Page 24 of Their Forever Daddy

Daddy’s low chuckle sent a shiver up her spine. “It seems extra appropriate right now since you’ve been on the run.”

Yup. So much trouble.

With worry churning in her tummy, Jesse hurried inside ahead of her Daddy, only to find herself at a loss when she stopped in the middle of the living room, unsure of what she should do next.

Luckily for her, Daddy always knew what came next. “Sit,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument as he pointed to the couch.

“Yes, Sir.” If she was sitting, he wasn’t spanking, and just then she was eager to do whatever she could to put off her punishment.

Well, anything but face down the two people who meant the most to her in the world, both of whom were currently and rightly furious with her, albeit for different reasons. Edie joined them in the living room, the gun thankfully missing, and when she folded her arms in a stance Jesse recognized all too well, she couldn’t help but squirm in her seat.

In her peripheral vision, she saw Daddy’s eyes narrow, then shift from her to Edie and back again. Clearly, he had caught on to the fact that something was going down, and she knew that look well enough to know he wasn’t going to stop until he got to the bottom of it.

Shit. This was not how she’d planned on telling him about Edie.

Well, she hadn’t actually planned on telling him at all. Which she could admit was exactly how she’d gotten herself into this mess in the first place.

It was going to be a long night.

Daddy crossed his arms, mirroring Edie’s stance and making Jesse squirm again. “All right, little girl. Since you’ve already introduced me as your Daddy, it seems fair to assume Edie is aware of the nature of our relationship?”

Swallowing hard, Jesse nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”

“Good. Then we don’t have to dance around it. Tell Daddy what the hell you were thinking, disappearing for three days without so much as a phone call, and without any way for me to check up on you.”

“I, um…” She risked a glance at Edie, who only raised an eyebrow as if to tell her to get on with it already. “I’m not really sure where to start.”

A muscle jumped in Daddy’s jaw, a sure sign she was skating on dangerously thin ice. “I suggest you start from the beginning.”

“Um, well, if I do that we’re gonna be here awhile. Could we like, order a pizza or something?”

It was a stalling tactic, but she actually was pretty hungry. Not eating all day would do that to a girl.

Add that to the list of things your bottom will be paying for later.

Sigh.

“Nobody delivers out here,” Edie said. “But I can whip us up some pancakes while you tell your… while you explain.”

“Pancakes!” Her Little side, which had already been struggling hard to break free, thanks to the massive amounts of trouble she was in and her Daddy’s presence, burst through as she clapped her hands excitedly. “I haven’t had pancakes in ages.”

The look Edie shot her Daddy was full of silent judgment. “Then pancakes it is. Wanna move this party to the kitchen?”

Jesse looked up at her Daddy, who paused as if weighing the situation in his mind before giving a single sharp nod. “All right. To the kitchen.”

For the short time it took them all to walk from the living room to the kitchen and for Jesse’s Daddy to push her very firmly down into one of the hard wooden chairs, she could almost pretend she wasn’t in the worst trouble she’d ever been in her entire life. But that delusion was quickly shattered when Daddy pulled out the chair across from her and pinned her with a stern glare as he sat with his arms once again folded across his broad chest. “Enough stalling, Jesse Lynne. Talk.”

“Oh, um, I should ask if Edie needs any help. It’s impolite not to ask.” Butterflies beat at her throat, nearly strangling her as she raised her voice slightly. “Edie, do you need?—”

“Do I need you to try and burn my kitchen down again? No, thank you. You can keep your naughty butt right in that chair while you tell your Daddy the truth.” Edie sent a meaningful look over her shoulder. “The whole truth, little girl.”

Once again, Daddy’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. More watching. More observing. More mental notes that he would spend hours examining later. If he spent enough time with Edie, he’d know her better than Jesse did by the time they left.

Which wasn’t saying much since it felt like she didn’t really know Edie at all anymore.

Pushing aside that depressing thought, she did her best to ignore the woman moving around the kitchen and focused on her Daddy. “I really am sorry I worried you,” she said quietly, low enough so only he could hear her.

“I appreciate the apology, baby, but I hope you realize you’re still not going to be sitting comfortably anytime soon.”

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