Page 28 of Their Perfect Daddy

SKYE

I ’m in the middle of making the boys some lunch when my phone starts going off with a slew of text messages. Without looking, I already know it’s my siblings.

“What do they have going on now?”

The second I pull out the device, I know I’ve fucked up.

Gale:

Tell me why I just went by Big Bro’s house, and it was empty. Anyone know where he is? It’s been a minute since he checked in.

Dewey:

He’s probably at work. We all know he’s a workaholic.

Storm:

Nope. He’s not on the schedule for the foreseeable future. Snow already checked.

Snow:

I did. Their system was quite easy to get into actually. HIPPA aside, it’s kind of fucked up.

Rayne:

I’m going to need you to NOT admit to illegal shit with the lawyer in the chat. K? Thanks!

Poppy:

Aside from the legalities, I think there’s definitely something going on. Skye is never this quiet for this long. Do we think he’s hurt?

Daisy:

They’d have contacted one of us if so. I have a feeling he’s keeping secrets.

Dewey:

Same, sis. The vibe is there. He doesn’t want us to know what it is either.

Storm:

Yo, Snow! Can’t you get into his phone or some shit? Track his ass.

Rayne:

Again, with the legal stuff. Y’all!

Gale:

Don’t act like you don’t bend the law a bit, Rayne. You’re not a saint. *snorts*

Rayne:

I plead the fifth.

Poppy:

Focus, people. Where is our brother?

Snow:

Working on it.

My phone starts going haywire. The screen shifts to my settings, then pops open my location app. My jaw drops as I literally watch my little brother fucking hack my system.

The process is over before I can truly come to grips with it all.

Snow:

He’s in the rich part of town according to a search. At… fuck, this can’t be right. Someone must have taken his phone.

Daisy:

Skye wouldn’t not have his phone. He’s too committed to work.

Dewey:

And yet he’s not on the schedule? Suspicious!

Rayne:

I concur with Dewey’s findings.

Poppy:

Why don’t we try to call him? Anyone done that yet?

Gale:

We all know he hates calls. It’s why I decided to pop up on him.

Poppy:

Clearly this is not the right answer either. Ugh!

Storm:

Ok, here’s the plan. 1) Snow, send Gale the address. He’ll go check it out. 2) If we don’t hear from him in an hour, then we’ll all head over. Whoever it is can’t take us all on.

I decide it’s time to intervene. There’s no reason for all this ridiculous speculation on their part.

Skye:

You all need to calm down. I’m fine. No one has stolen anything or kidnapped me.

Gale:

About fucking time!

Poppy:

Thank goodness. I was stressing.

Storm:

Explain yourself, mister.

Snow:

And tell us why you’re at a famous person’s place.

Daisy:

I’m glad you’re alive.

Dewey:

Seconding the sentiment.

Skye:

Enough. Is there a reason you needed me, Gale?

Gale:

Can’t a brother choose to visit his family?!

Rayne:

He’s not going to fall for it.

Poppy:

Just tell him. I really thought I’d get a solid nap while the baby slept. This is interrupting me.

Gale:

DND mode exists for a reason, P.

Poppy:

For that, you’re no longer the favorite uncle.

Storm:

BACK THE FUCK UP! How is he the favorite?!

Poppy:

Activating DND now. Bye…

Poppy:

*Set device to Do Not Disturb*

Skye:

Can we get back to the point?

Gale: Nah. I’d rather not. It was meant to be a surprise. Now it’s not as surprising.

Skye:

Well in that case, I’m going to go. I’m not dead. I haven’t been kidnapped. I’m simply busy.

Snow:

If any of us were to say the same to you, it would become an interrogation.

Daisy:

I second the motion.

Dewey:

Thirded.

Rayne:

Plaintiffs take the case! You have to admit defeat, big brother.

Skye:

Defeat or not, I’m done with this conversation. When you want to tell me what’s really going on, you know how to find me.

I set the phone down with far too much force. I wince, hesitant to even check the fucking thing for cracks. Whatever the outcome, I’ll deal with it later. Right now, I need to get this food up to my boys before they get too rowdy.

The next morning

Ding dong.

