As I walked through the house, I thought I heard footsteps on the stairs. Oh well, the house was full of people, by now, and getting fuller by the minute. I paused at the kitchen door, frowning at the entrance to the garage, which stood open. Dang kids.
I descended the steps into the garage and flicked on the light. The ladder stood in the back corner. I started toward it, when a soft whir halted me. Turning, I looked towards my truck. It was running. I was certain it hadn't been, a minute ago.
I opened the door and found Merry ducking to hide below the steering wheel. I cocked my eyebrow at her and fixed her with a stern gaze. "Why, hello there, little girl. Going somewhere?"
She cringed and sat up quickly. "I needed to run back to town, and I still had your keys. I didn't think you'd mind. I knew you weren't going anywhere."
"So you decided not to ask or to tell anyone you were leaving?"
Her eyes narrowed, and she squinted at me. "That's not a rule."
"The second one isn't, but it's about to be. What the heck are you thinking, trying to sneak off like that, little one?"
Her face fell. "Please don't be mad, Daddy. I just need to run into town, really quickly. I didn't mean to be naughty."
"What is it that you need so badly that you couldn't be bothered to ask to use my truck?"
She made a face that would have been utterly adorable, if I wasn't so damn worried, and mumbled something I couldn't understand.
I grabbed her chin with the crook of my finger and tilted her face upward, forcing her to look at me. "What was that?"
"You know," she whined, her eyes bulging in their sockets. "Girl stuff."
"Girl stuff?" I questioned dumbly, mulling over the words until it hit me. "Oh. Oh." I nodded. "Well, that's understandable then, I suppose, but don't let it happen again, little one. At least, tell someone you are leaving, next time."
"Yes, Daddy." She bobbed her head and smiled, leaning towards me to accept the kiss I offered. "Thank you. I'll be back soon. I don't want to miss the party."
"See that you don't. I love you," I added, nodding as I leaned over her to buckle her in and shut the door. If she noticed that I had finally said the three little words, she didn't react, but I hadn't expected her to. Merry would say them when she was ready. I had just needed to make sure she knew. Not just that she knew, as I suspected she did, but that I had left no room for a single doubt in her mind as to what my feelings were.
I watched as she pulled out, before going to grab the ladder.
When I entered the living room again, I was smiling, but my heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest. Deep down, I had really wanted her to be pregnant.
Merry
Lying to Slade had been awful and stupid. He was going to find out, eventually, and my goose would be cooked, but it couldn't be helped. I wasn't ready to tell him the truth.
Hell, I didn't even know what the truth was. I only knew I was closer to making a decision than I had ever been, and I had the unexpected encounter with Mariah to thank for that.
Mariah was ultimately a life lesson on not judging a book by its cover. In class, she was gruff, uninterested, and even a little mean, but one on one, she had been an angel, in more ways than one, and I hadn't been able to get our encounter or her plight out of my head, all day.
I even felt guilty, because in truth, I hadn't wanted to take a break from shopping to sit in the bathroom of an ice cream parlor, lending support while a teenage girl took a pregnancy test. But the universe knew better than me, and those few minutes had been the best of my entire day.
The bathroom in the ice cream parlor had two stalls, a tiny old style red leather loveseat, and a small sink. I sat down on the loveseat, and Mariah sat down next to me.
"Aren't you going to take the test?" I prodded, nodding at one of the empty stalls. "I mean, that is why we came in here."
"I know, I'm just scared."
I squeezed her hand. "Someone might come in. Better to just get it over with, so you know. Besides, whatever happens, I'm here for you."
Her eyes filled with tears, and she nodded, clutching the bag tighter as she let go of my hand and marched towards the back stall, closing the door behind her.
I tried not to listen, as the bag crinkled when she opened it, and tried to block out the sounds of the cardboard box ripping open. With nothing else to do, and wanting to give the illusion of privacy while she conducted her business, I pulled out my phone and begin playing on it.
