Page 41 of Teaching His Babygirl

There’s a flash of awareness in her eyes, maybe a little jealousy too. Both her and Coop have a serious attraction to each other, but for some reason, no one is making any moves. I have a good idea why Coop is keeping his distance. Coop is a daddy dom, and as far as he knows, Mel isn’t a little. Though I think she could be… she has the disposition of a submissive for sure, and I don’t think it’s a far step for her to be a little. I think with a little coaching, she could be exactly what he needs.

Why she isn’t asking him out is easier… she’s shy. Ridiculously shy. The only time she isn’t shy is when she’s in front of her class or playing one of the many instruments she’s trained in. I hate that they are missing out on what could be a wonderful relationship.

“And you really think that Colt is watching over you?” she asks, completely avoiding the topic of Cooper.

“I don’t know. Like I said, maybe it’s wishful thinking…”

We lapse into silence until we place our orders. Melinda starts to talk multiple times but remains silent.

“Just say it,” I finally say, curiosity finally getting the better of me.

“Why did you and Colt break up?”

I collapse back against the booth and heave out a sigh. “Do you want the reason I told him or the whole truth?”

She gives me a bewildered look as if she can’t believe there’s more than one reason for my insanity. “Both.”

“I told him it was because of all the other teachers who were judging me and that it was the exact reason I wanted to keep things quiet.”

Melinda looks shocked. “No one was judging you! Everyone was just concerned after the attack.”

I let out a dark laugh. “Yeah, I know that, but I very well couldn’t tell him the truth. He never would have accepted it.”

“And the truth is…”

“I got a threat.”

Her eyes widen in fear.

“A threat against Colt if I didn’t break up with him. Levi is unhinged. He threatened to do something horrible to any obstacle in his path.” I fight back the tears that want to fall every time I think about the possibility that Colt could be hurt because of me.

“Oh, Darlene. You should’ve just told Colt about the threat and let him make the choice himself.”

I brush a lone tear that escapes as I choke back a sob. “He never would have let me leave him if he knew the real reason. I can’t risk him.”

Mel reaches across the table and holds my hand. “I understand, even if I don’t agree. Colt is a big boy; he can take care of himself.”

She’s not wrong. It’s just a risk I’m not prepared to take no matter how much sense it makes to tell him about the pictures and the threats. After that, our conversation moves to easier things. We talk about her Freshman students and how awful they are at keeping time. She even compares some of the woodwind players to dying birds. I laugh and feel lighter than I have in days.

I tell her about the horrible paintings my students are working on. We’re recreating classics, and the art they are creating is tragic. She laughs when I tell her about the stick figure Mona Lisa. “I’m not joking. It’s literally a stick figure with what the student describes as Mona Lisa’s smile. I can’t tell if they are being serious or if it’s a big joke to them.”

She snorts her laugh, almost choking on her drink. “Stop it, you’re going to kill me.”

We both bust out in laughter again and it feels so good. I forgot how good it feels to just talk about normal things with a female friend. I’ve been sorely lacking in female companionship since I moved. The thought makes me miss my bestie. I wish that Charity was here to meet Melinda. They would totally get along.

After we finish eating, we head back to the school so that Melinda can get her car. It’s dark outside and my anxiety sparks at having to walk home in the dark. I wonder who it is that’s watching out for me tonight. I wave Mel off and my phone buzzes with a text.

The text is from Colt. My heart jumps into my throat when I read his message:Just walk home like normal. He’s watching.

It takes a lot of self-control not to look around and see if I can see where Levi is watching from. Survival instinct is kicking in and I want to run home and lock myself inside my apartment and never leave again. I shove my phone into my back pocket and shrug my bag further up onto my shoulder, mentally preparing myself to walk the five blocks back to my apartment like I normally would.

My skin crawls as I make my way home. Thinking he might be watching me and knowing he’s watching me are totally different. I thought I was afraid before, now I can hardly catch my breath knowing he’s somewhere close. What’s he going to do? Why now?

I make it home without incident. By the time I make it inside and have my doors locked, my heart is pounding in my chest, and I can’t seem to catch my breath. There’s a knock on my door and I let out a little scream.

“It’s me, Darlene.” I feel an instant relief knowing that it’s Colt on the other side of the door. I throw the locks open faster than ever before and open the door. I collapse into his arms, and he holds me close. “Shh, you’re okay.”

He lifts me in his arms and carries me to the couch. He sits with me on his lap and offers me his comfort. Selfishly, I soak it up. Drawing in his strength. He whispers sweet words to me, and I cry harder, knowing that his being here is putting him at risk.

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