Page 39 of Daddy's Little Survivor

“You do need a nap.”

Had she said that out loud?

“You're tired. I can see it in your eyes. I want you to get as much rest as you need and right now, you need a little extra than normal. I know you’re exhausted from your long drive as well as from your injuries. Extra sleep will help you feel better, Little Bunny,” he explained.

“Okay,” she whispered.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe he was right and she did need a nap. Shewasexhausted and knew it was not only from her body healing but also because she was catching up on everything she had missed.

When she was with Jared she got some sleep, but it wasn't anything spectacular. Her body and mind had always been on alert so that if he came to hurt her, she was ready to cover her head and make sure she didn't get hit there.

“Let's get you into bed, and I'll tuck you in,” he said.

Monroe set her small bag down on the ground and shuffled her feet toward the bed. Michael had pulled back the covers and Monroe slid in. It felt so nice to have somebody tuck her into bed.

When she was little and bouncing from foster home to foster home, nobody ever tucked her into bed. She had always told herself she wasn't missing out on anything but now she knew she was wrong.

She loved the way he pulled back the covers and let her get in before he made sure the covers were tucked around her, making her feel safe.

“Everything all right? Do you need anything?” he asked.

“No, sir,” she whispered.

Monroe already felt her eyes closing as her body sank into the mattress. She didn't even register when Michael kissed her forehead and walked out of the room because she was already asleep.

* * *

“Mr. Wiggle,”Monroe exclaimed as she touched the stuffed dinosaur's nose. “How could you do such a thing!”

She and Michael, her Daddy, had gone to his club. He needed to sign some paperwork and while they were here, he took her to get a stuffie so that Bunster had more friends than just Ellie, her new stuffed elephant.

Mr. Wiggle had decided to steal one of Daddy’s pens off his desk. Not just any pen but the pen he had been using before he had left the room for a second. Monroe was currently scolding Mr. Wiggle for taking the pen.

He knew better than that and yet, he had still decided to do it. She wasn't surprised one bit, though. The moment she saw Mr. Wiggle, the dinosaur, sitting on the shelf, she knew he was going to be trouble and that she had to have him.

Daddy had gone to get her a coloring book with some markers because he had to read through several documents and it was going to take a bit longer than he’d thought. She couldn't complain, though, because she was having a great time with Mr. Wiggle, and she couldn't wait to color as well. Maybe she and Mr. Wiggle could color a picture together and show Daddy.

She and Michael had held the conversation after she had woken up from her nap yesterday. He had asked her what triggered her and what didn't, what her safe word was, what age range she thought she was, if she wanted a twenty-four seven dynamic or if she just wanted one while they were at his house, and her likes and dislikes about things.

She had told him that while she was healing, she would like a twenty-four seven dynamic because she didn't want to have to think about any choices or anything. She just wanted to focus on healing right now. The thought of making all the choices in her life stressed her out and him being her Daddy meant he could take care of all that.

Monroe was nervous and scared in the beginning when she told him that because she had spent six years with a man who not only took control of her life, he abused it, and she was worried this would turn out the same way. But Daddy told her that this was different. She trusted him to make the best decisions for her and he wasn't going to abuse that trust. He had also said if anything ever felt like he was abusing something, she could say her safe word and they would talk about it.

That eased a lot inside her when he said that. She was worried he wouldn't hear her out if she had a concern, but he told her several times that if she ever got uncomfortable or something triggered her, they would talk about it and make sure it didn't happen again.

And after she thought about it, she realized he was telling the truth. The more she thought about that, the more she realized Jared didn't give her an option and just took things. This was different because she was willingly letting Daddy take care of her. She felt safe around him and knew he was going to do the best he could for her.

He had proven to her several times that he just wanted what was best for her and while sometimes it was hard to believe, other times she was glad she had stopped right next to his house and he had found her.

“Michael?” a deep voice said.

Monroe watched as a huge man with tan skin and brown short hair walked into the room. Her immediate thought was Jared had found her and she started to panic.

She grabbed Mr. Wiggle and dashed across the room toward Daddy's desk. She needed to get to safety. She didn't know if Jared had seen her or not, but she didn't want to take any chances.

Tears streamed down Monroe's face as she huddled under the desk, her knees up to her chest as she hugged them close.

All the noise around her washed out and she felt like she was underwater. Everything became muffled and she panicked even more. What if Jared was coming around the corner to grab her before Daddy could come and get her?

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