Page 53 of Santa Daddies

Holiday Hope

A.W. Scott

Chapter One

Jared

“More sugar,” I say sternly.

Benji rolls his eyes at my demand. “You’re not the head chef in this kitchen, bud. My place, my rules.”

Scoffing, I reach for the container of powdery white magic. The cookies won’t be as good if I don’t add enough of the sweet stuff. It’s a well-known rule that sweets must be sweet.

Duh.

My friend pushes the container away, then snaps the lid shut as he makes direct eye contact with me. He’s making it clear he’s not going to let me get away with what I want.

I should have known he wouldn’t. The man is a tyrant in the kitchen. While I could go home, I don’t much like the idea of being alone right now.

Since we’re in the back of Whipped, his bakery and the second love of his life following his husband Curtis, it makes sense for him to lead. Too bad I’m not really in the mood for things to make sense.

Illogical thinking is the motto of the day.

Or really, of this entire year. After coming off the hardest months of my life, the need to let loose is overwhelming. Too many hours behind a desk. Too many days of worrying about the people I consider family more than my own flesh and blood. Too many bad guys to take care of.

It’s all culminated into a relentless time I can’t seem to shake. Not even the imminent holiday season is putting me in a good mood. Some of the lack of excitement there is, is likely due to the change in plans this year.

Donny, my best friend, is now married to Grant, the man who swept him off his feet years ago. Their story is something you’d find in a storybook. Ever since I watched them fall in love, I’d wondered when my time would come.

So far it hasn’t.

I can admit to being jealous they get to be all loved up and spending the holiday with some friends they met while on a trip a few months ago. The couple they’re going with complements them well, especially due to their own Daddy/little dynamic.

While I have no desire to be with Donny or Grant, I wouldn’t mind having a Daddy of my own to take care of me. If I’d had one during the last two years, then maybe the stress from the office wouldn’t have me as worked up as I am.

“Are you going to cry?” Benji asks softly.

I blink at his words, coming back to the present. Tears cascade down my cheeks before I can so “no, of course not” to his question. With the way his eyes track them, it makes it pointless to lie.

Before I can give him any kind of reasoning behind my mood change, the back door bursts open. Curtis twirls into the room in a stylish suit and arms full of grocery bags. “I grabbed as many of the supplies on the shelves as I could. We were lucky there was anything left this time of year.”

He doesn’t seem to notice us at first. When we don’t reply, he finally turns. Looking from me to Benji, he pouts.

“Did you make him cry? Come here, precious Jared. There’s no need to fuss.” He opens his arms, which has me dropping against him in an instant.

Since the two of them reunited, I’ve become close with Curtis as well. I understand why Benji loves him, and I’m thankful I now have two close friends. It’s a bonus for them both to be excellent huggers.

I feel Benji press against my back as he sandwiches me in. The sigh I release would be embarrassing if anyone else were to see it. As it was, I feel safe because neither of them will judge me.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Between me, my delicious husband, and these sweet treats, we can surely get you sorted,” Curtis demands the minute we pull apart.

Wiping my eyes with the napkin Benji hands me, I sink onto an empty stool. “I think it’s all finally hitting me. Things at work are calm again. Donny and Grant are planning their trip. All my coworkers are partnered up. I have nothing. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

Curtis frowns. “Supposed to be is a dangerous phrase. It might not have turned out how you thought it would, however, this isn’t the end. What do you want? What do you feel like you’re missing out on?”

I want a Daddy to take care of me. I want someone to love me for who I am, quirks and all. I want to not be stressed at the office. I want to come home to find someone there happy to see me. I want… so much more than I can have.

Instead of saying all those words, I tell him, “I’m lonely.”