I couldn't help but listen, though. I knew when the stream stopped and when she set the test on the back of the toilet to wait. I held my breath when she flushed and bit my lip, standing as the door to the stall opened.
The relief on her face was undeniable. "Negative!" she cried, a little too loudly. "I'm not pregnant."
She rushed me, knocking me back onto the loveseat with the force of her hug, and I hugged her back just as tightly.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," she wept.
I knew she wasn't talking to me, so I stayed silent.
Finally, she extracted herself from my arms and sat on the couch beside me.
"I'm so relieved," she wept.
I only nodded. "Probably want to use protection, next time," I warned, trying to be the adult in the equation, even though I had little room to talk.
Mariah shook her head. "There ain't gonna be a next time. Not while I'm still in school. I have plans for my life, and I can't believe I almost let them get ruined just because a football player was paying some attention to me. I'm so disappointed in myself."
"I think it happens to most of us, letting temptation lead us off track in some way or another," I sympathized. "But you got lucky, this time, and you learned something, right?"
"Yes, ma'am!" She nodded emphatically.
I giggled. Nobody had ever called me ma'am before. "Just Merry," I corrected.
"Okay. Hey, Merry?" She turned to me with a soft smile. "I'm really glad I ran into you, today. And I'm really glad you're at the ranch. It's been so much better since you got there."
I stared at her slack-jawed. It was the last thing I expected her to say. "But, I yelled at you. I'm kind of hard and awkward, and I don't know the horses very well, and I'm kind of mean."
Mariah snorted. "Girl, you ain't seen mean. I've seen mean, and you ain't it. You're real, You treat us just like normal people. Everyone else treats us like they wish we didn't exist or like we are a glass about to break. Not you. You just treat us the same as anyone else. You're kind, when you need to be, but you don't put up with any crap, either. I like that about you." She was blushing and staring down at her feet. I could relate.
Finally, she looked up, gave me a quick hug, and stood. "I should let you get going. I know you probably need to help get ready for the party, tonight. But, I'm really glad you were here."
The memory brought a smile to my face. Who knew that what I had thought would be the hardest moment of my day would turn out to be the best?
I was glad Mariah wasn't pregnant. But as the day had worn on, and the memory had lingered, two thoughts had been on replay in my brain.
The first one was that Blake and Slade had been right. I was doing a good job. The kids didn't hate me, and I wasn't ruining their lives. Quite the opposite, if one were to believe Mariah.
The second one was why hadn't I grabbed a test for myself while I was there?
Chapter 19
Merry
Once my heart had lightened after my encounter with Mariah, I had been able to fully settle down and enjoy the Christmas festivities. Starting with the tree trimming party and continuing for days, up until tonight. The Big To-Do. The Christmas party to end all Christmas parties.
The great room was filled with people, and every inch of the room sparkled with twinkling lights. The buffet had been set up in the garage, because that was the only place there was room for it.
How Nan managed to host this many people and make each and every single one feel like her special guest, I would never know
, but she did it with an ease that I was envious of.
Foster kids, spouses, kids and grandkids. She knew each one by name and took a genuine interest in their lives. With my panic and unease calmed down, I had even gotten to know a few of them who were close to my own age, like Audra's granddaughter, April, and Jane, who, apparently, had left the ranch only a few years before my arrival.
And these were women, who like me, did not have their lives all figured out. I learned I was a lot more normal than I gave myself credit for.
After bumbling my way through Nan's many introductions, I snuck away at the first opportunity, joining Jane and April near a punch bowl in the garage.
"Hey, girl, where are those two hot cowboys that you have pining over you?" April joked, giving me a knowing nudge. I had tried not to make the relationship obvious, but the two men had no such qualms. Which was one of the many reasons I was currently avoiding them.
"Who knows?" I shrugged. "I see them every day. I'm all about seeing other people, right now."
"Girl, quit. You have no idea how lucky you are. I wish I could have a hot man show up on my doorstep and drag me home to a place like this, only to find another guy waiting for me, and find out they are willing to share."
