Page 2 of Tiny Precious Secrets (The Brothers of Calloway Creek The Montanas #4)

Asher

“Dad!”

Bug doesn’t even wait until Mel’s mom pulls out of my driveway before hugging me.

I love that about her. She may be thirteen, a young adult, but she still likes to hug her old man.

I squeeze her tightly as I wave my thanks to Barb, Mel’s mom. “I missed you, Bug. Sorry my flight got delayed.”

“That’s okay. It’s not like you had a choice.”

I swing her bulging backpack over my shoulder, amazed she fit four days of clothes in it.

My daughter is pretty low maintenance compared to what I’ve seen of other girls her age.

She doesn’t wear much makeup. Isn’t interested in the latest trends.

Doesn’t beg me to upgrade her phone every time a new one comes out.

Hell, she rarely even asks for money over the reasonable allowance I give her.

Her only irrational demand is her hair. It has to be blue.

At all times. She hates it when more than a half inch of brown shows along her part, so she insists on getting it dyed every single month.

As the father of a hormonal daughter, I know things could be much worse.

Just ask Barb. And who am I to deny my only child the one thing she ever insists on.

Besides, even I have to admit she looks pretty damn good.

Probably because the salon she goes to costs me an arm and a leg.

I unlock the front door, drop our bags inside, and pick up the mail scattered across the floor beneath the mail slot. Before I can even open the first piece, my phone rings. It’s my boss.

“Hey, Rich. What’s up?”

“Feel like a trip to Milwaukee next week?”

I walk into the living room, out of Bug’s earshot, and sigh into the phone. “Rich, we’ve talked about this. I won’t do back-to-back weeks away. I don’t even like more than one trip a month. Is it something I can manage from here? Over Zoom calls?”

“They don’t work like that. In person only with these guys.”

Bug walks through the room, gets my suitcase, and rolls it into the laundry room where I hear the washer start moments later. I smile thinking of how she always takes care of me. How we take care of each other.

“I’m sorry to have to let you down, but I literally just walked through the door.”

“I knew it was a long shot, but you’re my best guy. And this company is desperate to fix their vulnerabilities. Cyber-hacker got in and messed with all their client data. Huge clusterfuck.”

“I’m sure it is. Can Arjun handle it?”

“Probably. Can you back him up if needed?”

“As long as it’s from sunny Florida.”

“Fair enough. How is your daughter?”

“Good.” I lower my voice. “I think she’s discovered boys, so I may be having my mid-life crisis a bit early.”

Laughter echoes through the phone. “I hate to tell you this, but as the father of two teenage girls myself, she most likely discovered them years ago. You’re probably just finding out about it now.”

“I’m so not ready for this.” I rub my temples. “Short of being Arjun’s backup, do you have anything else for me next week?”

“Check your email. As long as Arjun doesn’t run into any roadblocks, it may be a light week for you.”

“I could use one of those.”

“Later, Asher.”

“Bye.”

When I turn, Bug is standing in the doorway, sneering. “I have not discovered boys.”

“Good to know,” I say, not calling her out for listening in on a private conversation. After all, Allie does the same thing. “Guess I have my little girl for a bit longer.”

“I’m not a little girl, Dad. I’m just saying, boys aren’t in the picture.”

I take a step back and study her, wondering if this is going to be one of those moments that defines our relationship from here forward. I try not to show any conflicting emotions when I say, “Okay, girls then.”

She snickers. “I’m not gay, Dad. But I’m not opposed to it. Mel is gay.”

This has my eyebrows touching my hairline. “Mel. Your best friend?”

She shrugs. “It’s no big deal. It’s not like she tries to stick her tongue down my throat or anything.”

“I… uh…”

Easy, Asher. Do not handle this the wrong way. But the thought of anyone, male or female, putting their hands or tongue on my baby makes me want to go all ballistic protective dad.

“Okay, well, I guess good for her. But, you know, if you ever want to talk about things…”

“Ewww. No.”

I step over to the couch and sit, thinking what a terrible father I am. I’ve never had ‘the talk’ with her. “Bug, I’m sorry you don’t have a mom to ask all those important questions. I wish there was someone you could trust with all that… stuff.”

“I’m not sorry.” She gets a coke from the refrigerator and sits on a barstool overlooking the couch. “I like it just being us. Besides, Aunt Marti talks about that stuff with me.”

“She does?”

I’m served with a huge dose of teen eye rolling. “I’m thirteen, Dad. Aunt Marti has been talking to me about stuff since I was eight.”

The more she says the word stuff , the more I transpose it with the word sex , which has my fucking head in a complete tailspin.

This is my baby we’re talking about. I still see her as the toddler I’d push on the swing.

The little girl who would run to me when she fell and scraped her knee.

The pre-teen who cried when she came in last place at the rock-wall climb at a friend’s birthday party.

She’s thirteen. Thirteen-year-olds can have sex. Hell, they can have babies. Where has the time gone? How has she grown up so quickly right under my nose?

And with Marti living in New York now, there’s no one here to act as a mother figure for her.

Immediately, my mind goes to Allie. Why, I’m not sure.

Allie has never, not for one second, ever mentioned, suggested, or eluded to wanting the job.

What we have is fun. Easy. Convenient. It’s something I can keep separate from my life with Bug and her complete and total aversion to females in my life.

Though with Allie’s brother marrying my sister, those lines are converging.

In fact it’s become harder and harder to separate my… relationship? with Allie from my life with Bug. Especially when Bug and I go to Calloway Creek so we can visit Marti and Charlie—my five-year-old nephew and Bug’s only cousin.

The last time we visited, it was all I could do to keep my hands off Allie. I got the idea it was the same for her, which is why we tried to avoid each other. We avoided each other for the sake of my temperamental kid.

But the funny thing is, Bug isn’t temperamental—until it comes to women I take up with.

In fact, she’s growing up to be just like my sister.

Generous with her love and her time. Understanding of the shortcomings of others.

Respectful of those who don’t necessarily share our cultural, religious, or political beliefs.

She’s a daughter I can be proud of. One I’m close to.

She’s the most important person in my life.

She is a pitbull, however, when it comes to any woman on my radar. Sabotage is not hyperbole when I think of the crazy shit she’s done to keep me from having long-term relationships.

Maybe that’s why I go to great lengths to try and keep what Allie and I have from bleeding over into my day-to-day life. If Bug’s tactics were to ruin what I have with Allie like they have with so many others, I know it would leave a huge hole in my life.

I lean back into the couch and sigh, knowing how even though we just parted ways this afternoon, I already miss Allie.

I miss her long, honey-brown hair. I miss her million-dollar smile.

I miss the way her lips dance around my cock.

I miss her long, slender legs, and her toned calves.

I miss the way she gets hiccups after almost every meal. I miss… everything about her.

“Dad?”

I look up. “Yeah, sweetie?”

“Are you okay? You look sad. You’re not going to stop me from hanging out with Mel are you?”

“No. Of course not.”

“What is it? Work stuff?”

I lie to her with my nod. Because how could I possibly tell my overprotective teenager that I think I just realized I’m in love.

And not only that, but that I’m in love with the much younger woman who has shown zero interest in making this—whatever it is—more than the incredible, hot, occasional, fuckbuddy, friends-with-benefits thing she believes it to be.

I am so completely screwed.