Page 56 of Double Daddies (Dirty Daddies Anthologies #8)

I drop my hand to her lower back and rub circles there.

With my other hand, I lift my coffee cup to my lips and drink deep.

She was downplaying it earlier—the coffee is fantastic.

So much so that it doesn’t make sense to me why Ryle ever bothers going to a coffee shop. One day, I might venture to ask him.

Cami is now eating with reluctant determination and eventually finishes her bacon and eggs. She pushes her plate back and makes a face.

“You did it. I think you deserve a reward.”

This perks her up immediately, as I suspected it would.

“What kind of reward?”

I look to Ryle and see him watching us with a bemused smile. “Well? What do you think?”

“What kind of reward do you want?” he counters.

She opens her mouth to answer, and as I’m waiting to hear what wish she wants granted, her face suddenly goes paler. Then it suffuses with color right before she leaps to her feet and bolts from the room.

“Uh-oh,” Ryle says, and we’re both on our feet.

I take off after her with him just behind me. Before I make it to the bathroom, I can already hear her returning her breakfast. I stop and pivot to face him. “Could you make some tea? Peppermint, if you have it.”

“On it.” As Ryle heads back to the kitchen, I make my way to the bathroom.

I knock softly on the door. “Cami? I’m right out here. Do you need anything.”

She groans in response.

Gently, I turn the knob and nudge the door open until I can see her kneeling on the tile. I walk in and crouch beside her, placing a hand on her back. “Hey, baby. I’m right here. Do you think you’re done?”

With another long moan, she nods.

I stand up and walk to the sink, pulling the drawers open until I find a washcloth. I turn on the faucet and wait until the water is warm before I dampen the rag. Then I return to Cami and gently mop her face. “There. Any better?”

She nods but looks miserable.

“Want me to help you brush your teeth?”

She doesn’t nod at me this time, just looks at me with pained eyes that break my heart.

I reach for a toothbrush—there are two unopened ones on the counter. Did he buy them sometime between last night and today or is he just a wishful thinker?—and snap it out of the packaging before getting the toothpaste tube and putting a generous amount on the bristles.

“Can you stand?”

She stumbles to her feet, but as soon as she’s on them, she sways.

I reach out a hand to steady her and move next to her so that she can lean on me. “Say ‘ah’.”

Cami obediently opens her mouth, and I brush her teeth for her. Then I fill a water cup and hand it to her. It looks like it takes every last bit of her remaining energy to spit.

“Come on, let’s get you sitting down. Ryle made tea. Do you think you can walk?”

Wordlessly, she shakes her head and holds her arms out. I scoop her up, cradling her close and she clings to me gratefully, whimpering as I carry her into the living room. “This is all going to be worth it,” I murmur. “You’re going to be an amazing momma.”

She doesn’t answer, but her fingers clutch my shirt, and I know she heard me. That’s enough for me.

Gently, I sit on the couch with her in my lap. There’s already two empty mugs on the coffee table, and when I look up, Ryle is coming with the tea kettle.

“I didn’t know what kind you liked,” he says as he pours steaming water into the mugs.

“I don’t drink tea.”

“Noted. More coffee?”

I shake my head. “You don’t have to wait on me. Just join us. Maybe we should watch a movie. Would you like that, baby?”

Cami nods and I pick up the remote and begin flipping through channels while Ryle returns to the kitchen. Once he returns to the living room, he takes a seat next to us.

“ Finding Nemo just started,” I remark. “How does that sound?”

Cami tries to smile, but it falls away and she gives a tiny nod.

Ryle is gently blowing at the brim of the teacup and puts it to her lips. “Drink.”

She glances at me, then back to him and obeys. She winces as she swallows.

“Too hot?” he inquires, beginning to blow again without waiting for a response.

When he lifts it to her lips again, she takes a tentative sip, but then another.

Then she settles back on the couch, shifting her weight until she is sitting between the two of us.

I expect to feel jealous, but truthfully, I’ve seen the way he looks at her.

The way he cares about her. More importantly, I see the way she looks at him .

She cares about him, and I care about her enough to give her what she needs.

“This is great, I haven’t seen this in forever.”

Arching a brow, I look quizzically at Ryle.

“What?” he asks. “I love that clown fish.”

“That’s Dory. She isn’t a clown fish.”

“Oh.” Ryle makes a show of rolling his eyes. “You get to tell me what fish I like now? I can like the clown fish if I want. It’s his movie.”

“Okay. Fine. Like the clown fish.”

“I intend to.”

Cami giggles at our antics, and Ryle tips me a wink.

Mission accomplished, his expression says.

“Who do you like?” I ask her, even though I know the answer.

“Dory, of course.” She shoots Ryle a mischievous smile.

“Two against one? I see how it is. But maybe you’ve never viewed this movie with someone who had the right point of view.”

“Oh, is that right?” I chuckle.

“You bet it is. Just sit back and be ready to be educated.”

“Can’t wait.”

“Me either,” Cami echoes, and as she snuggles in close, I know she’s exactly where she wants to be.