AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t get to be nervous of me. You know I would never harm you.”
“I’m not worried about you harming me,” she told him, aghast that he’d think that. “I just . . . you’ve got a lot going on. And most of it is because of me. I don’t want to add more to your plate.”
“You listen to me,” he said in a low voice. “The only thing I care about is you. I don’t care what the fuck else is going on. You come first. And hiding things from me is not allowed. Pretending things are all right is the same as lying and I won’t have it, understand me?”
“Yes, Grumpy Bear.”
“You’re in big trouble.” He drew her into his lap. “Fuck, girl. Don’t you know you’re my everything? What do I need to do? Get it tattooed on my chest?”
“There’s no room.”
“Oh, I’ll find room for that. If it means you’ll start to believe it.”
Now, she felt even worse. Like she’d completely disappointed him. Tears dripped down her face.
“I’m sorry, Grumpy Bear.”
He grunted and ran his hand up and down her back. “Tell me what happened.”
“I had a nightmare last night after I went to bed. I can’t remember what it was about exactly. But when I woke up, I couldn’t breathe.”
“Fuck.”
“I think I was having a panic attack. I grabbed Squish and hid in the closet.”
His arms tightened around her. “Fuck. Fuck, girl. You should have come and gotten me. Straight away.”
“You were working.”
He grunted. “I don’t give a fuck. If you’re ever scared or upset or hurt, you fucking call me. Got it? And you do not ever, ever hide anything from me.”
“Are you going to punish me?” she asked.
“Not tonight. You need to sleep. But tomorrow, yeah, you’re getting spanked and spending some time in the corner.”
Darn it.
He drew her back, wiping his thumbs over her cheeks to catch the stray tears she hadn’t realized had gotten free.
“You are more important to me than anything or anyone, baby. I am not happy that you kept all of this from me. But I am even more upset that I didn’t realize this was going on.”
“It’s not your fault. You’re busy—”
“That is no excuse for neglecting you.”
“You’re not neglecting me, Daddy.”
“I don’t think that’s true. I should be here every night to put you to bed. Tomorrow, you and I are spending the day together.”
“Really, Daddy?”
“Yes. Really. Now, what can we do tonight to help you sleep, hmm? I’ll get you a bottle.”
“Gray?” she asked as he stood.
“Yes?”
“I think . . . maybe it might be best if I talked to . . . to a professional?”
