I had to still my heart for a few long seconds before I had the capacity to call my dad back.
Because, holy fucking hell, was the man hot.
As in, the sexiest man I’d ever seen, hands down.
Even movie stars couldn’t compete with this guy.
He had dark-brown hair that was ran through with salt and pepper. A short, close-cropped beard that framed the fullest set of lips that women only hoped to obtain with lip filler. Moss-green eyes that looked mischievous and serious all at once.
The phone rang in my hand, and my dad was laughing when he said, “I’ve been waiting for you to call me back. What, did you replay it for entertainment value?”
I swallowed hard before saying, “No. Just processing. Wow.”
A wailing scream had me closing my eyes, and I instantly felt fucking sick.
This kid.
Did he not know that I needed a freakin’ break?
God, what would it take for him to sleep just a solid hour through?
Why did he only give me thirty minutes max?
The crying continued, then abruptly cut off, and I listened to my dad guffaw at the way that Copper had beat up my ex-fiancé.
It was a slightly glorious thing.
I’d definitely be rewatching the video, but likely only the last half a second where his face was filling the screen.
I…
I came to a sudden, bone-jarring halt when I saw my son being held out from a very strong, very muscular body.
Copper was home, and he was staring at my kid like he was an alien.
And I felt…nothing.
I felt nothing that a strange man was holding my child.
“Uh, Dad,” I murmured, tears once again clogging my throat at the thought of how I should be crazy scared right now for my kid, and wasn’t. “I gotta go. Copper just made it home.”
“Tell him thanks for the video,” Dad returned, missing the tears. He always did. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask Copper. We’ll be home as soon as we can.”
Not that it would matter.
I wouldn’t be staying with my parents.
I loved them, and my siblings, but there was a reason that I’d moved out at eighteen.
They were loud and obnoxious, and though I loved them dearly, they had no clue what personal space was.
And I needed that.
I needed the break that I felt like this could give me.
Now, if they wanted to take Holt for a week…I would very well let that happen.
I just had to find a place to stay tomorrow, because I doubt the giant standing in front of me would let me do that.
