Page 16 of Big Daddy Christmas
“Always.”
Holden joined them, an easy smile on his face as he nodded first to Ivy then to Cordelia.
“Evening, ladies. Delia, can I talk to you for a minute before you head home?”
“Of course.” Glancing over, Cordelia sent them a mockingly stern look. “Wait right here and don’t give Beckett any trouble.”
As she strode away, Beckett dropped his voice to a whisper. “Why is she acting like I’m the responsible one?”
Jacob grinned at Beckett’s drunken playfulness, but worry settled heavy in Ivy’s chest. “Why does Holden want to talk to her? Do you think something happened? What if You-Know-Who escaped?”
“If he’d escaped, Holden wouldn’t let you three out of his sight,” Beckett assured her.
“Maybe that’s what he’s telling her now. What if we have to go back to the safe house?” Tears stung her eyes as worry morphed into panic, wrapping slithering tentacles around her chest and squeezing tight. “We can’t miss the wedding!”
“We’re not going to miss the wedding, Ivy. It’ll be okay.” But now her own worry was reflected in her boy’s eyes, and she felt like an asshole for upsetting him.
“You’re right.” She forced herself to smile up at him. “It’s probably nothing. I’m just jumping at shadows.”
The corners of Jacob’s mouth turned down in that thoughtful little frown he got when he was trying to puzzle through something new and despite the worry and guilt weighing on her, Ivy couldn’t help but giggle. “It just means I’m worrying about nothing, baby.”
“Oh. Yeah, probably.”
He didn’t sound any more convinced than she felt, but luckily she was saved from potentially making things worse by the reappearance of their Daddy. Cordelia didn’t look upset, which helped ease the band around Ivy’s chest a bit.
But just a bit.
“Ready to go, my loves?” Sliding an arm around Ivy’s waist, Cordelia pulled her close and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Ivy wanted to pepper her with all the questions bouncing around in her head, but she forced herself to wait until they’d made their way out to the car.
She pounced the moment Cordelia slid into the driver’s seat. “What did Holden want?”
Dark-green eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. “That’s between us, Ivy Mae. Buckle your seatbelt.”
“But—”
“It was nothing to worry about, blossom. You know I would tell you if it was.”
Right, you’d never keep something important from me like having a whole-ass husband.
As soon as the sarcastic thought popped into her mind, Ivy’s stomach twisted with guilt. They’d worked through that, both on their own and in therapy. It wasn’t fair for her to continue clinging to that one instance of dishonesty as a reason not to trust her Daddy.
Shoving the thought aside, she nodded and reached for her seatbelt. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Thank you for listening, baby. Now.” Cordelia’s grin flashed in the mirror as she put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. “Let’s get our boy home so we can have some fun.”
Chapter 8
Jacob
The drive home seemed to take forever. Especially with Cordelia’s hand resting on his thigh, a silent reminder of her ownership. He’d never really thought much of it until he’d been talking with the other subs in their group and they’d all been sighing over that exact move. How possessive it always felt.
Now, however, he was keenly aware of it. Keenly aware of the claim both his women had over him, the control they exerted over every part of him. Including the part of him currently twitching in its cage.
He couldn’t wait to get home.
“Did you have fun with the boys, Jacob?”
Cordelia’s question jolted him out of his thoughts. “Yes, Ma’am.”
