Page 23 of Gideon

“My apartment was emptied. It was Kirkman, I know it.”

“No baby girl, it was me.”

I gaped. Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn’t on the list. “Why?” Because I was just about ready to scream.

“Because you’re moving in with me. We settled this. I’m your Daddy, baby girl. You live with me.”

Everything in me fluttered. I so wanted it to be true. But no, this was bad. When he’d had enough of me, I wouldn’t even have somewhere to live.

“Tell me what happened this morning.”

So, I did. He didn’t ask many questions, but I could tell he was cross I hadn’t called him when I got fired. I practically scrambled out of the car and I nearly ran in, wanting to see my things, and sure enough, I could see some boxes in the entrance.

I turned with a huge smile on my face until I saw his face and my smile withered so fast it was like it wasn’t there. Disappointment creased his features and my heart sank. I was in trouble even if I thought I had done the right thing, and it was clear Daddy didn’t agree with me.

“Do you know what a Daddy is?” he asked as he led me into the mud room and bent down to undo my laces.

Was this a test?

“He’s someone who always looks after a Little,” I said confidently, balancing my hands on his shoulders as I lifted first one foot then the other. “Has her best interests at heart,” I added in case that got me extra points.

He nodded and led me upstairs to the bedroom. “And how would her Daddy know what her best interests are?”

I puzzled that over. Daddies seemed psychic, but they might not be. “She tells him?” I offered, hoping that was the right answer.

“Yes, exactly,” Daddy agreed. “And what might happen if she doesn’t tell him?”

Well,hell. But I knew. “Then she gets in trouble,” I mumbled.

Daddy took my chin and made me look into those gorgeous eyes. “The problem can sometimes be that the Little doesn’t know they can trust the Daddy yet. That the Daddy hasn’t been clear enough.”

Oh god, Iwished. I wished so hard.

“So, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to unpack. You’ll see I both packed and unpacked your bedroom myself.”

Of course he had, which made all my doubts a million percent worse.

“We’re going to go upstairs, then we’re going to talk.”

I gulped.Talk.Out of the whole dictionary, that was the word I hated the most.

Chapter twelve

Abigail

With a cry of delight, I lunged at Big Bear, sitting propped up in a little chair next to the table I could use for coloring. Hugging him tight, I glanced around the room. All my treasures were there, even the pictures from the kids. I had a moment of sorrow that I wouldn’t see them again, but I’d already known most of them were leaving soon to start kindergarten.

Then I saw my clock and my legs seemed to take me across the room all on their own, and I put Big Bear on the small bed. With shaky hands I opened the back and saw the folded paper but realized Daddy was watching. I wasn’t about to share anytime soon, well maybe never, so I closed it and set theclock back.

I glanced back, but then I noticed a little stool in the corner of the room, and a whiteboard on the wall next to it. What an odd place for it to be. And why would there be a stool and no table or desk? I stared at the stool, a really low one. If I sat on that, there would be no way I could reach the white board, plus there was a really big easel in the corner to draw and paint with.

“I want you to give me two weeks.”

I froze, my eyes going to the floor. He wanted me here for two weeks? But I wanted to be here forever. In my heart, I knew two weeks was generous. I was lucky a mess like me was even getting two hours. “Two weeks?” I echoed.

“To give you time to get to know me. As I said, you don’t trust me yet.”

I glanced up, denial trembling on my lips, but he was stalking toward me in the cool cat predator way he had, and I shivered. “Baby girl, I need to share, and I need to hold you to do that. Do you think you can come and sit on my lap?”

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