Page 26 of A Little Christmas Jericho
There was a heartbeat of silence.
And then... "Jericho?"
Oh no.
No, no, no, no.
My blood ran cold. "Daddy?"
"Yeah, baby. What the hell is going on?" His voice was soft, and his tone careful. "Are you okay? You sound scared, baby boy."
I sank back into my chair, my body almost sinking in on itself. "Oh my, I thought you were... ugh." I rubbed my hand down my face before trying again. "Look, someone's been calling all day, and just breathing for a few seconds before cutting the call. I just... sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I didn't even look at the display because I was pissed."
"I'm not worried about the yelling," he said, concern sharpening his words. "I'm worried about you and these calls. Are you sure you're safe? Your doors locked?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's probably just someone making prank calls."
He went quiet for a moment. "I don't like it, baby. I don't want you alone out there, where I can't keep an eye on you."
"Colter..."
"Nope." His tone left no room for argument. "Please pack a bag for you and the fur brigade. You can all come stay here for a few days. At least until after Christmas. That way I can see if the calls continue and we might figure out what's happening."
I blinked.
Did he just say I need to bring stuff for my babies?
"You want all of us? Me, two dogs, and two cats? Are you sure you know what you're letting yourself in for?"
"I want you," he said, his tone still firm. "And you come with those babies of yours."
My heart melted. "Are you sure, Daddy? They're kind of a lot."
"Baby," he murmured. "I've got a yard, spare rooms, and plenty of space. It's been long enough since some furry pets havetaken over my home. Now be a good boy and say yes before I come over there myself and kidnap all of you instead."
A laugh escaped me, shaky, but the emotion behind it was real. "Yes, Daddy."
"Good, I'll be expecting you within the hour. If you're not here by then, I'll have to assume youwantto be kidnapped by a creepy older man."
Another laugh bubbled from my chest before I agreed and said goodbye.
When the call ended, I sat there, staring at the phone like it might ring again. Daisy nudged my knee with her cold nose, and Murphy thumped his tail once before letting out a sharp yip.
"Well, guys," I said, exhaling a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. "Looks like we're all going on a little trip. You get to come with me to Doctor Daddy for a sleepover."
I glanced around my small home. The decorations I'd hung half-heartedly after Oscar left looked kind of lonely and sad now. Maybe I could convince Colter to let me decorate his place a bit more because he was definitely missing some holiday cheer in his house.
With that happy thought, I got up, packed up stuff, and got my babies loaded up in the car with all our baggage.
We were going to be staying with Daddy. For Christmas.
This holiday season might have started off sad and mopey, but things were certainly looking up.
Yup. It was time to face facts.
I was definitely falling in love with Doctor Daddy.
Chapter 16
