Just Sign Here - Cara Dee Page 0,6

wasn’t complaining that it drove her into my embrace at the moment. She darted for me and lifted her arms.

“Hi, Julia.” Peyton smiled at her as I picked her up and positioned her on my hip. “That’s a cool dress.”

Julia shook her head and buried her face against my neck. “S’not cool, Daddy. Tell him.”

I sent Peyton an apologetic look before I took my seat at the head of the table. “He thinks it’s cool, and so do I.” I squeezed her to me, taking every chance I got, and kissed her hair. “What would you like to eat, darling?”

“But, ohhhh,” she whined and pushed me away. Then she scrambled off my lap and ran through the living room and into our bedroom again. I blew out a breath and fanned out a napkin across my lap. Fuck, it bothered me. It hurt. There was pressure on my chest, and I had to swallow hard. There had to be something I was doing wrong.

“So, that’s Julia.” I cleared my throat. My mood had soured instantly, and I avoided eye contact while I poured my coffee.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Cathryn started.

“Actually—may I?” Peyton asked. “If I’m going to be spending time with her, she might as well get to know me a bit.”

Cathryn hesitated and glanced at me for a final answer.

“Have at it,” I said tiredly. “She’s likely to scream until you go deaf.”

Peyton smirked wryly. “I’m immune. Just…let me have a go. Don’t barge in if she does start yelling. I’ll leave the door open, but—”

“We’ll wait here,” I assured. Then added, “We’ll just listen in, I should say. We won’t interrupt.”

He nodded in acknowledgment before making his way toward the bedroom.

I sipped my coffee and debated whether to go stand by the door right away or if I should give him a couple minutes. But I had to eat if I was going to last through four meetings before lunch.

“What is it about him?” Cathryn asked me. “If I interpreted you correctly, he doesn’t have any experience outside his own family. He’s not a professional.”

“Neither am I.” I grabbed a triangle of toast and opened a butter pat. “I’m not looking for the perfect way or a smothering Englishwoman who puts more effort into cleaning up your language than making sure you’re feeling all right.” That about summed up my own childhood. “Peyton is real. He’s young. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.”

Cathryn lost some tension in her shoulders and nodded once. “Okay. You know I’m on your side, sir.”

That was when Julia began screaming.

I was out of my seat at the same time as my heart jumped up in my throat, and we both made our way through the living room.

“Why are you screaming?” I heard Peyton ask. “Should I start too?”

Cathryn and I came to a screeching halt before we reached the doorway, but I wasn’t quite satisfied. I had to see, if only a little. I inched closer and closer until I saw Julia standing up in the middle of my bed, screaming at the top of her lungs, while Peyton leaned casually against one of the closet doors. He couldn’t see me from his angle, meaning I wasn’t going anywhere.

I watched him approach her slowly, hands in his pockets.

“Nooo!” she shrieked.

“If you don’t tell me why you’re upset, I will get upset too,” he told her. “It’s your choice, Julia.”

He wasn’t kidding. When Julia wouldn’t stop screaming, Peyton stunned me by joining in once he was close enough to her. He yelled outright, causing Julia to scream even louder. But Peyton wouldn’t be bested, evidently. He cranked it up until Julia collapsed on the bed with tears streaming down her face.

“Go’way!” she wailed.

“No.” Peyton calmly sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her back carefully. “That’s the thing about me. I don’t go away. It doesn’t matter how much you scream or how much you cry. I’ll be here to figure out what’s wrong.”

Julia hiccuped around a sob. “Don’t yell more.”

“It’s not fun, is it?” Peyton murmured. “It can even be scary, right?”

She sniffled and nodded, and I recognized the signs in her. She was getting tired. It was like this every time she got upset. She screamed herself exhausted.

“Okay. I won’t yell again,” he promised. “Can we be friends?”

“I dunno,” she whimpered.

“Do you have many friends at home?” he wondered.

She held up two fingers and wiped her nose on her arm.

“That’s nice.” Peyton smiled. “Do you play