Page 27 of Big Daddy Christmas
The Morning Of
Chapter 1
Frankie
Standing in Silver’s kitchen, her third glass of wine in hand, Frankie stared at the array of snack foods laid out on the island. Tiny quiches, little cocktail sausages wrapped up in some kind of pastry, various dips and chips. All of it looked and smelled delicious.
Too delicious.
As she scanned the offerings, her free hand drifted down to her stomach. Her rounded stomach, which was already going to be poking out plenty tomorrow, despite the forgiving nature of the bridesmaid’s dresses Lottie had picked out. The last thing she needed was to pig out tonight and end up hating herself in all of her pictures tomorrow.
But she really was hungry. Between the holidays and the wedding, she’d been able to keep herself and Holden busy enough for him not to notice her skipping meals.
It didn’t mean anything, though. It wasn’t like before. This was just for the wedding, and then she’d go back to eating regularly. Maybe she’d even confess that she’d been skipping meals. A long trip over Daddy’s lap would be heavenly after the stress of the wedding was behind them.
“Hey. You okay?”
Giving herself a mental shake, Frankie looked up and forced a smile for her best friend and bride-to-be. “I’m good. Sorry, just zoned out for a minute.”
“Uh-huh. And would that zoning out have anything to do with the fact that you haven’t eaten anything all night?”
Shit. Leave it to Lottie to see straight through her.
She could lie. Tell Lottie she’d eaten a big dinner before coming to Silver’s and she just wasn’t hungry. The last thing her friend needed was to be worrying about her matron of honor potentially putting herself back in the hospital the night before her wedding.
But she’d nearly destroyed their friendship with those same lies before, and she’d vowed never to do so again.
Since she couldn’t lie and she couldn’t tell the truth, she reached for a mini quiche and popped it in her mouth. “Happy?” she asked, her words muffled by the food filling her mouth.
Lottie grinned, her shoulders instantly relaxing. “Very. The last thing I want is my wedding sending you into a spiral. Oooh, pigs in a blanket! You should try these, too. They’re amazing. I didn’t think they would be, but Ruby talked me into trying some and oh my god. Seriously. Who comes up with these things?”
As she spoke, Lottie piled a plate high with various treats before shoving the plate into Frankie’s hand. The quiche was already sitting heavy in her stomach, but she didn’t want to worry Lottie, so she accepted the plate and followed her friend back out to the deck.
Settling in her chair again, she tried to focus on the conversation around her. But all she could think about was the plate of food balanced on her lap and how she was going to get rid of it without Lottie noticing.
Where was a loyal canine companion when you needed one?
The thought of quietly feeding Silver’s imaginary pup kept her amused for all of thirty seconds. Which was about how long it took for Holden to enter the scene. In her imagination, her Giant Silver Fox Daddy towered over her, his arms crossed and his face a mask of disappointment as he stared down at her.
“What are you doing, little girl?”
“Uhhh… nothing, Daddy.”
“Really.” Imaginary Holden raised a brow, pinning her with a look that always made her feel impossibly small. “Should I add lying to your punishment, as well?”
“No!” Even in her imagination she couldn’t keep the whine out of her voice. “I was just… sharing.”
“Are you sharing, or are you trying to hide the fact that you’re not eating again?”
“Excuse me a moment.” Cordelia’s too-calm voice snapped Frankie out of her daydream.
Shoving up from her chair, a thunderous expression on her face that had Frankie’s bottom instinctively clenching even though it wasn’t directed at her, Cordelia headed for the sliding door that led back into the house. Just as she reached for the handle, Ivy appeared on the other side, a smug smile stretched across her face.
But Ivy’s smile faded when she spotted her furious Domme. And before Cordelia could yank open the door, Ivy let out a squeak of surprise and flipped the latch, locking Cordelia out.
Uh-oh. Naughty Ivy.
“Silver, do you have a key for this door?” Cordelia asked, again in that too-cool, too-calm tone that did nothing to hide her irritation.
