Page 7 of Their Forever Daddy

Closing ranks. Jesse had seen it happen enough times with certain Hollywood cliques to know what it looked like. You’re not welcome here.

Well. Far be it from her to stay where she wasn’t wanted. Swallowing hard, she forced her smile to stay in place as she locked eyes with Edie. “You’re right. She is. I’ll just… be on my way, then. See you later, Edie.”

The cool March air cooled the embarrassment heating her cheeks as she stepped outside. And if her eyes stung with tears, it was just because the wind happened to pick up a bit as she made her way down Main Street.

That’s all it was. Just the wind.

Edie

* * *

“Shit, Edie, I’m so, so sorry.”

Carly’s apology jerked Edie’s attention away from the front door of the shop to where the pretty little blonde was staring at her with tears shimmering on her lashes.

“What are you sorry for, Carly-girl?”

Sniffling dramatically, Carly brushed at her eyes. “I saw her, and it was like my mind went completely blank. All I saw was my favorite actress and I totally forgot you two had history. If I’d remembered, I never would have asked her for a picture. Here.” Carly swiped open her phone. “I’ll delete them now.”

“Don’t you dare delete those pictures, Little girl,” Edie snapped as Carly’s finger hovered over the button to do exactly that. “Or when your Daddy finally tracks you down, I’ll get his permission to spank you myself.”

Jerking her head up, Carly stared at Edie, her mouth hanging slightly open in shock. “You wouldn’t!”

“I absolutely would. Put the phone away, Carly-girl.”

Uncertainty filled Carly’s eyes as she nibbled at her bottom lip. “Only if you promise me it won’t hurt you for me to have them.”

Love, the purest form of it, swelled in Edie’s chest and she forced herself to work up a smile. “I promise.”

“All right.” Still looking uncertain, Carly shoved her phone in her pocket. “What do you think she’s doing here?”

Edie knew, obviously, but she wasn’t quite ready to have that conversation. Not when she was still processing Jesse’s news herself. “No idea.”

“Well, if it has anything to do with you, she’s just going to have to be disappointed.” Eyes blazing, Taylor folded her arms, looking for all the world like she was ready to go to battle at a moment’s notice. “She’s not getting within five feet of you if we can help it.”

“Unless you’re planning to camp out at my house—which you are not—that’s going to be a bit difficult.”

Taylor and Carly shared a look. “And why would we need to camp out at your house?” Carly asked, her brow raising in a near perfect imitation of the look her Daddy gave her on a regular basis.

Edie rolled her eyes, the annoyance she’d felt earlier making a reappearance at the base of her spine. “Apparently I’m a bed and breakfast now.”

“She’s staying with you?” Taylor’s voice rose to an indignant squeak by the end of her question. “That’s… she’s… what the hell is going on?”

“Yeah! What the hell, Edie?” Carly echoed.

Both girls were looking more and more agitated by the second, and Edie knew if she didn’t shut them down quickly it was only a matter of time before they called in reinforcements. Pinning Carly with a stern glare, she jabbed a finger in her direction. “You need to be concentrating on your honeymoon, Little girl. Once you get back, we’ll have a girls’ night with all the girls, and I’ll tell you everything.” Well, everything she could without ripping open too many old wounds. “I promise.”

Eyes slightly narrowed, Carly studied her as if she could ferret out whether Edie was lying just by looking at her. “All right. If you promise.”

“I promise, Carly-girl.” The bells above the door jangled again, and Edie had to bite back a smile as Matt Crawford stepped into the shop, looking thoroughly pissed. “And I think you have more pressing matters to worry about right now than who’s staying in my house.”

Some of the color left Carly’s cheeks as she whipped around. “Um, hi, Daddy. What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question, Little girl.” One eyebrow raising, Matt stopped in front of them and crossed his arms. “What are you doing here instead of home in bed where you’re supposed to be, Carly Marie?”

“I don’t need a nap, Daddy! It’s not even lunch time!”

Matt’s gaze shifted over to where Edie and Taylor stood, quietly watching the show. “Mind if I borrow your office, Edie? Since this isn’t the first time I’ve found my babygirl in your store when she was meant to be elsewhere, I think a good hard spanking right here might help her remember not to run off on her Daddy.”

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