Page 23 of Vegas Daddies (Forbidden Fantasies #17)

LUCA

I knew on some level that the fake-dating plan was a terrible idea when I’d pitched it to Allie, but now that the day had come for us to put our pretend relationship to the test, I was seriously regretting my prior lapse in judgment.

It didn’t help that I was also meeting her daughter today.

Sure, I knew Daphne wasn’t my child, but that didn’t mean I didn’t care about making the little girl like me.

Allie’s opinion mattered more to me than it should, and her daughter was her heart and soul—this felt like some kind of test. Meeting your fake girlfriend’s kid would be nerve-wracking to anyone, right?

I picked the two Tate women up at their apartment within seconds of the time I told them to be ready. Allie greeted me with a kiss on the cheek that shocked me half to death, and it seemed to surprise her, too, because her cheeks went a little pink as she pulled away.

“Trying to get into character,” she said lamely, and I held back my smile. I knew she’d really just done it out of some kind of instinct, and I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but I didn’t hate it.

“I hope this goes okay,” I told her in a low voice, letting my anxiety get the better of me. “How do you think Daphne’s gonna do with it? I feel…not great about making her lie.”

Allie’s expression softened, her voice lowering to a similar level as mine. “Hey. Don’t worry about it, Luca. I didn’t have to say yes. Anyway, Daphne thinks we’re just playing a game. If she goes along with it, she gets a treat afterward.”

She shrugged, and some lightness came back. I couldn’t help it though. I told Allie, “That works. And I really appreciate it. I just…feel bad for putting you all in this situation anyway.” I winced a smile.

“I’m not worried about her,” Allie insisted. “Daphne might have an imperfect mom, but she’s got plenty of good influences around her. You could be one too.”

I didn’t like the self-deprecation in her statement, but I didn’t have much time to dwell on Allie’s less-than-stellar view of herself. In the next second, Daphne was wandering out of her room on steady, slow little legs.

She looked so much like her mom, basically Allie’s mini, that I immediately found her endearing.

She was a cute kid anyway, of course, and I’d always been a softie with kids—the kids I coached in soccer knew I was a total pushover.

But the reddish hair, blue eyes, and shy expression—okay, that last part wasn’t exactly from Allie, who was a complete firecracker—all added up to an adorable picture.

“Daph, this is Luca, Mommy’s…friend. He wants to be your friend too.”

At her mother’s introduction, Daphne gave me a shy wave, her small hand opening and closing once before she let it fall back to her side. She fiddled with the hem of her ruffled skirt.

“Say hi, baby,” Allie urged.

Daphne gave a soft, barely audible, “Hi.”

I crouched down to the little girl’s level, giving her a warm smile that I hoped would make me less of a scary stranger. To her credit, she didn’t flinch. Certainly her mother’s daughter, no matter how shy she was with new people.

“Hi there, Daphne. I’m glad to meet you. Thanks for coming with us today.”

“You’re welcome,” she answered shyly. A beat passed, and then she gathered the courage to ask, “Will there be other kids there?”

My heart gave a little squeeze. I smiled at her again. “There will be, yeah. I’ve got younger cousins who’ll be so excited to meet you.”

Daphne smiled back at last, still just as hesitant, but wide enough to tell me she’d come around to me as a concept. A small blessing that would hopefully make today easier for all of us.

With that, we were heading out, taking Allie’s car since she had the car seat for Daphne in it already. Allie and I chatted during the longer-than-average drive, keeping things light and appropriately PG for the sake of Daphne’s little ears.

“Do you have a pretty big family?” Allie asked me, her casual air belied by the subtle nervousness I sensed under the surface.

“Yeah. My mom’s got three sisters, and they’ve all got their own kids. Plus my grandparents, and about a dozen great-aunts and great-uncles and cousins once or twice removed, I’ve completely lost track by this point.”

“Sounds…overwhelming,” Allie hedged. “My family isn’t nearly as big.

