Page 44 of Vegas Daddies (Forbidden Fantasies #17)

I drank. “I’m really okay, guys.”

Luca pulled a tiny handheld fan out of seemingly nowhere and pointed it toward my face. “We know you’re tough, Allie. You don’t have to push through. Just rest for a second. You look…well, not yourself.”

Daphne came running back over with her slushie in hand. “Mommy, Gavin got me a slushie!”

“That’s great, baby,” I told her, and the weakness of my voice mixed with the likely green hue of my face made her frown.

“Are you sick?”

“No,” I told her quickly. “Just a little tired.”

“We’re taking care of her,” Cade told Daphne with a stern calm that seemed to ease her nerves. “No need to worry.” He paused, and then an unexpected joke came out, taking me by surprise. “But if you wanted to share some of your slushie for moral support, you could.”

Daphne wrapped her small hands around her cup, narrowing her eyes at Cade.

I barked out a surprised laugh despite the nausea that was starting to sweep through me.

I breathed carefully, in through my nose, out through my mouth.

I sipped more of the cold water, hoping this weird moment of weakness would subside.

I felt better after the water, after the break, after letting the guys take care of me.

I was more confused about what was happening than anything—I rarely got sick, and it wasn’t exactly the season, but I had been running myself a little ragged lately.

Lots of great sex could be exhausting, and I’d been busting my ass at Marv’s too.

But by the time I felt semi-normal again, Daphne was getting a little tired too, and we’d seen just about everything the zoo had to offer.

We headed back to the car, swung through a fast-food drive-through for an early dinner/late lunch, and got back on the road again, a successful day under our belts.

By the time we got back to the apartment, Daphne had crashed hard in her car seat, and the guys each took turns carrying her, herding me inside, and making sure we were both fed, watered, and comfortable.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so…safe.

Us Tate girls changed into pajamas, and then the guys read Daphne a book together—she insisted on her favorite one about a tea party, which Gavin did in a British accent that made her laugh harder than I thought possible—and then, finally, they helped me into bed too.

It was funny, in a way. My bed had never felt so small as all three of them stood around it, trying to say goodnight without overstepping.

Luca kissed my forehead gently. “Tomorrow, you should get some rest. No acrobatics.”

“Yes, sir,” I whispered, smiling, and his cheeks turned adorably pink.

Gavin leaned down, pressing a kiss to my temple. “We’ll check in later, yeah? Text us if you feel worse.”

“I will.”

Then Cade. Always the last. He sat on the edge of the bed beside me, brushing a strand of hair from my face.

“You okay?” he asked, genuine concern softening his features until he looked so much younger than he usually did. His blue eyes sparkled, reminding me of Daphne’s.

The thought of her, of this moment with Cade at my side, had a scary premise showing up in my head. Was this the right time to tell him? To break the news that Daphne was his by blood and not just by association, since we were sort of together?

“You look like you’re thinking pretty hard,” he said softly. “Like you want to say something.”

My heart stuttered. I did want to say something. God, I did. But an even bigger part of me rejected the idea. Almost felt nauseous again at the prospect of getting the words out.

So instead, I said, “You were really good with her today.”

His brows lifted a little. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. All of you were. And…with me. Thank you.”

There was a pause. One where I almost said it— She’s yours . The words hovered on the tip of my tongue.

But I choked. Not now. Not yet.

“Goodnight, Allie.”

He stood, hesitated, then kissed my forehead too. His lips lingered just a beat longer, and then the guys were gone.

I stared at the ceiling. The future felt like a fragile thing, trembling at the edge of something bigger.

Something uncertain. Luca and I had an appointment with the lawyer Gavin had tracked down for us in just a couple of days, so the annulment loomed in my head along with the truth about Daphne’s father.

And I maybe had some kind of illness to deal with too—one that would have kept the guys from staying over even if we hadn’t already agreed we didn’t want to confuse Daphne with a hasty sleepover.

I closed my eyes, trying not to panic as I remembered against my will that the guys would soon have no more logistics tethering them to me.

To my town. Once Luca and I were no longer married, and Cade and Gavin knew about Daphne, the only thing drawing them toward me was the ephemeral nature of our connection.

That felt so fragile, especially since I had no idea how they’d react to Daphne’s paternity.

Would Cade want to stick around, but Gavin want to back out?

Would none of them want anything to do with us when faced with the reality of pseudofatherhood?

It was one thing to play the fun uncle on a zoo trip for a day.

Being around for Daphne every day, for all of the uglier parts of raising a kid…

it was a bigger commitment than any of them were ready to face, I was sure.

It was a collection of silly insecurities bubbling up like that mysterious nausea in my stomach.

I knew worrying wouldn’t help anything, and that the guys had given me no reason to think they’d just duck and run.

They’d been so great, so kind and understanding.

They made me feel cherished every second we were together. I’d think about everything tomorrow.

Tonight, I would let the feeling of being loved—fully, surprisingly, maybe temporarily—carry me to sleep.