Page 58 of Her Hat Trick Daddies
Her voice is barely a whisper. “I want you to meet Luna. I want you to want to be her fathers. And…” she hesitates. “I want you to want me, too.”
My eyes widen, just a little. “You want a family?”
She nods, eyes shining with something fragile and sad. “I do. But I know that’s not realistic.”
“Don’t count us out yet. Shane had a rough start tonight, but trust me, he’ll be the one crawling to you, begging you.” I wink.
She chuckles softly, nudging my shoulder.
“I got you to smile, didn’t I?”
She nods, but the hope in her eyes is thin, delicate. And for the first time in years, something shifts inside me. I spent my whole marriage chasing the idea of a family, and came up empty. But Leighton already has a child. The pressure I used to carry, the weight of trying and failing, that’s behind me now. I can step in. I can be a dad. One of them, anyway.
“And what do you want, David?” she asks quietly.
Well, I didn’t seethatcoming. I take a deep breath. “I was married once. Mallory and I were together for five years. We tried to have kids, but… I kept shooting blanks. Eventually, she left. She wanted a family of her own, didn’t want to settle for adoption. And that hurt like hell. I loved her… but I guess that wasn’t enough. And…”
“And?” she presses.
“I still want a family. Always have. But for me, it doesn’t matter if the kid is mine or adopted.”
“I see,” she says softly.
“I never really pursued another woman after that.”
Eventually, the room quiets, and she falls asleep against my shoulder. I carry her upstairs and tuck her into my bed. She’s out cold, completely drained. And for the first time in a long time, it feels good, right even, to take care of someone.
I head downstairs and find Shane and Andy in my study. Shane’s slumped over the bar, glass empty except for the melting ice. Andy’s nursing his drink, giving me a look that says ‘brace yourself.’
“I just can’t believe it,” Shane mutters. “How the hell is this my life?”
I get it. It’s a shock. But part of me? Part of me wants to shake him until he gets his shit together.
Andy catches my eye. I explain quietly, “No, he’s not going to do something stupid. He’s all bark, no bite. And would never hurt anyone, especially a woman.”
“Good to know,” Andy murmurs.
Shane, overhearing us, groans. “I can hear you, assholes. I’m the one dealing with a bombshell here.”
And that’s it. I snap.
“What the hell, Shane? She tells us about Luna, and you lose your mind? Grow the fuck up. You’re thirty-five.”
“I’m thirty-four,” he grumbles.
“Whatever, man. The point is, you’re acting like a kid. Work out your mommy and daddy issues and stop taking your past out on everyone else.”
“Fuck you, David. You’re not the one with a kid who’s a carbon copy of you.” His eyes widen as soon as the words leave his mouth. “Shit, man. I didn’t mean it li—”
I cut him off with a glare so sharp it could slice through steel. “And for someone who didn’t have parents growing up, you’re going to turn your back on Luna? What the fuck is wrong with you? You, of all people, are supposed towantto step up, to protect her from the life you lived.”
“I—”
“I nothing. Leighton didn’t deserve that shitshow just now. Save the bullshit excuses. You need to dig deep and figure your shit out, man. Fight to give them the life you never had. We all do. She laid it out there for us. All of us. And we’ve got the means to step up.”
Andy frowns. “You talking, like… child support?”
“For starters, yeah.” I lock eyes with both of them. “But me? I’m thinking bigger than that. If you two aren’t, fine. But I see the way you look at her. We all know she’s the one that got away. Now she’s here, with this news, and I’m not about to let her slip through my fingers again. I want her in my life, not out of it. And you know I’ve always wanted to be a dad.”