“Is that the doorbell?” My princess says as he stretches out across the bed to cuddle our brat.

Monty nods, his fingers petting through the messy bed hair of the boy laying on his chest. “It is. I’m not sure who it could be though.”

It only takes me a second to realize who it might be. “Shit! I think I know who it is.”

Climbing out of bed, I straighten my clothes as best I can before I face whichever of my siblings decided to make the journey here. If I had to guess, it’s likely Gale. I told him to contact me once he could verbalize what he’d been trying to tell me.

Since I wasn’t specific, I have no doubt it’s him.

“Who is it, Daddy?” My brat asks, his head tilted as he looks me over. There’s hunger in his eyes I have to force myself to ignore.

“I think it’s one of my siblings,” I press a kiss to both of their heads. “Why don’t you get up and dressed, then I can come help you downstairs.”

“You want us to meet them?” Our princess sits up, his eyes wide.

Nodding, I run a finger along his jaw. The doorbell goes off again. Yeah, it’s definitely Gale.

“I’m sure. You’re both important parts of my life. I want them to know.”

When the bell goes off a third time, I leave them to do as I said. Rushing down the stairs, I prepare myself to face off with my rambunctious brother. Except when I open the door, it isn’t Gale standing there.

Or I should say, it isn’t JUST him.

All my siblings, minus Poppy, stand on the porch with varying degrees of amusement. “What are you all doing here?”

“You were being shady. We couldn’t let it go,” Snow says with a chin jerk. “Going to let us into this place or are we not welcome?”

I shake my head. “It’s not a matter of being welcome. I told my boy it was probably only one of you.”

“Your boy? Did you get a kid?” Dewey questions.

Daisy elbows him as she mock whispers, “Don’t think he means a platonic or familial way.”

“If you have a sugar baby, so help me god!” Rayne’s voice thunders from the back of the pack.

“I do not have a sugar baby. Come inside. I’d rather not have this talk on the porch. With our luck, someone will have a telephoto lens on the place.” I wave them inside before shutting the door behind them. “Come sit in the living room. I’ll go upstairs to get my boys.”

As I’m walking away, I hear Storm muttering, “That time it was plural.”

Gale replies, “And you all say I’m the problem child.”

In the bedroom, I find my boys fully dressed and waiting for me. I smile at their cute matching sweatsuits—a purchase our brat made in a fit of boredom.

“Slight change of plans. Almost all my siblings are here. And I might have slipped and said boys. So they’ll know more than intended.”

I don’t admit it wasn’t really a slip so much as an intentional mention. The more they know upfront, the less they’ll dig. It’s much easier to be honest with them.

“I guess we’re doing this meet the family thing all over again. Danny, baby, you’re up next. Please give us more than a few minutes heads up if you can,” Monty sasses at him.

Danny shrugs and bounces on his feet nervously. “My parents travel a lot. They’ll pop up eventually. Until then, we’re safe. We could even video call them first if you think it might help.”

“Whatever works, Princess.” I place my hand on the small of his back as I usher him to the door. “Why don’t you go wait near the stairs? Don’t head down yet. I’m going to grab our brat. You won’t want to face them all alone.”

“Yes please, Daddy. I’m really, really nervous.” He rubs his hands together.

Monty raises both of his arms as I approach the bed. “Lift me, Daddy.”

Laughing at his tone, I reach down and slide my hands under his body. Rather than letting him cling to my front, I position him bridal style, with his heavy cast over my arm.

“I’ve got to be too heavy for you, Daddy. Let me use the crutches.” My boy looks over to the offending metal past my shoulder.

“Not going to happen. I’ll get you to the top of the stairs, then I’ll have one of the jackasses who showed up come help guide me down, so we don’t fall and cause more issues.”

He bites his lip for a second before nodding. “Ok. Daddy knows best.”

Kissing his lips quickly, I smile and say, “I do.”

We meet Danny at the stairs, and of course, my siblings are watching with frenetic energy. Storm and Rayne rush up the stairs as soon as they see me with Monty.

“Let us help,” Rayne says, taking up one side of my body. His arms lock on my elbow and back, the position stabilizing me more than before.