Just my parents, Daph, and me. I’m an only child.

” I was too busy driving to look at her, but I could hear a subtle frown in her words.

I resisted the urge to say that that sounded lonely to me, not wanting to dampen the brightness of the day so far.

“You’re a people person,” I pointed out, half as reassurance that she had no need to worry. “And they’re all nice. On the Sanchez side anyway.” I probably shouldn’t have let that particular detail slip out, but there was no putting the cat back into the bag. I felt Allie’s eyes on my face.

“The Branchinis aren’t as friendly?”

“I don’t know them that well, to be honest. And there are a lot fewer of them,” I allowed.

“But…my dad’s never been that close with his parents, or his brother.

They’re back in Italy.” And didn’t approve of him marrying a Mexican American woman and moving permanently to the states.

My father had never seemed to mind their disapproval, but not out of some great loyalty or love for my mother, and certainly not out of an abundance of affection for his only son.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you’d rather not,” Allie allowed.

“There’s just…not much to say,” I explained. “I guess we used to bond about soccer, back when I wanted to go pro. But they’re less stoked about me coaching kids.”

“I didn’t know you did that,” Allie said, a little surprised.

“That I wanted to play professionally?”

“Any of it,” she clarified. “The playing, the coaching. That’s really cool. I bet you’re an incredible coach.”

I felt my face heat at the compliment.

“It’s the best part of my week,” I admitted, glancing at her quickly. “They’re young enough that they still think the game is magic. You should see how excited they get when they score their first goal or nail a pass they’ve been working on. It’s pure joy.”

Allie smiled—I could hear it without looking at her. “That sounds adorable.”

Daphne piped up from the back seat, her little voice clear. “I wanna play soccer.”

“You’ve never said that to me before,” Allie half laughed, glancing at me with a knowing mom-look that told me she suspected Daphne was trying to impress me.

I glanced at the little girl in the rearview mirror, grinning. “If your mom says it’s okay, I’d be happy to teach you today. There’s always a soccer ball or two at these things—my family’s pretty sporty.”

“Okay,” Daphne said quietly. Just like with her mom, I could hear when she was smiling in her voice too.

We arrived at my aunt’s house a few minutes later, the sound of kids laughing and the smell of grilled food already filling the air. As soon as I parked on the street, making sure not to block any of the Sanchez clan in, I unbuckled Daphne from her car seat while Allie smoothed her hair nervously.

“Ready?” I asked both of them. I wished I could give them some kind of rousing pep talk, but somehow, I didn’t think my usual game prep speech would apply to this.

I always ended it with a Just go out there and have fun, kids!

I didn’t think Allie would take kindly to that. Even if I did hope she had fun.

Allie nodded, taking Daphne’s hand as we walked up the driveway and followed the small garden path toward the back yard.

We weren’t late, but a lot of my family was chronically early, especially when it came to celebratory days like this.

Even if we were only celebrating our ability to all get together and eat food in the sunshine.

My mom spotted us first, which was a relief and a problem all at once.

She practically leapt from the plastic chair she’d been sitting in and bustled over to me, her gray-streaked dark hair falling from its messy bun around her soft, comfortable face.

“Luca, my sweet boy!” She exclaimed as if she hadn’t seen me in weeks. She pulled me against her in a quick squeeze, eager to get to the main event—Allie and Daphne, the novelty. “And you two gorgeous girls must be Allie and Daphne!”

“Hello, Mrs. Branchini,” Allie said warmly. “Thanks so much for inviting us.”

“Please, call me Rose,” my mom said, pulling Allie into a quick squeeze of a hug before crouching to Daphne’s level.

Her knees creaked, but she was short enough that there wasn’t too much strain in it, and I knew she loved any opportunity to pantomime being the grandmother she hoped to be sooner rather than later.

“And you, sweet girl, are even prettier than Luca said! Just like your mama. Welcome to our family, Daphne.”