I sighed. "Well, when you put it that way…"
Jane scoffed. "Please, April, you're just boy-crazy. One man is more than enough. Who could handle two? Who would even want to?"
April and I both shook our heads at her and tried to hold back a giggle. Jane was coming out of a bad relationship and was a little gun-shy. She did like to look, but she had no interest in touching or being touched.
And when I say she liked to look, I meant she had a running commentary and scoring system going for every man who had stepped foot in her proximity over the past four days. As long as they were over the age of eighteen, of course. Slade and Blake had both scored very high, but the objects at the top of the chart were Derek and Devin, silver haired twins who were pushing fifty. The objects of her affections had just stepped into the garage and made a beeline for the punchbowl where we were standing.
As they drew near, Jane squeaked and scurried to hide behind me.
The men were not oblivious to her crush, it seemed, when they stepped past me and looked straight at her.
"Hello, Jane." They spoke in unison.
"I, um, hi." Her face was red, and she looked like she might faint dead away if she had to say another word.
"Oh, it's time for us to go help Nan put out more sugar cookies, and, um, make more eggnog!" I fibbed, stepping around them with a tight grip on Jane's arm. "Good to see you again!" We scurried through the garage, with both me and April holding one of her wrists, and somehow made it in the house. My plan was to hide in my room until Jane was able to compose herself, but getting there was the hard part. We had reached the bottom of the stairs when we all but collided with Slade's chest. Blake was right next to him. Shit.
Refusing to look at them and get sucked into a conversation, I hunched up my shoulders, and scurried past, leaving them staring at my retreating back. As I slammed the door behind me, safely ensconced in my own bedroom, I wondered if I would pay for it later. One did not simply avoid your Daddy and your Dom for two days and expect to get away with it. But, I might. I had an ace up my sleeve, after all.
Slade
I stared at Merry and the girls as they ran up the stairs, squealing and giggling the whole way, and wondered how much they had had to drink. I turned to Blake and slowly shook my head.
"You talk to Merry much in the last couple days?"
He frowned. "Barely at all since that night, honestly. Unless it's been work related or having to do with the party."
A knot formed in my gut, as I searched his face. I knew she had been acting weird, but I had been so busy, I hadn't thought much of it, until now. We had all been so busy.
"You don't think…" I trailed off, not wanting to speak the question out loud.
Blake shook his head slightly. It wasn't a denial, though. He just didn't want to discuss the fact that Merry might leave soon. I didn't, either, but it was starting to seem more and more likely, as the day approached.
"You think we should do something?" I questioned. "Maybe talk to her again."
"No." Blake's voice was unreasonably hard. "We've said everything there is to say. It's up to her now, remember? Ball is in her court."
It didn't sit right with me, but I knew it was just because I was afraid to see her go. Blake was right. We had said our piece and left our cards on the table. We had done all we could.
We stood there in silence, lost in our own thoughts, and didn't see Nan coming, until she was right in front of us. "There you are Slade David," she fussed. "I've been looking all over tarnation for you. It's time to pass out gifts! Why aren't you dressed? Where is your Santa hat? Do you have your bells? And the gift bag?"
Chuckling, I pulled myself out of my inner struggle and back to the present. "Yes, Nan. It's all upstairs. I'll go change while you round up the troops."
She smiled and nodded, patting my cheek, and I turned to head up to my room. It was time to get my Santa on.
Blake
Slade was always Santa, because, well, he was Slade. I could never have done it, but even though he was in a mood, when he re-entered the room, he was all Santa.
"Ho, ho, ho!" he boomed loudly, as the littlest children hid their faces and the older ones squealed in excitement, rushing to greet him. "I know you've all been very good this year!" he exclaimed with a smile, while I watched from the corner of the room, rolling my eyes.
