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“Thank you for your time and for answering all the questions. If I need anything else, I’ll be in contact with you,” Galar says.

Opening my eyes, our gazes connect, and he smiles.

“It was nice to meet you. Sorry it was under such bad circumstances. Don’t worry, your case is in good hands. We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Galar promises. “I’ll see myself out.”

Daddy wraps his arms around me as I close my eyes again.

“I feel anxious,” I mumble.

“Let’s get some medicine in you,” Daddy says, and I don’t put up much fight.

TWELVE

The medicine is not working. It’s been two days since the attempted break-in, and the medicine has not knocked my anxiety down one bit. So much so that I never want to leave Daddy’s arms. If he puts me down, I immediately start to hyperventilate.

“Do you think you’ll be okay to take a nap in the kennel while I work on this project?” Daddy asks.

The man has picked out a color, so Daddy needs to start painting it. The only problem is I don’t want to let him go. Daddy took the past two days off to take care of me.

“No!” I scream and hold onto his neck tighter.

There’s no way Daddy is going to leave me. No. I can’t let him put me in the kennel and him walk around freely.

“Shh, you’re okay,” Daddy gently says. “Instead of going to work, we’re going to have Yamal pay us a visit. How does that sound?”

I shake my head and push my face into his neck.

“I think we need to. It’s not healthy for you to not want to let go of me. At some point we’re going to have to put you in the kennel for a little bit,” Daddy whispers as he rubs my back.

“No,” I mumble against his neck. “We don’t have to go anywhere for you to put me in the kennel. You can strap me to your back, and I can be with you that way while you work, but I don’t have to be apart from you.”

Daddy has to see my way of thinking. There is always a way for me to stay by his side when he’s doing something. It might be weird at first, but I’m all for trying something and making it work.

“Little Pet, I want you to look at Daddy,” he commands.

I pull away from him and barely reach his eyes. I know that tone of voice. It’s one where I’m not going to get away with something, and I have a feeling I’m really not going to like it.

“Yamal is already on his way to check on you and talk,” Daddy says. “It’s not up for discussion. This isn’t healthy. I don’t want it to go on for longer than it needs to. I want you to thrive and be able to play by yourself and be independent. I can’t believe I’m actually saying those words.”

“I’m fine not being independent. I think it’s actually better for me to be with you all the time so you can keep a close eye on me,” I quickly retort.

Daddy shakes his head. “That’s no way to live. I want you to be able to take a nap in the kennel while I do things around the house. I want you to be able to roam around the shop while I paint something or help me if you really want to. But you can’t do that if you won’t let go of me.”

“Of course I can. There is always a way to do it,” I reply.

He really isn’t getting it. If there is a will, there is a way… I think.

“Albel?” Yamal calls out.

“We’re in the living room,” he replies.

Yamal walks into the living room and sits in front of us.

“You really don’t need to be here,” I mumble. “There isn’t anything wrong with me.”

Okay, there is, but no one needs to know that. I am coping just fine being near Daddy, where nothing can happen to me. It’s not a crime to want to be safe or feel it. Not after everything that has happened to me.

Yamal hums. “I think your Daddy is a little worried about you, though.”