Page 40 of Protecting Little Phoebe

“I don’t think so. And you’ll stop that right now. What did I say about putting yourself down?” he demanded in a low voice.

Uh-oh. Her heart started to race. She had a feeling that she was in trouble here.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a stern look. Grabbing the napkin, he wiped her fingers and mouth before doing the same for himself.

“You said that it was a rule that I wasn’t allowed to put myself down,” she said. “But I was just telling the truth about myself. I am a mess. I have no idea what I’m doing half the time. I flit from thing to thing. I don’t always like to think about serious things. I mean, sometimes I do when I’m adulting. But sometimes, I just want to forget that the world can be a horrible place. I want to believe the best in people, but like you said I can’t do that because it’s not reality. Because I could get into trouble. So I’m a mess!”

“No, little girl, you’re not a mess,” he growled at her. “But you are in trouble.”

Standing, he pulled out the tray and helped her down. Then he took hold of her hand. “Let’s go see if there is a free room where we can have a bit of a chat.”

Double uh-oh. She definitely did not like the sound of that.

Fifteen minutes later, he led her into a room she’d never been before. The playroom.

Barren had made certain that the room was free for their use first. Thank god he hadn’t told anyone the reason he wanted a private room.

Although she wondered if they’d seen something on her face because she’d gotten a couple of knowing looks.

Yikes.

The playroom was the sort of place she really wanted to spend time in… if she wasn’t in trouble. In one corner was a large crib and changing table with storage. She wouldn’t need the changing table. But the crib actually intrigued her more than she thought it would.

She tried not to look at it for too long, but when she turned she saw Barren watching her closely. Triple uh-oh. Although was it an uh-oh or was it a yay? She really wasn’t sure.

“Would you like to try the crib later?” he asked her.

She shook her head immediately without thought.

Urgh.

What was she doing? Was she being honest with herself? With him? She just didn’t know. Being in a crib wasn’t something she’d thought she would want, and it seemed to be difficult to admit to.

However, that didn’t mean if she wasn’t pushed slightly that it wasn’t something she wouldn’t like to try.

“Are you lying to me, little girl?” he asked in a deep voice.

Quadruple uh-oh.

Oh, dear, soon she was going to be in double figures of uh-oh. “I don’t mean to,” she whispered, chewing on her thumbnail. “I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to.”

“Hey, hey. Don’t look so worried. There’s nothing to be scared about.” He reached out and took hold of her hand,drawing it away from her mouth. Then he tugged her against him, holding her tight to his chest.

She slumped into him. “How did you know this is what I needed?” she asked.

“Well, I’d like to claim to be able to read your mind, but I was mostly acting on instinct and frankly, it was also what I wanted.”

“Oh, you wanted a hug, too?” she asked.

“Yes, sweetheart. I really wanted a hug from you. I never want you to feel upset or scared and not feel like you can reach for me. You can always ask for a hug or just throw yourself into my arms. I will catch you.”

“Even if you’re angry with me?” she asked in a small voice.

“You thought I was angry at you?” he asked.

She nodded. “You weren’t?” To her surprise, he picked her up and carried her over to a large chair. Which actually sat next to another chair that faced the corner.

She didn’t want to think about what these two chairs were used for. There was a closet close by and it was probably best that she didn’t find out what was kept in it. He sat on the chair with her on his lap, facing him, her legs straddling his thighs.

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