Page 94 of Unruly

Cross cocked a brow. “You can’t give me a heads up first?”

“You know how the reginella is.”

“Mmm.”

“Daddy, looks what Miggy got me!”

Miggy was the nickname Cece had given Miguel when she first started talking, yet couldn’t pronounce Miguel’s name properly. Now that she could say the man’s name correctly, it didn’t seem to matter. His nickname stuck.

Cece was literally the one and only person allowed to call him that, though. Anyone else might find themselves with a slit throat.

Miguel stepped back from camera view to let Cece see her father. She held up a sucker that was as big as her goddamn head. It swirled from the middle outwards with four different colors. The stick was as thick as her pinky.

“Wow,” Cross deadpanned.

“It’s so good!”

Cece’s squeal made the damn speakers crackle.

Catherine was right.

Their daughter was loud.

Miguel hummed in the background. “You know, in retrospect, I don’t think that much sugar was a good thing.”

“You know sugar is more addictive than cocaine, right?”

“That’s probably why my wife refuses to give our kids candy.”

“Well thank you for giving it to my child,” Cross said, chuckling.

Miguel shrugged his broad shoulders, and patted Cece on the top of her head. “Hey, as long as she’s kept happy, Catherine doesn’t care.”

“And safe.”

The man gave Cross a look.

Cross returned it, uncaring. “I said what I said.”

“Yes, Daddy says what he says, Miggy!”

Miguel scowled. “We all know exactly where she gets it from, don’t we?”

“This is not news.” Cross blew Cece a kiss when she gave him one. “Okay, I have to let you go, bambina. Grandmamma Emma and Aunt Cam are coming over to see me.”

“Me, too?”

Cross smiled. “We’ll see them together when you get back.”

“Oh,” Cece said with a frown.

“Daddy promises.”

“Pinkies promises?”

Cross held up his pinkie. “Pinky promises, and cross my heart.”

Cece squeezed her eyes shut, and blew him one more kiss. “Bye, Daddy!”