doctor.”

Dani nodded. “And Harper has her own business.”

“Wow, you know a lot of powerful women.” Jealousy surged at the thought of Dagger being surrounded by beautiful and accomplished boss bitches.

Dani nodded. “They’re kind of like my aunts, right, Dad?”

Dagger grinned. “Yeah, they’re old ladies in the MC,” he answered. “Which means—”

I cut him off. “I read romance novels, I know what it means. They are girlfriends or wives of your biker bros.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Biker bros?”

Dani giggled.

I nodded. “That’s what they are.”

We went back and forth while the first batch of cookies went into the oven. And we moved on to books and hobbies while the second batch baked.

“Can I take a reading break?” Dani batted her long lashes at her father, and he caved.

“I’ll call you when it’s time to test the next batch.”

Her brows dipped. “This is the last batch.”

“Exactly.” It wasn’t just that Dagger was gorgeous when he smiled, it was that he was approachable and charming when he was being playful. That was double when he was being playful with Dani.

“Miss Bronson, will you make sure Dad doesn’t eat all the cookies?”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” I promised. “But I can’t promise that I won’t.”

She laughed. “You won’t eat them all, you’re too skinny.”

“That’s it.” I clapped my hands loudly. “You are my absolute favorite person in the world.” She was such a sweet little girl, curling up on the sofa with her book, but not before kicking off her shoes. “She’s so polite.”

“I know,” Dagger grunted. “I could use a few lessons from her.”

“I have no response to that,” I shot back with a laugh.

The day was going well so far. There hadn’t been any long silences or arguments, no tension other than the barest hint of sexual tension. It was, in a word, perfect.

Until a loud thud sounded, followed by the sound of glass shattering and my car alarm going off. Dani screamed and dropped to the floor while I rushed to the front door.

A hand gripped my shoulder and yanked me back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Seeing what happened,” I replied.

“The hell you are! You go check on Dani. I’ll see to your car.” Our gazes collided, warring until finally I relented. “Fine.” I turned and went back to the living room.

“Hey, Dani, are you okay? That was a bit scary.”

She nodded, trembling but not crying. “I’m fine.”

“Of course you are.”

Dagger rushed back in frowning, a red brick in his hand. “This went through your windshield.”

I stared at the brick, overwhelmed by disbelief. “Is that a note, like in the movies?” I reached for it hesitantly and let my eyes scan the contents on the note:

You don’t deserve it. I do.

I had no clue what that meant. “It has to be mistaken identity.”

“Sinclair.”

“You and Dani should get out of here. I’ll pack up the cookies. Then I’ll call the cops.” My hands shook as I reached for the spatula and again when I grabbed a plastic storage container.

“I don’t give a fuck about the cookies, Sinclair. Someone sent a brick flying through your windshield with a note. None of that was an accident.”

“It has to be,” I insisted.

“Sinclair.” He said my name in that tone that made it seem like I was being difficult.

“Look, Dagger, I know what it looks like, but I’m telling you that’s not it. I don’t have any enemies. I don’t have any family or friends here. No one who cares about me, certainly not enough to go through this trouble. It’s a mistake.”

It had to be, because the alternative was just unthinkable. But there was no reason why anyone would target me.

“We’re leaving.” His voice was firm, and his expression was grim.

My heart plummeted even though I understood completely. Dani was his top priority, and being around me was no longer safe. “Okay.” I turned away, disappointed even though I understood.

“Pack a bag, Sinclair. Now.”

My body went completely still. “What?”

“You can’t stay here, not alone, and I need to get Dani somewhere safe.”

I turned back to Dani, who had tears in her eyes but refused to let them fall. I’d never seen a little girl so strong before, so in control of her emotions. “Yeah, okay. Want to help me pack, Dani?”

She nodded wordlessly, taking my hand as I led her up the short staircase to my bedroom.

“How are you feeling?” I asked while I searched for the small travel bag I’d only used to pack my things for moving day. “What happened was pretty scary.” My voice was shaky no matter how much brightness I tried to infuse into it.