Storm stands in front of me, his body prepared to take the brunt of a fall should I lose balance. “One step at a time. We got this.”

It’s a very slow process, especially with my constant need to check on my boy’s comfort levels. By the time we’re on the first floor, it feels like we’ve gained a huge victory. The room breaks out into cheers and applause. Danny hides against my side shyly while Monty basks in the praise.

I lead the herd to the living room. “Going to sit you down now, Brat.”

Easing Monty down, I step back and motion for Danny to get beside him. Once they’re both in place, I drop to sit on the coffee table to put myself between them and my family.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s try not to embarrass me in the first few minutes. This is Monty and Danny. They’re my partners. Boys, say hi to my family.”

“Hi,” they chant in unison.

Dewey and Daisy share a look. “Glad to see we aren’t the only two twinsies here,” Daisy says with a giggle.

“You’ve got to stop calling yourselves that. Also, nice to meet you two. I didn’t think my brother was cool enough to need more than one boyfriend. Yet here we are.” Rayne says the words with a teasing lilt.

I point to the three of them. “Dewey, Daisy, and Rayne.” Moving on to the rest of them, I add, “Raise a hand when I get to you. Storm, Snow, Gale. Then there’s Poppy, but she’s not here.”

“She’s the one with the baby. You showed us pictures.” Danny’s soft voice has the group leaning closer. They watch him like he’s the best form of entertainment.

“Hey!” Monty shouts, taking the attention from our boy. “No need to stare. We’re not a museum exhibit or anything. Also, you’re in my house. Be nice or I’ll kick you out.”

“Easy, Brat. They’ll learn. It’s new for them too.” I lean closer, whispering for their sake. “But I’m proud of you for defending our princess. Good call.”

Monty nods, a pleased smile covering his features. “Always, Daddy.”

At his declaration, Gale makes a choking noise. I turn to him. “Yes, Gale.”

“Nothing… um, nothing. I’m good. Learning a lot today. You’re full of surprises lately.”

“This isn’t a lately thing. It’s been months in the making. Years if you mean the kink aspect. I chose to never tell any of you.”

“Why not?” Storm asks, his eyes a visual of his name.

I lean forward onto my elbows. “Because it’s not something to really talk about with family. I mean, if I thought you’d take it this well, I’d have done it ages ago. Not all of you are known for keeping your cool.”

“Gale,” the group says in unison.

“HEY!” He shouts the words before pausing and nodding. “Ok, fair.”

Monty and Danny giggle from beside me. I smile at them, shaking my head at how they’ve managed to find a blanket to bury themselves under. The only visible part of them now is the tops of their heads.

“Oh no! Where did they go?” Dewey’s voice comes out all playful.

Snow chuckles. “I’m not sure, bro. They’ve got to be around here somewhere. Brats and princesses don’t disappear.”

Rayne snaps his fingers. “I think we should build a search party. Maybe get the neighbors to help us canvas the area.”

“I can get dispatch on the line too. Tell them it’s an emergency.” Storm delivers the words in the most even tone imaginable.

The boys giggle and drop the blanket. “Ta-Da! We’re right here, silly peoples,” Danny says.

He’s slipping into Little space, which is both good and bad. I’m happy to know he’s comfortable enough to do so with my siblings around. It says a lot about them that he’s trusting them.

The bad part comes with the truth of why they’re here. It’s not the best time to be managing my boy’s needs while also interrogating Gale.

“Is someone finally going to tell me the real reason you’re all here?” I ask to the room at large.

Gale raises his hands in a defensive gesture. “Don’t bite my head off. I’ll tell you everything.” He turns to Monty. “Mind if we stay for a while? This is a bit of a long story.”

My boy nods slowly, then pats his stomach. “You can stay as long as you want so long as we order some breakfast. I’m starving!”

Everyone laughs at his dramatic delivery. Taking out my phone, I pull up an app.

“I’ll order the food. You get to talking. Time to fess up, Gale.”

“God, this is like back when we were kids,” Rayne mutters. “At least it’s Gale in the hotseat and not us.”

“As I was saying,” Gale interrupts. “There’s been a few big changes lately. I’ll start from the beginning…”