Page 13 of Dane

“Nope. No buts, Little girl. You need a break. Are we clear?”

What the heck is happening right now? Is Dane Daddying me? Do I want him to Daddy me? I mean, of course I want that. But it’s definitely a bad idea. Right?

I chew the inside of my cheek, trying to figure this all out. Why is he doing this? Why does he care? Other than when I came home for my dad’s funeral five years ago, I haven’t seen or spent time with Dane since I was a teenager. Well, except for the other night when he held me in his arms while I cried like a baby.

Is it terrible that I want what he’s offering? That I want to forget about my responsibilities and submerge myself in my Little headspace? When I came home, I only planned to be here for a couple of weeks, so the only toy I brought with me was my favorite stuffie. I hadn’t expected to be here for this long. I would have brought a couple of my baby dolls if I had known.

Surely Dane has some blank paper and pencils, so I guess I could draw. It’s not my perfect idea of a day in Little Space, but I’ll take whatever I can get at this point. He’s right, I do need this. I think I need it more than I realized.

Finally, I sigh and nod as he pulls up to my house. “You don’t have to do this, Dane.”

He glares at me. “I want to. Now, give me your keys. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

I hand him my car keys then reach for the door handle.

“Don’t even think about it. Little girls aren’t allowed to open their own doors. Daddy does it for you,” he scolds before he hops out of the truck.

Suddenly, I’m not so sure this is a good idea. It’s been twenty years since I left this town, and I still haven’t gotten over Dane. How will I ever get over him if he keeps Daddying me like this? I’m going to end up with a broken heart, but I can’t find it in me to care enough right now to put a stop to all of this. I want this more than I want my next breath. Having Dane as my Daddy is everything I’ve always wanted. Even if it’s only for today.

6

DANE

Shit. My plan hadn’t been to force her to have time in Little Space. I was going to make her an offer and then let her decide because I’m not her Daddy. Seeing her on the side of the road, crying, again, did something to me. Whether she belongs to me or not, I know what she needs. Someone who takes control away from her, so she doesn’t feel guilt over letting go.

I hate that she went out driving by herself in this weather. She should have called me. I would have taken her to the store.

Twenty years ago, she spent so much time at our house that I thought of her as one of my friends. Then, I hurt her, and she didn’t speak to me again until she left for college. She wouldn’t even look at me when we were all saying our goodbyes before she and Greer drove away.

It had broken something inside of me at the time, and I was the only person I had to blame. I’d hurt her and pushed her away. All because I didn’t want to hold her back. I still don’t. She has her life up in Seattle where she’s happy and successful. As soon as she gets things figured out with her mom, she’ll leave. Only this time, I’m afraid she might leave with a piece of my heart.

Instead of towing her car back to her house, I take it to my shop and leave it there, so I can replace the tire for her in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I’m going to make it crystal clear that if she needs to go anywhere, her Daddy is going to drive her. And that Daddy is me. At least for now.

On the drive back to my place, I call my friend Jaxon. He picks up almost immediately.

“Hey, man,” he says.

His Little girl, Leah, is giggling in the background, and it brings an automatic smile to my face. After the shitty marriages and divorces they went through, I’m glad the two of them found each other. Leah is as adorable as can be.

“Hey. Are you enjoying the snow?” I ask.

“Leah is. Although she’s already gotten her butt paddled once today for going outside without a coat on.”

“Daddy!” she whines. “Don’t tell him that.”

Both Jaxon and I chuckle.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be naughty. Then I wouldn’t have to tell people you got a spanking,” he scolds playfully.

Jaxon has been my friend for a long time, but truth be told, he’s always been a fucking stick-in-the-mud. Grumpy as hell. Until he met Leah. He’s still a grump, but he’s mellowed quite a bit. In fact, I think he’s getting soft. I’d never tell him that, though.

“Anyway, what’s up?” he asks.

“I was wondering if you’d like to bring Leah over to play outside with Summer. I can have Austin pick up Greer. Summer needs some play time, and I think my sister needs it too. We have to stay close to her mom, just in case.”

Jaxon grunts. “Definitely. Is her mom okay?”

“She’s struggling. Her illness is progressing faster than Summer expected. It’s hard on her. I’m sort of forcing her to take some time for herself.”

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