Silver Fox's Secret Baby

SILVER FOX’S SECRET BABY CALLIE STEVENS Copyright © 2023 by Callie Stevens All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS 1. Harley 2. Grant 3. Harley 4. Grant 5. Harley 6. Grant 7. Harley 8. Grant 9. Harley 10. Grant 11. Harley 12. Grant 13. Harley 14. Grant 15. Harley 16. Grant 17. Harley 18. Grant 19. Harley 20. Grant 21. Harley 22. Grant 23. Harley 24. Grant 25. Harley 26. Grant 27. Harley 28. Grant 29. Harley Baby For Daddy’s Best Friend Chapte 9 FREE story just for YOU Also by Callie Stevens 1 HARLEY “Couldn’t we have just stuck with watermelon slices?” I groan, scooping the melon baller into the honeydew for the umpteenth time. My forearm is starting to burn. “I mean, who eats honeydew anyway?” “You’ll thank me when you see how nice it looks,” Gillian says with a serene smile from across the kitchen island. She’s currently arranging a charcuterie board around a bowl of hummus in which the droopy, bell sleeve of her boho maxi dress is dangerously close to getting dipped. I roll my eyes. “Next year, we should get this party catered.” Dana’s ears perk up. “Why, when we have ten perfectly good hands between us?” “Eleven!” Stella adds, holding up her two hands and grinning. Gillian’s daughter is five years old and the brightest light in all our lives. Right now, she’s sitting on the counter, making sure her aunt Kira is properly placing the strawberries on the flag cake. Kira doesn’t say much, but her attention to detail is impeccable. Amy laughs, “Twelve, honey. Unless you only have one hand.” My adorable niece flips her palms around and looks at them before confidently announcing, “Twelve!” “We’re working on the counting thing,” Gillian says with a sigh. “See?” Dana says to me with a jerk of her thumb toward Stella. “Twelve.” I snort in laughter. “Fine. Whatever.” “You’re not getting out of this, Harley. Ever,” Dana says, patting my back. My four sisters and I are currently preparing the festivities for the annual Solace family Fourth of July party. Our parents hosted this party even before any of us were born. I guess it’s only right we take up the family tradition. When times seem to be changing so fast, it’s nice that some things stay the same. And with my sisters and me at the helm, these shindigs go off without a hitch. We’re the best quintet you could dream up. “Hey, girls–” Dad sticks his head into the kitchen. “Could I get one of you to be my grill assistant?” I scan my sisters, all of whom are silent. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it. And it won’t be me. I touch my nose as fast as possible. “Nose goes!” As quick as lightning, Dana and Amy’s hands shoot up to their noses, followed by Kira’s more methodical motion, leaving Gillian as the loser. She looks around, despondent. “No, I can’t!” “Relax, Gilly. You don’t have to touch the meat,” Dad tries to talk her down. “It’s the principle of it, Daddy! I can’t have any part in it,” she says, holding up her hands as if that somehow cancels out her obligation. “But you lost ‘nose goes’,” I say with a smirk. Gillian shoots me a look, lasers in her eyes. “You should go since you’re so tired of working on the melon.” “Oh no, I’ve just gotten into a groove,” I say, returning the melon baller to the melon. She huffs, “You’re so immature, Harley.” “I’ll help you, Grandpa!” Stella pipes up and starts to wriggle off the counter. “You know, sweetheart, while I’d love your help, this is kind of a grown-up job. Although from the looks of it, I don’t see any here,” he says with a cheeky smile. Gillian crosses her arms. “I’m not doing it.” “I’ll do it,” Kira finally announces. “Amy, finish the cake. Stella knows what to do.” “Thank you, Kira,” Dad says with a sigh. He gives the rest of us an admonishing look. “When did it become such a burden to help out your old dad, huh?” “Dad, you know it’s not that. We just…aren’t the grilling types,” Amy says, trying to lessen the blow with a sweet smile. He sighs. “Why did I only have girls?” We all laugh as Kira and Dad head out into the backyard to start the grilling. Dad wouldn’t know what to do with boys and that’s a fact. He’s the best girl dad there is and has set the standard high for men. Which is why none of us are married or even in a relationship. A good man is hard to come by. A good relationship, though? I think it’s probably impossible. I thought Mom and Dad were the textbook definition of a perfect couple. And then…everything fell apart. That trauma of seeing a good relationship sour has turned me into a heretic of love. Well, that and life. I left the US to get away from my problems. Turns out that no matter where you go, problems happen, so now I’m back. Sometimes, I just find it easier to believe that love isn’t real. It’s just a fairy tale made up by people who are living in blissful ignorance. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still want to try and find a love that really is as deep as I thought my parents’ relationship was. That’s the fucked-up thing about life. You can know something is bad for you and still want it. Like alcohol or cigarettes. Love is the exact same thing in my eyes. I try to go back to the last of the melon, but I can feel Gillian glaring at me. “Have something to say, Gilly?”