Page 98 of Rayna's Daddy

She gasped and hugged my neck. “I love you, too.” She whispered in my ear and then pulled back. She searches my face. “I don’t — “

“Going back to school,” I interrupted her. “It’s something you have to do?”

She pouted but slowly nodded her head.

“Come on.” I kissed the side of her neck. “Let’s take a bath and then we have to plan out our day tomorrow.”

“Our last day.” Her voice was so soft, I barely heard it. “I have to go potty.” She straightened her legs, and I put her down. She scurried off into the bathroom. She’d regressed younger than her typical little displayed.

Interesting.

I followed her into the bathroom. She closed the toilet room door behind her. I turned on the tub faucet and grabbed her bubbles and sat them on the side of the tub.

I knocked on the door to the toilet. “Sweetheart, I have to make a quick call. Put the bubbles in the tub, but wait for me before you get in, okay?”

“Okay.” she called out.

I walked back into the bedroom and out into the hallway. I found my phone and called Tyler.

He answered on the first ring.

“What?” He sounded tired, but wide awake. My little brother always had weird sleeping patterns. Even as a child. He could stay up late, but then never slept past seven am. I think he was afraid he’d miss out on something. He got his best sleep during his afternoon naps.

“I have a huge favor to ask.” He didn’t respond. “Wait until Sunday to go back.”

“Why?” His voice went up an octave. I could feel his anxiety through the phone.

“I want Rayna to fly back with you. I don’t want her to be alone or fly commercial.” Saying it out loud hurt my heart.

“You sending her away already?”

“Fuck, no.” I growled. “I …”

“I mean, she seems just your type. Why are you letting her go?” He grunted.

“I’m not letting her go.” I yelled and then looked down the hall to my closed door. I walked further into my apartment. “She needs to do this for herself, and I have to let her, or we have no kind of future together.”

“So, why don’t you go with her?” He asked.

“Because she didn’t ask me to.” I stared down at the lights of the Quadrangle.

“Well, Mr. Bossy, since when do you wait to be asked?” He was right about that.

“It has to be like this.” I sighed. “I can’t force her to be with me. No matter how much I want her all to myself, it doesn’t work like that. She has to choose to be with me and she will, when she’s ready.”

“You sure about that?” Tyler shut off the music playing in the background.

“Well, if she doesn’t, then I’ll just go back to being the lonely grumpy asshole you all know and love.” I shrugged. “Back to the way it was before.”

“I call bullshit.” Tyler laughed. “I saw the two of you together. There’s no way you’re going to let her go.”

He was right about. Rayna would still be under my protection, and I would keep a close eye on her from a distance.

What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

CHAPTER26

Ipoured the grape-flavored bubbles in the tub and noticed Kyler forgot my toys. I grabbed a towel and ran out into the room. He pulled the bedroom door closed but didn’t shut it. I grabbed the doorknob but froze.

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