Page 47 of Daddy's Wild Girl

She really wished she could have a bottle of milk right now. Biting her lower lip, she grabbed her pacifier out next.

That was too much to resist.

Even though she knew she should wash it first, she popped it straight into her mouth.

Immediately, a sense of calm engulfed her.

All of her worries didn’t just disappear, but they were pushed back. It wasn’t like she could fully let go and allow her Little free rein.

The last thing she pulled out of the box was the one that made her nearly cry.

Nutters.

Her squirrel.

She loved Nutters, and it killed her to shove her away in a box in the closet.

Surely . . . surely it would be okay to let Nutters out, right?

Lots of adults who weren’t Littles slept with stuffed toys.

She hugged Nutters tight and knew she couldn’t shut her away again. It wasn’t fair to Nutters.

And it wasn’t like Corbin and Hayes would be in her bedroom. Well, as long as she didn’t have any more nightmares.

In three weeks they’d be gone and she’d be alone again.

And that was a good thing.

Right?

Why had she agreed to this in the first place? She was a grown woman who should be able to tell her Dad no.

But part of her was still that anxious child, searching for her parents’ love and approval.

With a sigh, she put everything away except her blanket, Nutters, and her pacifier. She needed the extra comfort tonight

Heading to the bed, she curled up on her side and placed the blanket by her face.

Hopefully, she’d get some sleep.

13

Corbin heard a floorboard creek and instantly woke up.

He hadn’t really been sleeping, anyway. Most of the night, he’d dozed, ready to be there for Bebe if she needed him.

He hadn’t liked leaving her last night when she was ill. He’d nearly insisted that she let him into her bedroom so he could see her in person. However, he’d forced himself to step away.

She was an adult who could take care of herself.

But now it sounded like someone was awake and moving around. And Hayes was unlikely to make any noise.

Getting out of bed, he drew some clothes on and headed downstairs. Maybe she’d woken up hungry since she hadn’t eaten dinner. He could offer to make her scrambled eggs. She’d told them that she couldn’t cook and lived on takeaway, toast, and crackers most of the time.

Oh, and beer.

It wasn’t really good enough.

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