Huddle Up Read Online Free Page B

pink?”
    Couldn’t there be a black one so he could salvage some of his dignity? Judging from the décor of the room it wasn’t hard to guess her favorite color. “Purple, of course.”
    Done she stood in front of him to access her work. “You look silly,” she teased. Leaning forward she pressed her nose up against his. “Mommy said my daddy had special eyes just like me.”
    Billy’s shade of cobalt blue needed no touch ups in magazine ads; in fact one would think they used photo manipulation to create the way his gaze leapt off the page. In one of the creepier emails, a fan said she wanted to pluck out his eyeballs and wear them around her neck.
    “Mommy said that?” He wanted to ask what else Angel had revealed about him but Angel cleared her throat.
    Nodding, Gabriela backed away and tilted her head in deep thought. “Do I call you Daddy?”
    Daddy . Such as simple word, but the tug at his heart hurt more than the physical pain of her pulling at his hair. He didn’t want to presume or push realizing how delicate this moment was. “Whatever you want.”
    A mischievous grin grew on her face. “Okay, Poopy-head.”
    “Gabriela!” Despite the sternness in Angel’s voice he caught a hint of a suppressed giggle as mother came around to confront daughter.
    Already feeling protective of his little girl he laughed so she wouldn’t get in trouble and they both joined in. If anyone had been watching, they’d think they were a real family. He risked saying, “I think I prefer Daddy.”
    “Good.” Gabriela’s face grew serious and asked. “Are you going to live with us?”
    “I⁠—” Billy’s heart leapt but he looked up to Angel for permission. She nodded and Billy continued, “No, I invited you and your Mom to come stay with me.”
    Gabriela looked up to her mother with wide eyes. “Are you getting married?”
    “No!” Angel dropped to her knees. “No, honey.” Her tone softened when she took Gabriela’s hands in hers. “It’s only for a little while and then we’ll find a place close to Daddy so you can see him whenever you want.”
    The way Angel immediately said no like being married to him would be a fate worse than making a living on the pole irked him. On the other hand she generously cleared the way for Gabriela to call him Daddy. Not that he deserved it, but he’d spend the rest of his life earning that honor.
    After a long silence Gabriela asked, “Can Lucy come too?”
    Lucy? His gut twisted in pain. Could the second bed belong to a child that Angel had with another man? But where were the photos? Gabriela must have noticed his distress mistaking it for an automatic no.
    “Pleazzzzzzz… She’s so pretty but sometimes Mommy says she needs a time out.” Gabriela started to giggle like it was the funniest thing ever.
    Now he was really confused. He looked to Angel for answers. “Lucy?”
    “Lucifer, is our cat,” explained Angel. “Gabby is convinced he is a she.”
    A cat? Well, that explained the sneezing.

Chapter 6

    A fter an hour of bonding over hair, Billy left the room so she could speak privately to their daughter. Pushing back a curl from Gabby’s face, Angel asked one more time, “Are you sure you’re okay with moving so far away?”
    Gabby nodded. “We have to move anyway. Can I bring my Barbie dolls?”
    Angel blinked at her daughter’s logic. They had until the end of the month to get out of the apartment and turn over the bar. Tony, who held her father’s marker, had the nerve to say he was a good guy by giving her two months to pay up or get out. Even said he’d let her stay if she’d slept with him. Yep, a real saint of a pig’s ass.
    “Of course you can bring them. But, honey, you probably won’t see any of your friends again.” Angel worried her daughter didn’t understand the full implications of moving to New Jersey.
    “I can make new friends. I can’t make a daddy. Will he let me eat ice cream?”
    “How old are you?” Angel hugged her