Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“Not currently. But I’ll keep you updated.”
“You do that.” He sat forward. “You and me, we’re always going to be each other’s person. Doesn’t matter that you have Dominic now.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“And we’re going to find who hurt you. I promise.”
She breathed out deeply. “I know we will.” Doubt filled her, but she wasn’t going to show Reuben that.
There was a knock on the door and then Dominic walked in. “Everything all right?”
Reuben stood. “Yep. I have to go say goodbye to Juliet before I fly out. Probably time for Andy to have a nap, anyway.”
“I don’t need a nap.”
The two men shared a look that she didn’t like. No way was she letting them gang up on her.
Reuben leaned down and patted her shoulder. “Be good, Andy.”
“I’m sure you’ll hear about it if I’m not.”
He grinned. “Oh, I definitely will. Take care of her, Dominic. Or I won’t be happy. And no one likes it when I’m not happy.”
He walked out without another look back.
Dominic shook his head. “He loves to threaten people, doesn’t he?”
“It’s what he gets out of bed for.”
He snorted in amusement, then turned to her with such a tender look that she melted. “You doing okay?”
“I’m good. I thought I’d do some coloring or crafts, Daddy.” She tried to hide a yawn.
Crap.
“And I think it’s time for a nap.”
She groaned. “No, Daddy. Napping is not what I want to do right now.”
“I tell you what. After your nap, Daddy will sit and play a game with you.”
“Ooh, what sort of game?”
“Well, how about Candyland? Or The Game of Life?”
“Candyland! Candyland!”
“It’s a date. But for now, I’m going to make you a bottle. Do you need to go potty?”
She sighed. “You’re never going to call it a toilet, are you?”
He grinned. “Nope.”
Darn it.
At least he was finally letting her walk to the toilet on her own.
Small steps.
41
“Urgh! Stay still! Daddy! Daddy, I need you!”
Dominic came running in from the living room. She was sitting in the spare bedroom which he had been gradually turning into a playroom for her.
Two weeks had passed since her kidnapping and to say that Dominic was still in overprotective mode was probably understating it.
But he was trying to ease back. A bit. Which is why she now didn’t have to spend all day in bed. Although just a hint of a headache or dizziness and she found herself in bed for what he called ‘quiet time.’
She called it ‘bored to death’ time.
And she still had to have an afternoon nap.
So mean.
But she couldn’t deny how well he was taking care of her. He seemed to sense all her needs before she did. He had her eating healthy because he either made it tasty or fun. She loved spending time in Little headspace. It was getting easier and easier to forget about all of her outside worries.
However, there was still one big problem.
They didn’t know who had hurt her.
Her nightmares hadn’t disappeared. If anything, they seemed to be coming more frequently, and it was affecting them both.
She felt irritable, and was easily frustrated. There had to be more she could do, but Dominic was limiting her screen time.
Not. Cool.
All of her memories were somewhere in her brain. She just had to find a way to shake them free.
“What is it? What’s wrong? Are you in pain? Did you hurt yourself? Tell. Me.”
She gaped up at him as he rushed over and kneeled next to her. She was sitting on a plush rug on the floor, surrounded by a pile of toys.
Her mouth opened and closed.
“Do you need to go potty? I knew it wasn’t a good idea for you to sit on the floor. Can you not get up? Did you have an accident? It’s okay if you did, baby girl. No need to be embarrassed.”
“Um, yes, I would be embarrassed!” she squealed. “And no, I didn’t have an accident. Sheesh.”
“What’s wrong? Do you need quiet time? Let’s get you into bed.” He reached for her, but she pulled back.
“No, no, no! No quiet time, Daddy! I don’t need it.”
“Hmm, you sound grouchy. Seems to me that grouchy Little girls normally need a nap.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I’m grouchy because I’m getting too many naps.”
“You’re barely sleeping at night because of nightmares. You’re recovering from being kidnapped and beaten. You’ve got dark marks under your eyes and you’ve lost weight. You need all the naps I can get you to take.”
She sighed. “Daddy, I’m more rested than I’ve ever been in my life. Promise.”
He eyed her.
“I’m just a teeny, tiny bit grouchy because I’m worried.”
He brushed his hand over her head. “I know, darling girl. But I will never let anyone hurt you again.”
“You can’t promise me that.”
“Why can’t I?”
“You can’t be with me all the time. You have to go back to work. You’ll want to go on with your life. And they’re still out there. What if they come after me? I’ll never be safe.”