Page 33 of Saul

“We’re going to sort all our rules out, baby, but the first one is my name.”

“Your name?” I mumbled, my face pressed into his shirt, trying to take in delicious lungsful of his scent.

“Yep,” he said and swatted my ass none too gently. “If I ever hear you call me anything but Daddy, you’re not going to be able to sit down for a week. Is that clear?” I nodded because either it was a dream, or I was dead under a bath, and it didn’t matter.

“Words,” he rumbled.

“Yes, Daddy,” I sighed as the tingle from his hand seemed to spread to other places.

“Good boy.”

Chapter sixteen

Calvin

Ipractically burrowed into Daddy, not wanting him to let me go. “The only thing you need to agree to is that I’m your Daddy. Going forward, I’ll take care of everything else. I know it’s a leap of faith but we’re just not working without each other.”

I gazed up at him. “Did Ricky know you were coming?”

He smirked. “Not tonight, but I think he’s been scheming to get us together.”

“I hated seeing you with Emily,” I confessed.

He was quiet for a moment. “You do know—”

“Yes, of course I do.” And I did. “It’s just you seem to be made to be a Daddy.”

He grunted. “And you, naturally, were torn between wanting to believe it and thinking it was too good to be true.” He dropped a kiss on my head. “I don’t blame you. Storming out on Sunday made me look like an ass.”

“I love your ass.”

Daddy sent me a heated look. “Don’t think I don’t know you haven’t answered my question, but I want you to know me. To know all of me.”

I nodded eagerly. I wanted that too. “It takes a special sort of courage to be a military spouse. Long absences, house moves. Always knowing that your spouse has to put something else first before you. My dad was career military. In for the long haul. Mom wanted the kudos of being a military wife, but she hadn’t realized it sometimes meant more sacrifices for her than my dad. When I was little everything seemed good, but then Dad got two nearly back-to-back deployments, and we had to move again. I was seven, maybe, and not thrilled that I was losing all my friends, so I misbehaved a lot.

“Mom was at the end of her rope. I’m not saying it was all her fault, but she started drinking and seeing other guys. Dad wasn’t oblivious, but instead of trying to fix things, he ducked out. It came to a head when I was fourteen and Mom got arrested for a DUI. The problem was, the guy’s daughter was in the car with them and she got scared. The kid’s mom got a lawyer and kicked up a storm. Dad was told nicely that he either had to distance himself or go home and sort it out.”

I gazed at Daddy, knowing this was hurting him, but that he was saying it anyway did funny things to my insides.

“Dad retired a year later. But by this time, Mom didn’t care. She had her life and that was it. The moment he finally walked in the door to stay, she finally walked out of it.” Daddy wassilent for a moment. “I’d grown up with the expectation that I would follow the same path as Dad, and instead of resenting that expectation, I decided I wanted it but in my own way. The second I had my high-school diploma in my hand, I left all my friends and walked into the nearest recruiting office. Ten days later, I was doing basic.”

“I bet your dad was still proud of you.”

Daddy nodded. “I’m sure, but it was too little too late. I never blamed him for Mom not being able to cope, but I blamed him for turning a blind eye. He had the opportunity to come home earlier when it would have made a difference, but he didn’t.”

I laid my head back down on his chest. “When I told you what my mom was like, and you didn’t say anything about yours, I assumed you’d had a perfect life.”

Daddy rubbed his hand on my shoulders. “I’m not used to sharing, but that’s gonna change.” I hummed my agreement.

“And I guess you’re moving soon?”

I giggled because I was happy. “Tomorrow.” He arched an eyebrow. “I’m going to stay with Christopher and Ricky while we build up the business, and then I can find somewhere to live.”

“No,” he said. “That’s not going to work for me. As your Daddy, I need you where I can see you.”

I swallowed.

“My grandmother left me her house which I’ve started remodeling. I’ve been renting it out, but it would be perfect for us and it’s only a couple of blocks from Ricky’s.” He tilted my head with a gentle finger under my chin to make our eyes meet. “Now is the time for you to answer that question.”

---