Page 11 of Their Perfect Daddy

I shake my head and hop onto the counter. The position puts me in his line of sight. He can’t avoid me now.

“We both know that’s a lie, Micah. You’ve been different ever since we went to that football game. What has gotten into you?”

He backs away from me, his hands moving over his face as he replies, “It’s just…”

The bell above the door draws both of our attention. From the corner of my eye, I see Micah physically jerk at the sight of the visitor. Meanwhile, I shrivel up inside because I suspect I know exactly who it is.

What is he doing here? He’s never been here before. Please tell me this isn’t going to become a thing.

“Monty?” Micah practically whispers.

“Hey bro! I was in the area and wanted to come by.” He looks at his brother as he says the words, though I can tell he’s only half paying attention. I’d bet anything his eyes were on me right before Micah called his name.

“What are you two doing for lunch? I figured it could be my treat, and we could have something while you show me around this place a bit.”

I jump off the counter, snatching my keys along the way. “Just tell me what to get, and I'll go grab it. It'll save on delivery costs and everything.”

Micah covers up a laugh as Monty frowns at me. You’d think the guy was angry I wanted to save a few bucks. It’s not like I’m doing it for him. Nor is it because I’m escaping.

Nope. Not at all.

“Are you allowed to have pizza?” Micah asks him.

Monty smirks, his lip curling in a way that makes me hate myself a little.Why do I still find the man attractive?“Of course, I am. I work out plenty enough to eat a slice or two.”

Micah turns my way. I’m about to crawl out of my skin hoping the two of them can get this song and dance over with. I need to get out of here.

My friend tells me, “Grab a supreme, an extra cheese, and a sausage with half bacon. That should keep him going.”

I nod before taking the hundred-dollar bill Monty extends my way. It sucks to take his money, but I’m not going to complain. Especially when I see the way he deflates when I make sure not to touch him as I do.

Little victories and all that.

Since I’m in no hurry to get back to them, I head down the street to the local pizza place. I put in the order with Pete Sr., the magician behind the most delicious marinara on the planet, before going next door to grab snacks.

If Monty didn’t want me to spend all his money, then he should have given me a smaller bill. I can’t help it if the instructions were vague.

After grabbing a shopping basket, I weave through the aisles until I have enough sugar to last me a few days. I also throw in some salty stuff for Micah in case he’s feeling loose enough to join this feast on his brother’s dime.

You never know with him.

The young girl at the register raises her brow at my snacks, her judgment clear. She doesn’t say anything out loud as she rings me up, then loads my arms with the bags.

At the pizza place, Pete Sr. is just cutting them up as I walk in. He loads them on top of my haul once he’s done.

Navigating the sidewalk from there is a little tricky, but I manage. Mostly because people move out of the way when they see me coming.

It would be laughable if I weren’t afraid of dropping all this delicious food.

Thankfully someone spots me approaching the shop. A kind older man opens the door right as I get there, and I sweep in to put down all the food.

“All right, food’s here. What did I miss?” I ask the pair.

The brothers share a look. It leaves me feeling completely left out and slightly curious. Hopefully this wasn’t the moment Monty decides to bond with him by sharing our incident.

Micah shrugs. “Monty was just telling me about boring football stuff.”

Oh no he did not!

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