Page 385 of The Daddy P.I. Casefiles: The Second Collection

“Are you going tonight?” I ask.

Daddy rubs his hand over the back of his neck. “If Mac’s up for it, I think so. If not tonight, tomorrow. Club’s too busy over the weekend and Joker’s B almost never steals anything over the weekend anyway.”

“I’ll wait until Master Mac wakes up before I post the sleepover in the playgroup chat.”

Daddy nods. He checks his phone then puts it face down on the table. We’ve already had breakfast so it’s not against the rules for him to check his phone but I know what he’s waiting for. Max and Mr. De Leon are flying to England today. Their take-off was delayed by a fault with the plane. Max’s text said it wasn’t hard to repair but they needed to wait for a part to be delivered. Daddy’s waiting for the text that says they’ve taken off.

“It will be okay, Daddy.” I squeeze his fingers.

“I know, baby. I’m just ... excited? Anxious? Impatient? Nervous? I’m feeling a lot of things. I want Livvy to be here with us. I know it’s not long now. I just have that sense that things could go wrong at the last minute.”

I know he’s all those things. Logan has a good poker face but I’ve learned his tells over the last few months. The way color pinkens his cheekbones even after he’s been sitting for several minutes; the way two fingers on his right hand keep tapping the table, his thigh, his teacup; they’re all signs of agitation. And Iknow he’s precariously balanced right now. That’s why I put the Batman sticker in my journal. He’s my Batman Daddy as much as he’s my dragon-Daddy. He feels driven to protect everyone around him. I love that about him but it’s also a huge weight on his shoulders that he needs help managing.

“Do you want to call the hospital again?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Doctor Amadi has my number if anything changes. I don’t want to harass her. She’s been great about providing updates. She confirmed that Miranda’s visitation privileges were revoked yesterday. Miranda won’t have access to Livvy again before Max arrives. I just?—”

“You’re just worried. It’s totally understandable, Daddy.”

“Thank you, baby. I don’t want you to worry. Max has dealt with Miranda before. He can handle her if she pulls anything at the eleventh hour.”

“If you don’t have to go to Jersey today, could we do something to get your mind off things until Master Mac wakes up?”

Daddy’s handsome face creases into a smile. “Yes, we certainly could. Is it a good day to visit the Rexes?”

“Really?” I bounce in my seat. “Or-or-or, could we visit the big ships instead because I’m saving the Rexes to visit with Livvy?”

Daddy took me to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on a rainy day after Halloween. I loved all the naval history but better than that was seeing Daddy’s fondness for the big ships. He talked more about his time in the military while we were there than he ever has before. Having him remember those times today might be a good pressure valve for his anxiety.

“You liked those big ships, huh? We could definitely do that.”

“And maybe Cappa could come with us? It’s near where he’s living now, isn’t it?”

Daddy hums. “We’re going to have a lot of people-ing once Livvy arrives, baby doll. Sure you wouldn’t like a day with just the two of us?”

I nod eagerly because I always want a day just with Daddy. I feel selfish when I’ve kept him all to myself for too long, though. So many people love Daddy and want to spend time with him. I don’t want to deprive them, or isolate Daddy from his friends. But I really do love spending time just with my Daddy.

Once we agree on the plan for the day, we move fast. I make sure Sable has food and water. Sticking pork chops in marinade only takes a few minutes. I leave a note for Mac and Bren telling them about the picnic leftovers in the fridge in case they’re hungry and reassuring Mac that I have dinner covered. Then I run upstairs to let Daddy dress me and help him pack my backpack.

Now that the cooler weather’s settled in, Daddy loves seeing me in tights, a short skirt, and oversized sweaters. There has to be a little pink, of course, because it’s Daddy. But he’s gotten into my pastel Goth aesthetic more than I ever could have hoped. Today, it’s stripey black and teal tights under a black cobweb-edged mini with a hot pink crinoline and an off-the-shoulder black sweater that says “Daddy’s Little Ghoul” in pink rhinestones, which Bren and I made after enduring days of Daddy’s terrible Halloween jokes. The sweater has thumb holes in the sleeves so the cuffs make half-gloves, something I’vealwayswanted, and corset-style lacing from my wrists to my elbows with dangly ribbon laces.

While Daddy laces up one sleeve, I sneak my black cat ears off the dresser and slide them into my curls. When Daddy looks up, I grin.

He chuckles. “That’s how it’s going to be today, huh, little girl?”

I nod. “It’s a cat ears kind of day, Daddy.”

“Then I think you need to wear something for Daddy.”

Uh-oh. Wearing something for Daddy is inevitably owie.

I try it on, as Daddy would say.

“But, Daddy, everything I’m wearing is for you.”

“Nice try, little girl. Go to the cupboard and get me the flat pink clamps.”

Grimacing, I shuffle to the big armoire where Logan keeps all of the instruments of nipple and bottom torture. Tragically, I know where everything is by heart now. I fish out the horrible clamps, which not only bite in but close over the tip and squish my poor nips flatter than pancakes. The only good thing about them is the pretty pink enamel on the clamp’s face but even that quickly pales with how sore I’ll be from the nasty little teeth and squashy-squash-squash in a few hours.