I stop short when I see something sparkling in the little pocket of Matthew’s bib.
“Nate, what’s this?” I freeze as I reach for the glimmering item and see what it is.
A ring. A gorgeous diamond on a silver band.
I pluck it out of Matthew’s bib and turn to Nate. He has sunk to one knee behind me.
My mouth drops open.
“Cynthia, you have made me the happiest man on earth,” Nate says. “And I want you to let me try and make you just as happy. Will you marry me?”
I’m stunned. I knew Nate wanted to get married, but I assured him I was in no rush. It’s not like I was desperate for him to make an honest woman of me. Even so, I’ve had daydreams about this moment. And it’s even more perfect than I imagined. The ring is beautiful, and I’m so happy Matthew is here to be a part of it.
I open and close my mouth, and tears spring to my eyes. Matthew lets out a delighted giggle, as if he knows what’s happened.
“Yes!” I cry at last. “Yes of course!”
Then I throw myself into Nate’s arms. He laughs and kisses me as hard as he can.
Then I lift Matthew out of his seat so I can hug them both at the same time and once again appreciate how lucky I am to have two such amazing gifts in my life.
Excerpt: Yes Daddy
I’m so tempted to claim Eden.
So tempted to ravish her.
But she’s the woman who is completely off limits.
Eden works at my beach house as a maid.
She’s over a decade younger than me.
Gorgeous. Submissive. Innocent.
I’m insanely protective of her.
And I care about what she thinks of me.
I’ve got a past.
Things that won’t sit well with her.
Drama that might tear us apart.
But her safety and happiness come first.
And I need her troublesome stepfather to back off.
Eden is my responsibility.
She has my heart.
Will she want to keep it once she finds out what I’m hiding?
Eden
As soon as I opened the door after work, I heard one of my younger sisters scream at the top of her lungs. “Ow! Stop! You’re hurting me.”
My heart leapt into my throat as my sister’s voice rang out. I dropped my purse and ran.
I raced into the kitchen to find my sister, Piper holding a wooden spoon in her hand. Her wrist had a bright red mark on it.
My stepfather loomed over her. His pasty white face was red as he panted and snarled. He grabbed for her arm again, but she jumped back, weidling the spoon. “Get away from me!” she yelled.
“I’ll beat your ass, you ungrateful little shit,” he bellowed, getting right in her face.
Him berating her was a common sight. Him threatening to hit her was not. And, if that red mark on her arm was from him, there would be Hell to pay. He was not going to put his disgusting hands on either of my sisters.
I looked around for any weapon that might come in handy. I’d never hurt anyone in my life, but I was not going to let this monster touch my sister. “Mike. Get away from her.”
His head swiveled in my direction. “You’re not in charge here, no matter how much you’d like to think so,” he said, but he took a step back. He hated me, and the feeling was mutual, but he liked the full-time paycheck I brought in that paid the rent.
“What’s going on?” I asked, hoping I could distract him.
My other sister Penny appeared from behind the table. They were identical twins, and they’d just turned sixteen years old. “He called us worthless,” Penny said.
“Yeah,” Piper chimed in. “And, he said he was going to make us work full time this fall once you went to college. I told him that was bullshit.”
I needed to defuse this powderkeg. There was no way Mike was going to make them quit school, because they weren’t going to be here in Georgia. They were coming to Florida with me, where I was finally going to start college. I might be twenty-two, but I’d worked my ass off to apply for scholarships and grants, and I’d finally gotten enough funding to leave. Mike wasn’t aware of that fact, because it wasn’t his business.
I looked at both of my sisters. “Go to your room.” They knew what that meant. They were supposed to go to their rooms, grab the bags they had packed and any money they’d stashed away, and then wait for me. I thought they’d protest at first, but thank God they listened.
He pointed his finger at me. “You’re a good-for-nothing whore, just like your mother.”
Before I could think of a comeback, he turned and left. He slammed the door behind him, and then I heard the engine of the car roar to life. I peeked out the window. Good. He was leaving.
I sank into a chair. I just needed a second to catch my breath. I still had on the apron I wore at the local grocery store, where I was the shift manager.
I had to get my sisters the hell out of here. We’d been living on borrowed time with Mike, and we all knew it. Our mother had left all of us over a year ago, and he’d gotten increasingly hostile. It was only a matter of time before we had to go.
We had a car, but Mike’s name was on the lease, so I couldn’t take it, not unless I wanted him reporting me for car theft. Besides, he’d just driven off in it, and I wanted to get my sisters out now.
After I sat for a
