Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“Does she do that often?”
“No. And that’s why I usually give in. If it’s for necessities, that’s one thing, but if it’s for new shoes or a purse, she’s shit out of luck.”
“I don’t blame you.” Hope smacked him on the ass. “Okay, Handsome, let’s go get some grub. My stomach is growling and I’m sure you’re anxious to spend some time with your lovely daughter.”
He was.
Speaking of…
“Hey.” He grabbed her arm and stopped her from heading out of the bedroom. “Make sure Nolan doesn’t stay over at your place all night. Laurel will wonder why he’s not here, especially now that she knows we’re sharing a bed.” And that would spur further questions he wasn’t ready to answer about Hope.
She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want her to know that we’re all sharing a bed.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not at all.”
“I just don’t want her to think—”
Hope raised a palm. “I get it, Handsome.”
Good. Now he could relax and enjoy dinner with his newly expanded family. Because that was what it was beginning to feel like. A patchwork family unit.
Dinner went smoothly, and after eating, they spent an hour hanging out in the lodge where all four of them shared some easy conversation.
Hope was great with Laurel. Thankfully, they seemed to get along just fine. Though, just as he figured, Laurel suspected that Hope was more than simply a friend or a Double D employee.
He’d expected his daughter to drill him about their relationship once Hope and Nolan left for the evening. He was surprised and a bit suspicious when she didn’t.
Once they got back to the cabin, they hung out on the couch, ate some ice cream, and watched a movie together. Something they used to do a lot when she was younger.
His baby girl was growing up too quickly. She would soon be a college grad.
Jesus, that made him feel old.
As well as proud.
Also, just like he used to do when she was a little girl, once the movie was over, Cam tucked her in and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning out the lights and heading to bed himself.
Unfortunately, sleep did not come.
His thoughts kept drifting to the unknown: what Nolan and Hope were doing without him. It quickly became clear that FOMO—fear of missing out—was a real thing he’d never experienced before.
While Laurel hinted that she guessed that Hope was more than a friend, she never came right out and asked. It could be she expected her father to admit it on his own. Or maybe she thought Nolan didn’t know something was going on between Cam and Hope. Or between Hope and Nolan. When in reality, that could be farther from the truth.
He didn’t want his daughter thinking badly of Hope at all, which could happen. Laurel would always side with her father or Nolan over someone new.
When he forced his eyes closed again, a more erotic movie began to play on the back of his eyelids.
One where a very naked Hope wore a strap-on and was pegging Nolan.
His cock stirred.
No, you horny bastard, you cannot masturbate with your daughter right in the next room.
Not only did the bedroom door not have a lock, when Laurel was younger, she used to sneak into bed with him and her mother in the middle of the night. Of course, it had been years, but no way would he risk getting caught jerking off.
He closed his eyes again, slowed his breathing, cleared his perverted thoughts, and willed himself to sleep. When that didn’t work, he jackknifed straight up, shoved off the covers, rolled to his feet, and yanked on a pair of cotton shorts he kept within reach.
Cracking open the bedroom door, he peered out to see the glow of Laurel’s cell phone lighting up her face.
Of course. Probably watching TikTok or texting her friends.
He opened the door wider and quietly padded out to the pull-out bed to sit on the edge.
The second his ass met the mattress, the phone went dark and so did the room. Shit.
“Hey, Dad, what’s up? Is something wrong?”
“No, I need to talk to you about something, but we need a little bit of light first.” Trying to read his daughter’s emotions in the dark would be impossible. He reached over and switched on the small lamp on the side table, giving the room a soft glow.
“Is this something about Nolan?”
“Sort of. Yes.” He squeezed her blanket-covered knee. “I want to be completely honest with you about our situation.”
Her brow furrowed. “Situation?”
“With Hope.”
“Okay?”
He thought she was catching on earlier at the lodge, but maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe he should’ve let this whole thing lie. “I figured you suspected something.”
“Well, I mean, she walked right into your cabin without knocking. I guess friends do that, but honestly, the way she looked at you, Dad, made me wonder why Nolan went home with her.”