Doll Parts (The Game 4)

I buzzed them in as Cameron yelled for me to shut the curtain to the kitchen.

“It’s a war zone in here—they can’t see it!” he added.

They weren’t going to care! I huffed and closed the curtain anyway, just to please his fretting ass. After that, I counted the seconds on my fingers. Our stupid apartment building didn’t have a wheelchair ramp out on the stoop, but Daddy and Lucian must’ve made it since they’d reached the intercom. Thankfully, the elevator worked once you got inside. We just rarely used it, considering we lived on the second floor.

Either way, I was calling the super tomorrow about having a ramp installed.

I cocked my head. Would that work, though? It was five or six steps, and before then, just a narrow sidewalk. A ramp would be way too steep. So would that require a lift?

My stomach knotted with guilt for a moment. Daddy’s whole life had changed in the blink of an eye, and he had to consider so many things most of us took for granted. He’d messed up by never getting back to me, but life wasn’t black-and-white. He must’ve been crushed after the accident. He’d mentioned depression—it seemed like that would’ve been a given. Weird if he hadn’t felt depressed. Right? I couldn’t imagine having to worry about which public stairs I could take and which I couldn’t.

What I chose to focus on right then and there was that he hadn’t walked out of my life without a care—because he didn’t love me or just didn’t feel like having me around anymore. He’d fled because life had struck viciously, and then again a year later with the accident. And when we were down in the dumps, it wasn’t merely more difficult to get up, it was easy to make more mistakes.

Two knocks on the door brought me back to the present, and I returned to the door to let Daddy and Lucian in.

And they were too fucking gorgeous for their own good!

“Hi, delicious D-types!” I hoped there was room for me on Daddy’s lap, ’cause damn. He probably hadn’t left the city after work, which explained his suit pants, shirt, and vest. At home, at least from what I remembered, he was a tad more casual.

Daddy rolled in first, and I gave him a big kiss. “We can’t go almost a week before seeing each other again,” he told me. “Give me one more—and perhaps tell me why you’re not wearing any pants.”

“I swear, Noa!” Cameron yelled from the kitchen.

“He told me to put on a nice shirt and tie.” I gave Daddy another kiss before I zeroed in on the birthday boy. “Happy birthday, Lucian!”

He smiled warmly and pulled me in for a hug. I liked that a lot. I was a hugger, for sure. “Thank you, little one. And I don’t think the lack of pants is something bad.”

I giggled and agreed with him. “Do you hear that, Cameron?” I hollered. “Your Master thinks the best pants are no pants!”

Lucian snorted a laugh while Daddy shook his head in amusement.

“Oh my God, you’re so embarrassing sometimes,” Cameron bitched as he came storming out of the kitchen. “He hasn’t said it’s okay for me to call him that yet—for chrissakes, Noa! Are they just gonna stand there? Invite them in!” The diva scoffed and strode forward, and he plastered a polite smile on his face as if Lucian and Daddy hadn’t caught his hissy fit already. “I’m sorry for my boyfriend’s heathen behavior. Please come in and get comfortable at the table. Dinner is almost ready.”

“It smells fantastic,” Daddy offered. “Is there anything we can do? You look like you could use a break.”

“He means you look sweaty,” I told him.

“Noa,” Daddy chastised.

“It’s fine, thank you,” Cameron replied tightly. “You’re guests. I’m sorry you had to witness Noa being a fucking—”

I stiffened.

“Careful,” Lucian warned. “What is this we’re walking into? Have you two been fighting?”

I scowled at Cameron, and he glared back at me. Didn’t he see he was being a dramatic dirtbag?

“He doesn’t take this seriously,” he snapped. “Tonight has to be perfect.”

The sharp edge in his tone made me take a step back, literally and figuratively. It was unlike him to be that hostile, which made me believe there was something else going on. And it probably had absolutely nothing to do with me. But then it had everything to do with me when I teased him and made things worse.

Crap.

“My birthday became perfect the moment you invited us over for dinner, darling.” Lucian stepped in and cupped Cameron’s face. “Why are you worried?”

I was wondering that myself.

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I think Cam and I should head out to the kitchen,” Daddy said. “Come on, sweetheart. I have a feeling I know what’s going on.”

Wait, so they were leaving without us? They were gonna talk secrets and stuff?