Page 43 of Her Gentle Daddy

She squeezed Sean’s hand and looked as though she might cry. When he looked across at Damian, he could have sworn the man’s eyes looked a little misty as well. Not that he had any room to talk because he was feeling a bit emotional, as he always got whenever Gabby talked about her sad childhood.

“What brought you to Seattle?” Damian asked.

Gabby looked from man to man and set her tea down but kept her hands wrapped around the cup as though she was trying to keep them warm.

“I came to find my sister.”

Sean nearly dropped his cup of tea at the confession. When he looked over at her, she gave him an uneasy smile.

“Sorry I hadn’t told you yet. I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own,” she whispered.

The rest of their tea party had been full of shock, confusion, and questions. Sean kicked himself for holding back on asking questions that Damian hadn’t even hesitated to ask. After both men asked several questions about finding her sister, Sean noticed that Gabby went quiet, and Olly perked up and began pawing at her legs.

“Okay, baby, it’s okay. We can stop talking about it. Breathe.”

Sean picked up Olly and set him in her arms, which immediately calmed her as she focused on petting her furry friend.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, baby. You don’t need to be sorry. We shouldn’t have bombarded you with questions.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for asking, Gabby,” Damian said.

She gave him a small smile and nodded.

“It’s just hard to talk about because I don’t know what to expect or have any information yet. I’m still looking into it.”

Sean took Gabby home after tea and got her changed into a pink snap-crotch onesie, and a pair of socks, then pulled her into his lap.

“Want a story before naptime?”

Gabby shook her head.

“Will you just snuggle me, Daddy?”

He nodded and picked her up, carrying her to the rocking chair, where he cradled her tiny frame in his arms and began to rock her.

“Are you upset with me because I didn’t tell you about trying to find my sister?”

“No, baby girl. Not at all. I’m glad you told us, and I hope you know that I will do whatever I can to help you get in touch with your sister.”

She reached up and pressed her hand against his chest as though trying to feel his heartbeat. When she closed her eyes, he thought maybe she was falling asleep, but suddenly her eyes opened, and she looked up at him worriedly.

“What if she wants nothing to do with me?”

He rocked her for several minutes while he thought about how to answer that. When he looked back down at his sweet girl, he wanted to give her the answer that she wanted most, but he wouldn’t give her false hope.

“Baby, I can’t say what the outcome will be, but I can promise you that no matter what, I will always want you. You will always have a home here, you will always be wanted here, and you will always have a family with me. Damian, Zane, and Jace will also claim you as family. You will always be loved.”

She nodded and closed her eyes again, this time keeping them closed until she was snoring softly in his arms. Sean stood and carried her to the twin bed, tucking her in and giving her a kiss on the forehead before picking up the already sleeping pooch off the floor and setting him in the bed with her.

Sean sat at his desk, deep in thought about the revelation that Gabby might have a sister. If she did have a sister, he prayed that it would turn into something good if they found her. Gabby hadn’t had any family after her mother had passed away and had never gotten to have the type of home life that everyone deserved.

He wondered if the solo trip she had to make was to look for her sister. He would ask her at some point, but she had gotten overwhelmed by all the questions, although he had been surprised how open she had been with Damian about her past and not knowing what she wanted to do with her life. He wondered if having the dog with her had helped, as well as the therapy sessions with Savannah. Whatever it was, he was proud of her and happy that she was slowly letting people in.

Picking up the phone, he called his friend Kane, a private investigator. He and Kane had met at The Playground when Kane had lived in Seattle, but he now lived in Oregon with his baby girl.

“This is Kane.”

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