Page 38 of Property of Stone
“That’s what Mom says about you.”
Stone ground his teeth. He struggled to not say bad shit about her mother. At least in front of her. All bets were off when Sunny wasn’t in earshot.
“He hit her.”
Sunny stopped at the door. “You said boys aren’t supposed to hit girls.”
“Damn right. Any ever touch you, you tell me and I’m gonna handle it.” He unlocked the door—besides making her park in the garage, he insisted Taryn keep the doors locked when he wasn’t around—and indicated that Sunny should precede him inside.
“So, she’s not a patch who?—”
Stone slapped a hand over her mouth before Taryn could hear the rest. He leveled a warning look at his baby girl.
She bugged her little brown eyes at him like she was innocent.
She was far from that.
He wasn’t afraid of much, but one thing that scared the shit out of him was how Sunny would act once she was a teen. Or,hell, even a tween.
Her teenage years were going to kill him. Just dig a goddamn hole and preorder his headstone now. No autopsy needed.
Cause of death: Girl dad.
Any man who had one would nod and simply understand.
With a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, he steered her into the kitchen. Taryn was fussing with something on the counter.
Whatever she was cooking made his fucking mouth water and the house smell the best it had ever smelled.
He had given Taryn a wad of cash yesterday and sent a prospect along with her to the supermarket in Sunbury to stock the kitchen however she wanted.
Apparently, that was scratch well spent.
He couldn’t put the introduction off any longer. He squeezed Sunny’s shoulder to remind her to behave.
When Taryn turned, her gaze skipped over him and landed right on his girl. “Hi!” The smile she wore wasn’t forced but warm and welcoming.
“Hi,” Sunny greeted, not as enthusiastically. She turned to glance up at Stone, “Daaaad?—”
“No.” He glanced over at Taryn to see that smile had slipped a little.Fuck.“Taryn, this is the fruit of my loins, Sunny. Sunny, this is Taryn.”
Taryn straightened her smile and asked his girl, “Is Sunny a nickname?”
When Sunny didn’t answer, he nudged her.
When she still didn’t answer, Stone did it for her. “Sunflower.”
“Oh! Sunflower is such a beautiful name.”
“It’s stupid,” Sunny grumbled.
Of fuckin’ course.
Taryn quickly recovered her surprise. Whether it was due to learning Sunny’s full name or because of his daughter’s attitude, Stone wasn’t sure. “It’s unique.”
“Dumb,” his daughter grumbled.
“For fuck’s sake, be glad your mother didn’t name you Nut Sack,” he growled.
