Doll Parts (The Game 4)

I. Couldn’t. Freaking. Wait.

I was patient enough to give Daddy half a meal before I crawled over to sit on his lap. It was just better that way. I liked it when we shared a plate!

“I don’t remember the last time we had a meal that tasted this good,” Lucian said. “I think I have room for a little bit more, actually.”

Cameron beamed at the praise and was quick to give Lucian more food. “I’ve had a lot of practice with Noa. It’s difficult to get him to like vegetables.”

This stir-fry did the trick and then some. It was fucking delicious.

The glazed sesame chicken was awesome too. And the noodles! And rice. He’d made spicy rice.

“You’ve always been fussy about your vegetables,” Daddy noted. He poked my side, causing me to flinch and go eeep. “Unless they came with a hamburger patty and cheese, you just weren’t interested.”

“How can I want a freaking carrot when there’s bacon and cheese, Daddy? You tell me that. You tell me that right now.” I was right. I knew I was right. I grabbed a leftover piece of bread and dragged it through the sauce of the stir-fry.

“I think I’ve heard enough,” he replied. “You will jump on my diet as soon as we’ve worked out the logistics.”

Ewww. I looked back at him in horror. “You’re on a diet?”

He rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s on a diet, Noa. Some just happen to prefer an unhealthy one.”

“I have a name.” I rolled my eyes too. Like a pro. “So do you eat broccoli and egg whites and let motivational quotes on Instagram tell you you’re satisfied? Huuuh?”

Lucian barked out a laugh and wiped his mouth on a napkin.

“You fucking brat.” Daddy shook his head at me and added more noodles to our plate. “I cut out sugar and fast carbs on workdays, and I don’t drink coffee after dinner. I think you can pull that off too.”

“Sugar and fast carbs are kind of the best foods,” I argued.

“Just wait till he tries to switch out the regular bacon for turkey,” Lucian said. Oh my God. “On the other hand, we’re both terrible in the kitchen, so you’re just going from one piece of charcoal to another.”

Cameron thought that was funny.

“It’s edible,” Daddy insisted.

I didn’t believe him. I’d cooked with him before.

“Looks like my skills will be in high demand for sleepovers,” Cameron said smugly.

“Count on it, darling.” Lucian patted his hand.

I chewed around a mouthful of food and wondered what skills of mine would be in high demand. “I guess I can be the comic relief? I have some available holes too.”

Daddy chuckled and kissed my shoulder. “You have a bit more than that.”

“You’re the guy who talks people off ledges.” The gentle severity in Cameron’s tone sucked the fun out of the room. “You can tease me mercilessly when I’m irritated, but if I’m genuinely upset, you’ll stop at nothing to make me feel better.”

We could go back to teasing right now. This just made me squirm.

Daddy wrapped an arm around my middle and pressed his lips to my neck. “He’s right. That’s exactly who you are. And you have a remarkable gift for finding the right words precisely when they’re needed the most.”

“Knock, knock!” I blurted out.

Like that?

I was so full after dinner that I didn’t want to move. But Daddy felt an uncomfortable stiffness in his legs, so he had to get up for a moment.

Lucian and I helped him out of the chair while Cameron cleared the table, and then Lucian excused himself to go grab…something. From the car. He’d called them braces.

“What kind of braces, Daddy?”

“For my legs,” he grunted. He bent over and pressed his hands against his knees. “I have braces that go above my knees to help them from caving when I walk around to get the circulation going.”

He and Cameron spoke halfheartedly about what Daddy was going to “take over,” and I wanted to have the same discussion with Lucian. At least for when I was with Daddy. I wanted to know his needs and be ready to assist whenever.

“I shouldn’t have sat on your lap,” I mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

“You can apologize for apologizing for that,” he told me. “This isn’t on you, freckles. This is, unfortunately, just how my legs are now. Every day is a constant battle to move around the right amount. If I push myself too hard, it hurts to work out the next day. If I don’t exercise enough, I suffer from stiffness, numbness, and the most irritating tingles and prickling sensation—like when your leg falls asleep.” He blew out a breath and straightened again. “When I’m feeling extra sorry for myself, I wonder why I didn’t just injure my spinal cord properly. That’s when Lucian really loses his temper on me.” He winked to show he wasn’t being too serious.