Page 44 of Doctor Holliday

Keaton grinned. He missed the days when Ruby called him daddy, but he loved to hear her voice.

“Hey, Rube. How was it? What’d you get for Christmas?”

“Dad.” His daughter sounded exasperated. “It’s not all about getting presents.”

“Oh. It’s not, huh?” He quirked an eyebrow at Lucy. She leaned forward and scooted over to sit closer to him.

“No. We had cupcakes.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “Okay. Cupcakes do rank right up there with presents.”

“I got a new game console.”

Keaton didn’t love the idea, but Alyssa had told him she and her husband were getting the new game console for the kids.

“Sounds fun.”

“I got new jeans, too.”

“Cool.” Keaton put his arm around Lucy, breathing her scent in when she rested her head on his shoulder. “We still on for tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

“You’re helping me cook, right?”

Ruby’s robust laugh filled him with joy.

“Yep.”

“Okay.”

“Dad?”

“What?”

“Mom said you went to Lucy’s family Christmas.”

“I did.” Keaton held his breath, wondering if Ruby was going to have an issue with that.

“Well, is she going to come to our Christmas tomorrow?”

Lucy sat up suddenly and shook her head. Keaton frowned.

“I’ll invite her.”

“Okay! Love you.”

“Love you, too, Rube.”

He ended the call and tossed the phone on the sofa cushion.

“I can’t be part of your Christmas dinner.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s special. It’s just you two?—”

“I was at your family dinner.”