Page 103 of Their Perfect Daddy

“It was my idea,” Danny answers. “I wanted to play but didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“And I agreed it was smart. The crutches still hurt.” Monty tucks his hands under his arms defensively.

I fight not to smile at how petulant he’s being. Then again, I understand the frustration crutches tend to create. They're often a pain to deal with. Without extra padding, it's easy to bruise and become tender.

“Well I’m glad you thought of it. Why don’t you both come sit with me? I want to talk to you about something important.”

The boys share a look before Danny slowly pushes Monty towards the couch. I move back to my chair, which puts me in a position across from them.

I take a deep breath in. On my exhale, my brat clears his throat.

“Yes, Monty?”

“Are we in trouble or something? I think we’re in trouble.”

“You’re not in trouble. This is about me. Or rather, it’s about us and a decision I want to make. It affects me the most, with you two being a close second.”

Danny raises his brows. “Is this a riddle?”

“It’s not a riddle, Princess. I’m sorry to be so vague. Let me start again.” After taking another deep breath, I decide to simply go for it. “As you both know, I’ve been a surgeon for a number of years now. I have seniority in my hospital and privileges at a few others. When I started my channel online, it was merely a way to blow off steam. I had no clue it would become as big as it has.”

The two of them stare intently at me. They're hanging on to every word, listening closely for what the point of this all is.

“As soon as the channel monetized, I decided how to split the funds up to give back to the community around me. Since we’re basically living together, I feel as if I need to do more here. Which is why, after lots of thought, I would like to talk about me moving to pro bono services only. It would mean I’d have less to contribute to our family fund; however, I’d have the opportunity to help those who don’t have the means.”

Neither boy says a word at first. It’s as if they’re stunned by what I suggested.

While we hadn’t had the talk about us living together past Monty’s healing, none of us ever speak about leaving. It’s as if the minute we all came together, the decision was made to never part. Aside from the few trips to get some of our things, we spend most of our time in this house.

It doesn’t matter if the deed is in Monty’s name. This place is ours. He assures us as much with his actions.

“I know it’s a big change. I figured with three incomes in one home, we might be able to swing it. Plus, by doing this, I would free up my schedule more. They could hire another surgeon at a lesser rate to take my place full time. Then I would only work on the cases I accept rather than the ones my director hands down.”

Monty raises his hand. I smile as I nod for him to speak.

“Why did you make it seem bad? I really thought something terrible had happened.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” I reply with a frown. “It seemed important we speak about it before I made any final decisions. I’ve been nervous on how to bring it all up.”

Danny stands from his seat and scurries to me. Without asking, he drops into my lap. Meanwhile, Monty uses his good leg to scoot closer.

“Daddy, we don’t care how much you make. If you didn’t do anything at all, then we’d still be fine. You know this right?” Danny’s soft voice is a soothing balm against my skin.

I revel in how comforting it feels. To have their support — to know their love — is an amazing gift. Anyone else might be devastated I want to lose such an income. These two are looking at me as if I’m a fool for not simply going ahead with the plan.

Clearing my throat, I force myself to speak without choking up. “Thank you for helping me realize it’s all ok. I guess I forgot how perfect you two are for me.”

“You damn sure did,” Monty grumbles as he reaches for my hand.

I lace our fingers together, then bring them to my lips so I can kiss his knuckles. Once I’ve done so, I turn to Danny and kiss his cheek.

“Tomorrow I’ll let the head of surgery know I want to make the switch. It won’t be a sudden thing since I do have a few surgeries I need to be part of first. We can still start the transition of going through cases to get me connected with the people who need my help.”

Monty smiles brightly. “You’re the best, Daddy. First you fix me up, and now you want to go save the world.”

“I’m not saving the world. Just helping out a few people.”

“You’re wrong,” Danny interjects. “This is definitely superhero stuff.”

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