Page 56 of Daddy's Little Cupcake

"Hello?" His husky voice filtered through the phone. "Charlotte? What's wrong?"

"I d-don't feel good, and I'm s-scared," Charlotte managed to get out through her chattering teeth. "Can you come get me?"

She waited for his response, but none came. Did he not want to come pick her up in the middle of the night? He had said she could call him at any point, and he would help. Did he lie?

Charlotte brought the phone away from her head and realized it had died. Dread filled her stomach. Did Daddy catch any of what Charlotte had said, or did he miss all of it? She hoped he got her message.

She got off the bed and quickly made her way to her closet to grab Daddy’s shirt and sweatpants and put them on. Charlotte didn't want to be inside this house for one more second. It was creepy at night, and her imagination was going to run wild if she heard any more noise.

Charlotte ran out of her house and sat on the steps as she waited for her Daddy to come. She didn’t like to be outside alone, but there were street lights, so Charlotte could see more than in her house.

She had no clue if he was actually coming, but she hoped he was. Charlotte didn't know what else she was going to do if her Daddy didn't come to get her. She didn't have any phone battery to call Diana, and she knew her neighbors wouldn't answer.

They had never answered and weren't friendly. All Charlotte wanted to do was curl up under covers and be warm. She was shivering at this point; her nose was stuffy and her body ached as she sat on the steps waiting for her Daddy to come get her.

She leaned her head against the railing and took several deep breaths in. Charlotte knew she needed to stay calm until Daddy came to get her, but it was harder than it seemed.

Her body was shivering the longer she was outside. She didn't know how long she was going to be able to stay outside for. What if Daddy never came for her? What if he just thought it was a butt dial and he went back to bed?

Charlotte closed her eyes as she felt the achiness and weight of everything come down on her. She was so tired, and she was worried she would fall asleep before Daddy got here.

The wind blew past her, and Charlotte pulled her legs up to her chest. She should've grabbed a jacket when she got dressed, but it wasn't a priority for her at the time. Her priority was to call her Daddy, get dressed, and get out of the house.

Charlotte wanted to go back in and grab a jacket, but she didn't want to go back into the dark scary house. Not until it was light or someone else was with her.

She blinked several times when she heard a car stop in front of her house. Charlotte couldn't make out who was in it. Fear rolled through her as the person got out.

Who could it be?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

FINN

Finn woke up abruptly to Charlotte when she called him. He didn't know what Charlotte would want at three in the morning, but it didn't matter. He told her when they first got together that she could call at any time for anything, and he meant it.

Charlotte didn't give Finn much before she ended the call. So many thoughts ran through his head as he drove to her house. Why did she end the call? Why did he need him to come?

She said she didn't feel well, and he could hear it in her voice. He had no doubt that she was sick. Finn had asked her before she went to take a shower because she didn't sound good, but she just said it was because she was tired.

He should've pushed harder to get her to agree for him to come over. He knew she was starting to get sick, and he wanted to help and should have. Finn should’ve told her he was coming over or she was coming to his house, but either way, he should have insisted they be together.

Finn had quickly put on a shirt and sweats before he ran outside to his car. He wanted to get there as soon as possible, and he was thankful that he had saved her address in his phone when he dropped her off.

He pulled up to her driveway and saw a figure sitting on the porch steps. Had she been sitting outside since the call? Why was she outside in this weather?

Finn got out of the car and made his way to her.

"Charlotte?" he called out, trying to gain her attention.

Her eyes were open, and she looked at him, but it felt off. How long had she been sitting out for?

"Daddy?" Her voice was hoarse, and she started to cough.

She was definitely getting sick, and he needed to get her out of this cold weather. What was she thinking when she sat out here in only his shirt and sweats?

He knew she hadn't been thinking because she wasn't feeling good, and he couldn't blame her for that right now. Finn needed to get her inside and quickly.

"Little one, how long have you been out here?" he softly asked as he knelt in front of her.

---