Page 26 of Hot Dad Summer

I let out a harsh breath and shook my head. “And you expect your daughter to finance that love? Did you stop for even one second to think about how Daisy would feel about seeing you posing with the man who cheated on her? Or about what kind of woman steals her sister’s boyfriend while living off that sister completely?”

Daisy twisted around to stare at me, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. She didn’t look angry that I’d butted into her call, though, and that’s the part I’d remember for the rest of my life. She looked surprised that someone was fighting for her, like it was such a novel experience that she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

“Who is that? Are you already with another man, Daisy?” A younger version of the mom spoke up suddenly. Brooke, the giant disappointment who was going to have to hitchhike her way home. “Why are you even acting like you’re going to cut me off if you’re already over Tyler and hooking up with someone else? Don’t mess with my credit card, Daisy. I mean it. It’s mine.”

Daisy’s entire body relaxed as she continued to hold my gaze. She rested her hand on my chest and when she spoke again she was so calm that it was almost cause for concern. “For it to be yours you would’ve had to have the credit to get more than laughed out of a bank. Or your name on it. Or evidence that you’ve even considered paying the bill even once. You have none of those things, Brooke. What you have is my credit card, my apartment, my business’ social media, and I’m taking it all back.”

“Daisy!” Brooke’s voice reached a level that would’ve called dogs two towns over. “If you touch my stuff, I swear to God!”

“Mom and Dad always made sure that you were taken care of, Brooke. I’m sure they’ll either let you move in with them or support you financially until you get back to the states and sort out your living arrangements. I’d suggest moving in with Tyler but…oof, he was begging to live at my place just a few weeks ago.”

“Stop it, Daisy. We get it. You’re upset we took a picture with your ex. I’ll apologize if it’ll stop all of this.” Their mom wasn’t getting it. At all.

“I don’t want your apology. I want you to deal with Brooke from now on because I’m done. You passed me the parenting reins when I was just barely eighteen. Now I’m passing them back to you. Good luck. She’s a real handful. Luckily for you, though, you’re married to her father so that’s one thing you won’t have to worry about her taking.” Daisy leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder. “I don’t want to talk to any of you for a while. I know I probably don’t need to say this since you only call me once a year if someone reminds you that you have two daughters, but don’t call me.”

She hung up the call and that’s when the shaking started. She vibrated in my lap and let out a laugh that might’ve been a cry. “I can’t believe I said all that.”

I held her tight, wanting to take some of the tension from her body into mine if it’d help calm her down. “They’re horrible, Daisy. I’m sorry, but they are. You deserve so much more than the people in your life have given you.”

It was the truth. My own brother had been just the latest in what seemed like a long line of dicks. Daisy deserved the world. She was brilliant, funny, kind, could bake like a motherfucker, and she looked like a wet dream. She’d been the woman I measured all women against for three years.

I wasn’t going to let another of my brothers steal her away from me. There wouldn’t be another three years of watching someone else have her. The thought should’ve terrified me. I wasn’t the guy who made big declarations. If anything, I let life happen to me the way it wanted and I went along for whatever. I wasn’t risking life fucking me over by deciding for me that Daisy would be better with Wes.

“No more pouring yourself into people who haven’t earned it, Daisy. From now on, you let people work for it.” I lifted her face and stared into her blue green eyes. They were flooded with tears that she wouldn’t let fall. “You let me work for it.”

The tears fell and each one felt like a sharp punch to the gut. She’d stopped shaking as hard, though, and her lips weren’t trembling anymore. They were tipped up at the edges in the smallest of smiles. “Boundaries, Flynn.”

I slid my hand into her hair and licked my lips. “We both know you don’t mean that, sweetheart.”

That earned me a wet laugh. She wiped her face and rolled her eyes at me. “Be serious, Flynn.”

I was serious. I was more serious than I could remember being since Charlie was born. I doubted she could handle it, though. Not yet. So I just pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and smiled. “What’s that saying? No one believes the funny guy on stage until they see the fire for themselves?”

“That’s not a saying.”

“Yes, it is. I just said it. Therefore, it’s a saying.” I traced the line of her top lip with my eyes as she laughed. I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt so at peace.

“Are you the funny guy or the fire?”

“Just watch the sunset.”

“You don’t know because it’s not a saying.” She giggled, the sound stunning coming from the same woman who’d been crumbling minutes before.

“I’m the funny guy.” I hesitated. “Or maybe the fire.”

Daisy threw her head back and laughed and I didn’t give a fuck if I was the funny guy, the fire, or the building burning to the ground, not when she was laughing like that.

21

***Daisy***

Things with the Calloway brothers were weird, to say the least. Wes was distant and spent his time being anchored to the couch by Hank, who was obsessed with Wes, while looking like a ghost of himself. Flynn was acting like a different man, with his meaningful looks and silent promises. Max was always weird so nothing had changed with him but the fact that Max was the most normal brother was really a statement about the others.

At least the kids were their usual selves. They were living their best lives, having the best summer ever with their Aunt Daisy, and if their dads were being a little strange, what did they care? Even with the tension between the adults, the house was full of joy and fun, a fact that made me feel proud and hopeful about my future as a parent.

While the kids were arguing over who built the better stick tower, I busied myself with cooking dinner. The meals had become more and more decadent, a sure sign that my mind was in turmoil. That night was a lot, even for me. The Wellington was resting, the duchess potatoes were almost done, and the sauce I’d had cooking down for nearly two hours was shiny and perfect. Everything was perfect but when it came time to sit down with everyone for a family dinner, I couldn’t do it. I bowed out of dinner as gracefully as possible and scurried to my room before anyone could ask questions.

Late that night, I slipped out of the house and curled into the big porch swing overlooking the lake. It was basically a swinging bed and I’d already sent a picture of it to a contractor I knew back home. I wanted an exact copy on my porch, though the nights in Atlanta weren’t nearly as nice in the summer as they were at Calloway Cove. I had a million thoughts racing through my mind when someone moved out of the shadows. I nearly screamed before I recognized Max.