Page 46 of Roll With The Punches

“Do youreallywant me to say it?”

“Saywhat?”

She rolled her eyes and went back to packing. “Duh. Youownthem. They’re like a couple of puppies, and you’re the pack Alpha.”

Oh, shit.

His face felt supernova hot now. He tried to think of a comeback to that, something that wouldn’t violate his personal credo to never lie to her, while remaining age-appropriate for the situation.

“You don’t have to say anything, Dad. It’s okay. I think it’s cute. Mostly because you look happier than I’ve seen you look in years. You were never this happy with Mom.”

Her expression turned sad. “That’s another thing I hate about all of this. Pat doesn’t make her happy. He doesn’t even make her feel secure. He was a…a life vest. She grabbed it and put it on, but she’s still bobbing around in the ocean and floundering. She might not be drowning, but she’s dang sure not ‘safe.’”

* * * *

Jeff hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but with Emma’s door standing wide open, and him in the kitchen, he’d been able to hear every word.

He wondered if Brandon’s face was as red as he knew his own was.

Puppies to the pack Alpha was the perfect way to explain the dynamic they had in a vanilla-friendly way.

He was still digesting the fact that Emma loved him and Stuart like step-dads.

He’d never had that kind of relationship with a kid before. Not even as an uncle, since Iris didn’t have kids.

I have a kid. I have a daughter.

Oh,shit, I have adaughter!

Accepting that Brandon was a package deal was a no-brainer to Jeff. He wouldn’t have respected the man—and probably wouldn’t still be with him—had Brandonnotput Emma first in his life.

That was one of the things Jeff loved about him, what a good father he was.

Jeff desperately didn’t want to screw up things between him and Emma, either. Because when he examined his feelings for her, he loved her like a daughter, even though he hadn’treallythought about it before now.

He finally realized he still stood there, holding the mug of water in his hand. He put it in the microwave to nuke it. He wanted to make himself another mug of ginger tea, since the one he’d drunk when he got home helped him feel a little better. Ever since Monday, it felt like he was trying to come down with a bug, so he’d upped his vitamin C intake and was hopefully going to get ahead of it before it turned into a full-blown cold or something.

I probably picked up something from the trip, or from someone at work.

He hated flying. Every time he did, he ended up with a cold or the flu or some other bug a week or so later.

Looks like my bad luck’s still holding there.

When Emma and Brandon emerged from her room, she left her overnight bag on the couch and walked into the kitchen, where she gave Jeff a hug.

“Will you hug Stuart for me?”

“Sure, kiddo. When will you be home?”

“Probably early tomorrow evening. Before dinner.”

“Want to grill burgers tomorrow night?”

She stepped away, a smile on her face. “Sure, that sounds great.”

“Make sure to check your tires.”

“I will.” She frowned. “Are you feeling okay? You’ve been out of it the past couple of days.”