Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“I’m so sorry.”
“She was so beautiful. Quiet. Reserved. She and Spike lived in Chicago at the time. They’d just flown home after visiting me. A couple of guys carjacked them. Nearly killed Spike, and they shot my darling sister in the head.”
“Oh God!” she cried. Turning, she hugged him tight. He felt her body shake, heard her sob.
“You’re leaking, baby.”
“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
He sat on the desk and lifted her onto his lap so she was sitting sideways.
“Not gonna lie, baby. Was the fucking worst day of my life. Didn’t think I was going to keep going. Didn’t want to keep going. Not without my light. Only thing that kept me going was Grady.”
“Does he know that?” she asked.
“He knows what he means to me,” he said with certainty. Although a part of him wasn’t so sure.
“Maybe you should tell him anyway. And that’s why you didn’t think you’d ever be in a relationship?”
“Couldn’t imagine ever falling in love. Risking losing someone again seemed impossible.”
“But you’ve always had someone. Grady.”
He tightened his arms around her. “Smart, aren’t you? You’re right. I’ve always had someone to lose. And I never have.” He stared off into the distance. “Guess I always thought he was strong enough to survive.”
“Or maybe you’ve still been holding a piece of you back. To make sure you don’t hurt as bad again if something happens to him.”
He stood in shock, setting her on her feet. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know.” She turned away, then turned back with a big smile on her face. “Didn’t you say we were going in the hot tub?”
It was her fake smile. The one he hated.
“Don’t do that, baby. You don’t have to be scared that you upset me and hide. Either behind a fake smile or by actually hiding under something.”
She bit her lip and her hand rose to her earring. Then she seemed to think better of it and dropped it.
“Good girl,” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. “You’re such a good baby.”
“And you’re a good Daddy. And an amazing brother and friend. We’d all be lost without you, Damon Steele. So don’t you ever talk about not being able to carry on, understand me?” She gave him a fierce look.
“I understand you. You want to tell me what you meant by me holding back with Grady?”
“Not right now.”
“Hmm. Now, how about instead of that hot tub, we make some playdough?”
Her eyes widened. “You can make playdough?”
“Yep. I sure can.”
She clapped her hands. “Let’s do this.”
“Good. Why you’re being punished, I’ll make you some lunch and some playdough.”
“What? Why? I didn’t do nothing wrong, Daddy!” Her hands crept to cover her bottom just in case.
“Did you stay where you were put? What did I say to you?” he asked sternly.
“Oh shoot.”
“Fifty lines, baby girl. Saying you will stay where you’re put.”
Well, bummer.
Jeez, lines sucked.
They sucked sooo bad.
By the time she finished them, her hand was ready to drop off.
“Daddy, my hand hurts!” she called out from the kitchen table where she was sitting.
Steele and Grady were working in the kitchen, making lunch and playdough.
“You do the crime, then you have to do the time, baby girl,” Steele replied.
She let her lower lip slip out.
“Poor Twinkletoes. Want me to kiss it better?” Grady asked, unexpectedly.
“I don’ts think that kisses will help,” she told him with a pathetic sniffle. “I thinks it’s gonna drop off.”
“We can’t have that.” Grady sat in the chair next to her, then picked up her hand and kissed it lightly.
Okay, that seemed quite a Daddy thing to do.
And she loved it. Even if he didn’t want to be her Daddy, it seemed like he didn’t shy away from looking after her Little.
“There. How does that feel?”
“I thinks it’s all better. It’s a miracle!” She raised her hands up in the air. “Although I thinks that I should have magic beans. Just to make sure.”
“No jelly beans before lunch,” Steele decreed.
“Gosh, Daddy. You are such a meanie.”
“Sometimes, a Daddy just has to be mean.” Steele walked over and set a plate of green things in front of her. Then he picked up the pad and read over it.
Sheesh, didn’t he trust her?
“What’s this stuff, Daddy? Is it your lunch?”
“And yours,” he replied.
“Nuh-uh, this is green.”
“Don’t tell me you don’t eat green things?” Grady asked with amusement as he walked back to the kitchen and drew something out of the oven. Now, that smelled good.
“Is that lasagna?” she asked.
“Sure is,” Grady replied.
“Yummy!” She threw her hands in the air again.
Steele put the pad down. “That’s cute, but you need to try a kale chip.”
“I don’t think I do, Daddy.”
“You do if you want to play with some playdough after lunch.”
“Daddy! That’s not nice.”
Steele just gave her a stern look.
“What if it makes me sick?”