Page 22 of Their Perfect Daddy

MONTY

I don’t have to open my eyes to know everything has changed. The pain I’d felt before being put under isn’t there. It’s more a distant ache surrounded by a cloud haze of medicine.

There are also two very familiar scents surrounding me. I smile as I force my eyes to open.

Danny and Skye are asleep together, cuddled somewhat uncomfortably in the hospital recliner. They don’t have to be awake to tell me it’s not the best sleeping arrangement.

I doubt they care much. Even in sleep, I can see the strain all this is taking on them.

A soft knock comes from the door. It cracks, and Micah peeks in. When he sees I’m awake, he pushes in swiftly.

“Shhhh.” I put a finger over my lips to stop whatever tirade he was about to go on.

My brother rolls his eyes, a move that doesn’t even seem like him. As I gape at this imposter, he drops the side of the bed down and sits beside me.

In a soft voice he says, “You really fucking scared us all.”

“Wasn’t like I tried to make this happen. I wanted to win the game. Not be out for the rest of the season.” Or my career even.

Fuck, I don’t know how bad it is yet.

As if he can sense my spiraling thoughts, Micah holds up his hand. “Don’t go down that path. Your man over there pulled off the impossible—at least that’s what I keep hearing from the staff. They’re also curious about how the two of you came to be.”

His expression makes me laugh, which jostles me enough to release a groan. I’m achy from the game yesterday. Normally, I’d get an ice bath and a massage after we finished post-game press duties.

Since I didn’t manage to get any of that and have been confined to a bed, my body is revolting. I can’t wait until I can move around, even if it’s with crutches or something.

Being still is not for me.

Too much of it gives me the creeps.

“Maybe don’t hurt yourself. The pain meds you’re on are strong, but I can’t imagine they help everything,” Micah tells me.

I blow a raspberry at him, completely forgetting I need to be quiet. Danny’s eyes shoot open as he leaps forward. Of course, that manages to wake up Skye too.

“He’s awake! Daddy, look. He’s awake!”

Micah mouths, “Daddy” at me with a smirk.

I scowl at him because I know I’ll never hear the end of it.

Not only did I not tell him about both of my men, but I chose to not mention our dynamic.

Not that we tell each other everything. Sure, we have this in common now. Telling him would have made sense.

I’ve been too busy to sit down with my brother. And honestly, I hadn’t accepted everything for what it was. With Danny gone and Skye busy, it felt like I was on my own again.

Shaking the negative thoughts away takes effort. Mostly because I can’t physically do it like I normally would.

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” I ask the three men now surrounding my bed.

Micah looks to Skye as if to defer to the other man. It worries me for a moment because I’ve never seen him hand over control. My brother is always in charge. It’s why I wasn’t surprised in the slightest bit to understand he’s a Daddy. He’s been that way for as long as I’ve known him.

Skye nods to Micah, then turns my way. As I watch him, Danny slips his fingers between Skye’s as if to reassure him.

Oh no.

“I was working today when a page came in for emergency surgery. They didn’t tell me who it was, only that I needed to be the one to do it because it was complicated. When I walked in and saw you on the table, I nearly lost it.”

He stops speaking and closes his eyes. Danny swipes a tear from his eye as he cuddles against Skye’s arm.

“I’m ok, Princess. It’s just hard to think about,” he tells him. “As I was saying, they told me it was either I do the surgery, or you would have to wait in pain until the other doctor could come do it. I refused to let that be the case.”

“So you did surgery on my leg?”

I instinctively try to wiggle it, only to be stopped short at the feel of the cast. Damn. I’d already forgotten about that thing.

“Yes, I did. I won’t go into details since I’m sure you don’t want to know all about it. What I will say is that you have a long road of healing ahead. We won’t know how well it will go until we start the process. For now, you’ll be on bedrest until I feel you’re strong enough to move to crutches.”

“I’m strong now, Daddy,” I say as I flex my bicep.

Except instead of flexing, my arm kind of flops around. I stare at it in dismay. What the hell?

Danny giggles, then comes over to poke me. “We know you’re strong, Monty. It’s not ‘cause of that.”

“He’s right. There are steps we need to follow closely to make sure you’re in the best possible position to play again when the time comes. If we rush it, we risk your career entirely, which I’m sure you don’t want.”

