Page 32 of Mister Daddy

“I have some work to do today,” Carter says. We woke up and had breakfast, and an early dessert, about an hour ago. Since then, we’ve stayed in bed clinging to each other’s nude bodies. “Will you be okay on your own?”

“Yeah. I’ll probably go for a swim. Maybe get a tan.”

He kisses my shoulder. “Sounds good. Meet up for lunch?”

“I’d love that.”

“Excellent.” He climbs out of bed, leaving me feeling cold even though it’s pushing a hundred outside. “I’ll meet you at the buffet at noon?”

“See you then.”

Carter dresses and heads to his onboard office. I take longer to get dressed and then head to my room for my bathing suit. The girls are nowhere to be seen.

Up on the deck, I find an empty chair and set down my things before jumping in the pool.

That’s when I finally see my friends.

They’re over by the bar we first spent time at when we got on the ship. Beside them are those same girls who cheered along with us about a friend trip.

A friend trip. That’s what this was supposed to be, and here I am sleeping in the large bed of a guy I only just met.

I stay hidden in the scarce shade as I swim, but my eyes are trained on Caitlyn and Jessica. They look so happy. Are they happier without me than they were when we were together?

My heart breaks. I’ve been a terrible friend to them, but they haven’t been much better to me. We’re all to blame here.

I should get out of the pool and walk over to them, apologize and demand an apology in return, but I can’t. I stay weightless in the water as they make friends with younger, prettier girls. Maybe it’s better this way.

When I finally force myself out of the pool, it’s because the clock is ticking close to noon, and I need to meet Carter for lunch. Verifying that the girls are still at their bar-side posts, I sneak downstairs into our room to shower and change.

Avoiding them is exhausting.

The room is lonely as I get dressed. Even Carter’s room feels lonely with just the two of us. It’s because Caitlyn and Jessica are more than just bodies; they’re personalities. They fill any room they’re in, and I miss that.

I miss them. And I need to do something about it. I’m the one who walked out. Yeah, they hurt me, but I hurt them, too. I can be the bigger person this time.

Carter already has a table when I get to the buffet for lunch. We leave our stuff to protect the prime real estate and load up on delicious buffet food. I’m going to miss having free, cooked food available 24/7.

“I saw Jessica and Caitlyn today,” I say when we sit down with our plates.

“Oh? Did you talk to them?”

“No. I wanted to, but I chickened out. They were with some girls we met on the first day and I felt… I don’t know, like I didn’t belong.”

He takes my hand. “You really miss them.”

“Of course I do. They’re my best friends. We’ve never fought like this before.”

“Then let’s do something about it. How about we have dinner with them tonight? I can reserve a private table at Harper’s.”

“Carter…”

He squeezes my fingers. “Let me do this for you. I hate seeing you so upset.”

Harper’s is an onboard steakhouse, and it’s not one of the free places to eat. The girls and I looked at the menu when we explored that first day and nearly passed out at the prices. But if Carter is insisting on taking us there to repair my friendships with Cait and Jess, then I should take him up on it.

“Okay,” I agree. “I’ll invite them. Hopefully, they’ll actually come.”

“They’ll come,” he says. “They love you as much as you love them.”