Daphne looked a little like she wanted to hide behind Allie’s leg, but she smiled shyly and gave a polite, “Thank you.” She seemed like the type of kid who didn’t need her mom’s constant What do you say? reminders to remember her manners.

The introductions kept coming like a tide.

My Aunt Sofia swooped in to coo over Daphne’s strawberry blonde hair and ask Allie if I was treating her right.

Cousins Maria and Dahlia—identical twins right around my age—complimented Allie on her blue sundress, which led to them laughing at the sly, interested look I took at said floral, flouncy fabric.

I tried to take their teasing in stride even as I blushed furiously and avoided Allie’s gaze.

My younger cousins, a pack of kids under ten, circled Daphne with curiosity, which made me worry that they’d overwhelm the poor girl.

But Daphne proved braver than I expected, simply looking to her mom for permission before she ran off to play with them like they’d known each other all their short lives.

Before long, Allie was laughing along with my aunts’ teasing, and Daphne was fully wrapped up in a game of tag with the myriad Sanchez kids.

We moved through the cozy backyard, where the grill smoked and long folding tables were packed with food and drink.

The chatter of my family filled the air, kids darting between chairs and grown-ups swapping stories.

Somehow, my nerves stayed at a low level—worrying that we’d be caught in a lie had disappeared the second my mom met Allie, and now I just worried a little that I’d struggle to let go of the Tate girls after witnessing the beauty of this day.

At one point, I even fulfilled my promise to Daphne.

With some help from my cousin Juan, I corralled a handful of kids onto the grass, setting up a makeshift soccer game with overturned chairs as goalposts.

Allie sat on a blanket nearby, laughing every time one of the kids dramatically flopped to the ground or cheered like they’d won the World Cup.

Daphne got bolder every time she kicked the ball, and I tried not to read too much into how good it felt to give this little girl such a fun afternoon.

Watching her laugh as she chased the ball, her little curls bouncing, I couldn’t help but feel something warm and dangerous bloom in my chest. A desire to stay in her life.

To keep her and her beguiling mother long-term.

While the kids took a water break and I found myself alone in the line for food, my mom sidled up to me, wiping her hands on the apron she’d donned as she helped my uncle with the grill.

“She’s sweet,” Mom said casually, her eyes on Allie, who was at the other end of the yard, talking easily with my cousin Juan’s new fiancée.

I glanced at my mother warily. “Yeah. They’re both really great. I’m glad they’ve been fitting in so well.”

Even I could get overwhelmed at the size and raucousness of our Sanchez family events, but Allie and her little girl had taken it all in stride.

“Mmm.” Mom smiled knowingly. “She makes you happy. I can see it.”

A pang of guilt twisted in my chest. The lie knocking its ugly fists against the walls of my rib cage. I smiled back anyway, trying to keep things light. “She’s great,” I repeated. “Daphne too.”

“I can tell,” Mom said, squeezing my arm. “You light up when you look at both of them. I love seeing you so…” She trailed off. “I’ve never been good with words. But I think you know what I mean.”

I had a guess anyway. Before I could figure out how to respond, before I could figure out how to lie to my own mother without making things worse for everyone involved, I heard the unmistakable sound of conversation dying around us.

The air shifted like the temperature had dropped. Like a cloud was covering the sun, even as it was still shining.

I glanced up toward the driveway, my stomach sinking as soon as I spotted the tall, imposing figure standing stiffly near the backyard gate.

Marco Branchini.

My father.

His expression was unreadable, his dark eyes scanning the backyard like he was already disappointed in everyone here.

The chatter of the party had faded to an awkward, hushed murmur, everyone noticing the tension that rolled in with him like a dark cloud.

I swallowed, dread settling in my chest. Allie and Daphne had signed up for a happy, easygoing Sanchez gathering, and I’d been so sure that the worst they’d have to contend with would be my aunts being a little nosier than they’d bargained for.

But now, it looked like they were joining the family for real, whether they liked it or not—the brewing drama would be their initiation.