While I know he’s right to some degree, I feel like Daddy’s words are also a bit false. I love playing football. It’s been that way since the first time I picked up a ball.

But lately, it’s felt like a performance more than anything else. I don’t enjoy the game for what it truly is anymore.

Or maybe I’ve lost a bit of myself along the way.

“It’s going to be ok,” Micah says, pulling me from the strange thoughts. “I’m more than willing to help take a shift being your nurse if these two can’t.”

“Um, well considering you’re my boss, it’s up to you how much free time I have.” Danny points at my brother and raises his brows.

Micah tilts his head in reply. “That is true. Let’s go talk about the client you were working with before. Maybe I can do some interim work and go out to Vegas to finalize stuff so you can be here with your men. Wow, that felt strange to say out loud.”

Danny giggles and shakes his head. “Come on, boss. Let’s go get this figured out so we have a plan in place before Monty is discharged.”

The two of them leave quickly, as if they want to give me and Skye time alone. Knowing both of them, it’s probably an accurate assumption.

Skye eases down to sit on the edge of the bed. He’s not in a white coat or anything making him look like a doctor, yet I can still see the weight of his professional opinion sitting heavy between us.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Daddy. With the surgery, I mean.”

He shakes his head. “You don’t need to thank me, baby.”

I tilt my head. “Baby?”

“You will always be my brat, but I can’t bring myself to see you that way right now. I’ve spent hours worried about you and how your future will look. Even trying to put together post-op care felt like a chore because I only want to hold you to keep you safe in this world.”

“Daddy, I am safe.”

“You are now, but not before. That asshole took advantage of you on the field. He’s lucky I don’t have the energy to go after him or else he’d be in a world of trouble.”

Blinking up at him, I try to make sense of all that he’s saying. The words are fine individually. Together though, it all sounds a bit… murderous.

Angry Daddy is kinda hot. Not gonna lie.

Reaching out, I take his hand in mine. “Promise you I’m better now. I had this really hot doctor do my surgery. And there’s this super cute nurse who’s going to make sure I’m ok when I go home. I’ve got the sexiest support team around.”

His laugh is short, yet it becomes the greatest victory. He’d been so melancholy. Despite his normally quiet manner, this isn’t the Daddy I know.

Skye wears a serious look once his laughter fades away. “We have to talk about the future, baby,” he says softly.

Tears well in my eyes as I prepare myself for what he's going to tell me.

Is it devastating to know that I might never get to play again? Absolutely.

But I also understand that this type of injury isn't something you magically recover from.

I won't get up and walk out of this room when it's time to leave.

They'll have to wheel me out. I'll have to recover in bed.

And when the time comes, I'll have to push twice as hard as I ever have, if not more, to be who I was before.

There's a chance that I'll never be to that level again.

I shake away the thoughts as Daddy takes my hand between his.

“The future may seem bleak for a while. You're going to want to lash out at others, and you'll feel as if you aren't in control of your own life.

But that's not the case. You are in control of everything when it comes to your healing.

You're not in control of how long it takes.

You will have to learn patience. At the end of the day, I'll do everything I can to make sure that you have the support you need.”

I squeeze his hand to let him know I understand because my voice is completely gone. I know if I open my mouth to attempt to say anything, it's going to come out with a sob.

I don't want to add that to the burden he’s already carrying.

Daddy must understand because in the next instant, he's leaning over me and pressing my face against his chest. "Let it out," he tells me.

I cry as the unknown looms over me, a dark cloud of grief. He holds me through my tears, never once acting as if I’m too much.

We stay close until my eyes dry up. It's not until I hear a throat clearing at the door that we look up and realize we aren’t alone anymore. Danny stands there, arms loaded down with sweets as he gives us a curious look.

“What happened? I was only gone for a few minutes. I just didn't know what to pick.”

A rough chuckle that I recognize as belonging to Grizzly comes from behind Danny.

“There's no need to lie to either of them,” he tells Danny.

“You knew exactly what you wanted to get and chose to have even more.

I watched you press those buttons and giggle to yourself about it.

I don't even think you realize you were talking to yourself.”

Danny's eyes go wide as he looks over his shoulder to Grizzly and then back at us. Instead of denying the claims, he walks over and unloads his arms onto the foot of the bed. Then he's scurrying up to Skye and forcing his way between his legs.