Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“Three,” burst from Molly’s lips, surprising everyone.
“I want to see that. Come on. I’ll get you some,” Gabriel said as he set a huge bowl of spaghetti on the table. “Here’s your spaghetti.”
Faust allowed Molly to pull him to that spot. Sitting down, he lifted her onto his lap and tucked a napkin into the neckline of their T-shirts. He plucked a bread stick from the basket Gabriel plopped in front of them and handed it to Molly. Immediately, she took a big bite and moaned as she chewed.
He’d heard that sound before. His body reacted instantly. Damn. I’ve got this bad.
“Try this, Daddy,” Molly urged, pushing the stick to his lips. Obediently, Faust took a big bite, stealing almost all the rest of the bread in her hand and making her protest, “Daddy!”
“We’ll get you more,” Gabriel promised, sitting down at the table and lifting Eden onto his lap as he talked. “Eat the rest of that one and make your Daddysaurus get his own.”
“Daddysaurus,” she repeated and giggled.
“I will not be known as a Daddysaurus,” Faust growled, shooting lasers from his eyes at the other people at his table as he twirled a few strands of spaghetti on his fork.
“Right,” Kade drawled.
“Try this, Pixie,” Faust said, holding the bite up to Molly’s lips.
She opened her mouth and allowed him to feed her. A fraction of a second later, her eyes rolled back in her head as she chewed. “That’s amazing!” she mumbled.
“No talking with your mouth full,” Faust corrected her gently before wiping the sauce from the corner of her mouth.
Molly nodded eagerly and rubbed her tummy in the universal symbol of yumminess.
“Thank you, Molly. I’m glad you like it,” Gabriel told her with a smile as he fed Eden.
Leaning back against Faust’s powerful chest, Molly relaxed. Her arm ached but was okay. Doc’s ointment made it better when it hurt. The bread sticks and spaghetti were like medicine, filling the emptiness inside. The warm conversation and friendliness of the group helped dull the scariness of her afternoon.
When they’d finished one bowl of spaghetti together and Faust had eaten another huge bowl himself, Molly wrapped her arms around Faust’s thick bicep and hugged his arm to her chest. When he leaned down to check on her, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered, “Thank you.”
“For what, Pixie?” he asked quietly.
“Thank you for being my Daddy.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be letting you go,” he told her seriously.
“I’m good with that.”
“Time for you to go to bed, Harper,” Doc said firmly.
“It’s just eight,” she protested.
“You almost couldn’t get out of bed this morning. More sleep is just what you need,” he said, laying down the law.
Harper opened her mouth as if she were going to complain and took one more look at her Daddy’s face before nodding. “Night, everyone!”
“That’s our cue, too, Little girl,” Faust told Molly as he lifted her off his lap to stand next to him.
“I’ve got kitchen detail tonight,” Fury called across the island. “Bring me any dishes left out there.”
“I don’t want to go, Daddy,” Molly whispered. “I was having fun.” She covered her mouth when a massive yawn surprised her.
“There will be more fun evenings,” Faust promised. “Would you take this to Fury for me?”
She nodded and headed into the kitchen with their bowl as Faust followed with his arms full of breadstick baskets, glasses, and shakers of parmesan cheese. Fury took the dish from her hand and slid it into the sink filled with soapy water.
“Want to take some spaghetti for lunch tomorrow?” Gabriel asked as he dished up the leftovers.
“Yes, please.”
“You’ve got it, Molly. I’ll add a couple of breadsticks, too,” the phenomenal cook promised.
“Thanks, Gabriel,” Molly said with a smile as her Daddy led her back to his apartment.
Our apartment, Molly corrected that mental thought.
“No! Get away!” Molly panicked, kicking and hitting to get away.
“Pixie. You’re okay, Little girl. You’re safe.”
Opening her eyes, Molly stared into familiar brown eyes. It took a couple of seconds for her to process that she wasn’t in danger and the hard body she was hitting as hard as she could was Faust. Tears poured down her face.
“I’m so sorry! Did I hurt you? I should go sleep in the other room. You should be safe in your own bed. Or… Maybe I should go back to my apartment.”
“That’s not happening.”
“You don’t deserve to be battered when you’re trying to sleep,” she said, totally appalled by her behavior, asleep or not.
“How well do you think I’d sleep if you weren’t next to me?” he asked gently.
“Better than now,” she guessed.
“Try again.”
“You’d worry? You didn’t seem like the worrier type when I met you,” she pointed out.
The corners of his mouth twitched upward. “You didn’t seem like a hugger, either,” he teased.
“How can you be so nice?” she asked, searching his face.