The children all nodded emphatically, with awe in their eyes, while he heaved his giant bag down from his shoulder and made a show of peering inside. Inside, I knew, was a brightly wrapped package for each of them, courtesy of Nan, herself. It usually contained a pair of pajamas, a book, a homemade hat or scarf, some candy, and a five dollar bill. Maybe a rubber duck or toy car for the younger ones. The kids loved it, and Slade added the magical Christmas touch.
I watched from afar, as Slade passed out a gift to each one and smiled as they tore into them, leaving a mess of wrapping paper in their wake. Not a single adult made a move to clean it up. There were still piles of gifts underneath the tree, which Slade would pass out next, and the mess would get much worse before it got better.
My eyes sought out Merry, standing in a huddle behind Slade with Jane and April. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her face was set in a hard mask, the emotions of which were not clearly conveyed. My heart sank to my knees, but I caught her eye and smiled at her and was briefly rewarded when she gave a half smile back.
After all the kids had unwrapped their gift, they rejoined their parents and the room shifted, as Slade made his way over to the massive tree which was piled high with gifts. We all drew two names and bought for two people, plus, of course, our own family or those we were closest to.
The result was a pile of gifts that Slade would spend the better part of an hour distributing. Nan's friends were distributing glasses of champagne and eggnog. Plates of cookies were scattered around the room. Pretty soon, one of the older kids would start singing a Christmas carol, and we would all join in.
I sipped from the glass of eggnog that had been handed to me and followed Slade with my eyes as he began to work his way through the pile. As always, I stood guard over his gifts, as well as my own. We each ended up with five, and we already knew what at least two of them were. Our gifts to each other were always the same—a bottle of whiskey for me, and a bottle of Scotch for him. Nan would have made us something—she always did—and our two secret Santa gifts. That was four. I looked down at my feet and conducted a quick recount. My heart skipped a beat when I recognized Merry's handwriting on a brightly colored gift bag. I picked it up and dangled it from my fingertips, grinning at her from across the room.
Her smile grew when she saw me, and she quickly crossed the room, her cheeks flushed, with a shy, expectant smile on her face. The sour disin
terested scowl from earlier was completely gone.
I leaned down to greet her with a soft kiss, brushed across her lips. She didn't pull away, but she didn't linger, either. Her eyes never left the bag I was holding. Looking down at Slade's pile, I noticed he had a matching one. He was only about halfway done with the gifts, and we had to wait until the entire pile had been passed out. One of Nan's many rules.
Merry tried to snatch it from my hands, and I tsked at her. "That will get you put on the naughty list," I teased. "Where's yours? Did Santa bring you some presents or were you a bad girl?"
"I'm so bad, I'm good," she responded quickly, winking at me.
"Go get your gifts and bring them over here." I prodded, nudging her. I wanted her close to me for however long it lasted. She giggled, skipping over, and retrieved the small bundle, stopping to converse with Jane and April for a minute. She hugged Nan on her way by and winked at Slade as she passed him. Whatever had been wrong, earlier, she seemed fine, now, but maybe that was just the infectious Christmas spirit.
The caroling started, and our chance to chat had passed, but that was okay, because I didn't know what to say. It took three songs for Slade to finish passing out the gifts, but he finally joined us, still dressed in his Santa garb.
"Hey, little one." He greeted Merry with a smile, relief shining evident behind his beard. I picked up his gift bag and handed it to him. The way Merry had been eyeballing it, I wanted to know what was in it, more than I wanted my next breath.
"Hey, Santa," Merry teased, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Slade's cheek. Then, she turned to me.
"Daddy, you go first."
My brow crinkled in confusion and, under the beard, Slade wore a similar expression.
"Uh, Daddy's over there," I corrected gently, pointing at Slade.
She ignored me and pointed at the bag that was still dangling from my fingertips. "Open it!" she insisted.
"Okay, okay, fine." I began to unpack the copious layers of tissue, but my excitement had faded and had been replaced with confusion. That confusion was only compounded when I reached the bottom of the bag and pulled out a card. The front of the envelope read "Daddy".
Winterland Daddies (Second Chance Ranch Book 1) Page 17
