Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Still palming her phone, he took a deep breath and continued. When he stepped into the nursery, he found her sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Her cheeks had more color and she was certainly more lucid.
Don’t start accusing her.
“Hey, Precious Girl.” He set her phone on the changing table before approaching her to lower the side of the crib. “Feeling better?” His voice cracked. He had questions. A lot of them.
She frowned. “I think so. Oh, God. The restaurant.” She groaned.
“It’s okay. I spoke to Mateo. They made do without you last night.”
He brushed her messy hair back from her forehead and looked into her eyes. Yes, she looked much better.
“What’s wrong? Why are you frowning?”
Apparently he wasn’t hiding his frustration well enough. He decided he might as well tell her. “Messages were coming into your phone, so I looked at one. I didn’t mean to pry. I was just worried someone needed something urgent.”
She furrowed her brow. “That’s okay, Daddy. I don’t have any secrets from you. I should have given you my passcode just in case you ever need to get in it.”
That confused him further. He licked his lips. “Precious, why do you have a membership to a dating app?”
She gasped, eyes going wide. “I don’t.”
He frowned. “Maya, you must have at one point. Why didn’t you cancel it?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never had a membership to any dating app. That’s crazy. I’m not outgoing enough for something like that. My mother used to nag me all the time to get one so I could meet a nice man, but I always ignored her. I would never go out with a stranger I met on an app.” She shuddered.
Deke stared at her as the pieces fell into place. “Your mom…”
Maya frowned again. “You… You think my mom might have opened an account in my name?”
“I would bet money on it, but what I don’t understand is why she would do so now. We’ve been together for a few weeks. We’re in a solid relationship. Your mother knows that. She likes me. Or at least she says she does. I can’t imagine why she would open an account for you now.”
“There’s no way she would do that. She does like you. She’s over the moon about you. She tells me every chance she gets. She hasn’t stopped grinning since we started dating.”
Deke lifted Maya out of the crib and carried her to the changing table. He had to pick up the phone before he could lay her on her back.
“Let me see that,” she said, holding out her hand.
He handed her the phone and proceeded to unzip her jammies. She had to shift it back and forth between her hands a few times so he could get her arms out of the sleeves, but as he tugged them down her body, she tapped the screen several times and groaned.
“What’s wrong, Little one?”
“That wasn’t the only message. There are several messages from different men.”
“What?” Deke’s voice rose. He felt unreasonably incensed. There was no reason to be frustrated with Maya. She’d said she hadn’t opened the app, and he believed her. So what the hell was going on?
“Look.” She held out the phone for him.
Deke took it and read through the last several messages. His ears burned as he soaked in some of the things people had typed. Who said those kinds of things in a text to a woman they hadn’t even met yet?
He set the phone down and removed Maya’s diaper before cleaning her up.
“Can I have panties now, Daddy?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Sure, Little one.” He didn’t meet her gaze. He simply whisked away the jammies from under her, leaving her naked.
She pulled her legs together and grabbed his wrist. “Daddy…”
He drew in a breath and met her gaze.
“I didn’t do it.”
“I know, Little one.” He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I’m just frustrated. I don’t like the thought of people messaging those kinds of things to my Little girl. And I hate that the entire world can see your phone number.”
“How about if I get dressed and we go to the restaurant as soon as it opens to see if my mom knows anything about this.”
Deke smiled at her and lifted her fingers to his lips to kiss them. “Since when are you the voice of reason instead of me?”
She giggled. “Since the jealous monster took you over and gobbled you up. It’s cute, though. I like the fact that you’re so aggravated that men are texting me. I feel special and loved.”
Deke lifted her off the table and into his arms, hugging her close. “You are special and loved. I love you so much. Do you have any idea how panicked I’ve been while you slept? I even called a doctor friend of mine because I was scared.”