Page 54 of Daddy's Rules

“I was foolish. I shouldn’t have let the article get to me. I shouldn’t have run so impulsively.”

“We’ve both been foolish. You ran, deciding you needed to do everything on your own and I should have told you how much I needed you and supported you by backing off but still being a part of your life.” I shake my head. “The house seems so empty without you. Hell, I’m empty without you.”

Her eyes fill with tears, but she’s still grinning through them. “Are you?” she whispers. “Does that mean you forgive me for taking off?”

“Yes. God, yes. Come home with me, Jordan. You, me, Hope. And we’ll make things right again.”

“Uh, one little problem.” She looks down at the tiny dog in her arms. The dog gives a sharp but little bark and jumps from Jordan’s arms. The tiny ball of fur comes straight toward me. As it does, it slides into a display beside me and knocks chew toys all over the floor, Hope scrambles toward the mess, adding her own sharp barks to the mix.

“This is Crash.” Her brows rise as she looks at the mess and then me. “How do you feel about being a two puppy household?”

“Two?” I look at the dogs playfully growling and having a tug-of-war with a red T-bone steak chew toy and then back at the woman I love. “Crash is a literal name, isn’t it?”

Jordan bites her lip. “Beast was pregnant and her owners wanted me to have one of the pups.”

Two? I swallow hard, but the truth is she could bring ten puppies with her and I wouldn’t say no, as long as she came home.

I reach my hand out to her, but I don’t take a step. I’m here, waiting for her. She needs to come to me. I want her to make this decision. But when she steps toward me, I can’t hold myself back. I grab her and drag her to me. “Don’t you ever run again,” I whisper. “You’re impossibly impulsive, woman.”

“Not impossibly,” she says with a teary giggle. “But yeah, just a little impulsive and headstrong sometimes.”

“A little?” I huff. “Don’t worry, baby girl, I’ll settle your ass down for you,” I growl.

“Thank God,” she breathes.

* * *

Hope and Crash sleeppeacefully in their little doggie beds in the kitchen. Jordan is in the shower, singing at full volume, and I’m sitting on the couch. The dishwasher hums peacefully after a simple but delicious dinner. I smile to myself. I have plans for her tonight. Plans that may or may not involve her ass over my knee and her screaming my name before the sun rises.

It’s our reunion.

I light a few candles and wait in the bedroom for her to come out. A few minutes later, the water shuts off and I hear her humming to herself. When the door to the bathroom opens, my heart gives a little lurch.

She’s wearing a light pink nightie and her hair is twisted on top of her head in a towel. But she’s the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen. I sit on the edge of the bed and beckon to her.

“Come here.”

Looking down shyly, she walks to me, biting her lip. I can feel her hesitation and her eagerness all the way over here where I wait. When she reaches me, I unfasten the towel and watch as her damp hair tumbles all over the place. I take her between my legs and tip my finger under her chin.

“Tell me why you ran, Jordan.”

She doesn’t look away. “I...” Her voice wavers. “They said I was dependent on you. That you replaced my father.” Cringing, she carries on. “And... the thought of someone I think of the way I do about you replacing my uncaring father is just... no.”

I chuckle, holding her hands in mine, squeezing them a little to get her attention. “Not every relationship fits the rulebook, you know. Sometimes, life works to bring two people together that otherwise might never have met. There are no rules when it comes to love. It’s about fitting together in ways that bring happiness and no one else can decide what a couple is or isn’t based on their personal biases. You know that I love our dynamic, right? You know it’s perfect for us, and that no one else has the right to decide what works or doesn’t between us.”

Nodding, she blinks away tears. “I do now. Owen, I felt so lost without you. And then I let myself believe it was because I became dependent on you, and that somehow that was wrong. That I needed to be independent and prove myself worthy.”

“Baby,” I tell her, gathering her up in my arms. “You don’t need to prove anything to anyone. There’s nothing wrong with relying on each other. You rely on me to give you structure and guidance. And giving that to you? Seeing you thrive under my guidance? That makes me feel ten feet tall.”

“Does it?” she whispers.

“So much.”

“But... didn’t those other clients make you feel the same way?”

I shake my head. “They never did. Not the way you do. I enjoyed helping them, and enjoyed knowing I was positively impacting their lives, yes. But without the intimacy you and I share... it wasn’t the same. With you, things are different. It’s not a job with you, it’s not even a hobby... with you it’s a lifestyle.”

Sighing into my chest, she nods her head. “That’s what I’d hoped for. God, I missed this. I missed this so much.” Her eyes dart about the room and she freezes. “Um, Owen? Is it my imagination, or has your implement collection... grown?”

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