Page 46 of Sawyer
“What?”
“Step over next to the sink. Can you do that for Daddy?”
“You arenotmy Daddy! And I’m already standing by the stupid sink.”
Good. He stepped back two paces.
Reid sighed. “Don’t. You can’t just bust the door down like a maniac.”
“Watch me,” Sawyer said, and drove his boot through the lock. The door gave way as the door jamb snapped like a twig.
“Damn it, Saw! You’re paying for that.” Hutch ran toward him at the crashing sound, but Sawyer had no time for his brother right now. He had to get to his Little girl.
She sat on the floor by the sink, her hands covering her head. When she looked up, her cheeks were wet and her face was swollen and puffy.
And he’d done that to her. He’d never felt like a bigger piece of shit in his life. She was his Little girl. He was there to be a buffer between her and anything bad. But that was hard to do when the person hurting her the worst was staring back at him in the mirror.
He scooped her up from the floor and sat on one of the chairs by the far wall. She struggled for release, but only for a second. He didn’t know if she was even aware that her arms had found their way around his neck, and she was holding on to him with all the strength she had.
He didn’t try to talk. He just held her close and hummed the same lullaby as before, vowing to make everything right in her world again. She was his, and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure she stayed that way. Forever.
When her tears slowed, he carried her from the bathroom andback to his truck. He was going to explain everything to her. Hopefully, she would understand and find a way to forgive him.
Silence heldthe trip to his home in Arcadian Hills in its cold clutches. When they arrived, Sawyer parked on the horseshoe drive in the front. “I’ll help you out of the truck, Half-Pint. Until you tell me you’ve changed your mind about my being your Daddy, our rules still apply. You can use your safe word at any time, but I’d appreciate it if you don’t decide about being my Little girl until tomorrow morning. I want you to have time to be sure of your decision. Can you do that for me?”
She didn’t speak. She didn’t even look at him. His gut clenched. Hard. Had he lost her without ever having a chance to explain? Relief almost knocked him on his ass when she gave a slight nod of her head. At least she was giving him a chance.
He lifted her from the seat of his truck and carried her into his house, not stopping until he reached what he suspected would be her favorite room. His game room was enormous. Cathedral ceilings made it look even larger, and the arched three-pane window took up most of the outside wall. He loved the view of the mountains, and it let plenty of light in the room.
He’d always hoped to find a Little who would sit with him while he worked or played video games in this room. That was why a crafting table large enough to sit at least six people stood in front of the window.
Lele showed her first sign of life when she spotted the home theater-sized screen taking up almost all of the longest wall.
She couldn’t stop staring. “Holy cow! Is that a BenQ3100i game projector?”
There was his Little game designer. He’d spent some time inher Daddy’s Little World game and had been truly impressed. She had skills.
“It is. If you feel up to it later, we can play a few games.”
She stared at him and nodded eagerly. Then, as if remembering their current conversation, she tacked on a, “Maybe.”
“That's the best gaming projector on the market. I've never seen one in person. Is this where you play games?”
It seemed his Little girl wanted a short break from their discussion. He could give her that. He’d give her anything. “Most of the time. I have a projector in the bedroom too, an Optoma uhz55. But the games we’ll play in there don't really involve screen time.”
She blushed and looked back down at her hands in her lap. But not before he saw the spark of interest in her eyes. “Is there anything I can get you, Half-Pint? Before I explain the last two weeks?”
She shook her head. “I just want to hear your explanation.” She turned pleading eyes on him. “Please, Daddy. Please make it convincing.”
His heart leaped at her words, but he kept his face blank, serious, and nodded.
“First, I need you to understand my frame of mind when I first arrived in Elk Jaw. I found out the day before that Jaxon Ruick, a man I love like a brother, was assaulted in prison. He was stabbed three times, once in the abdomen, and they had to rush him to the hospital. My brothers and I have been working for six years trying to have his conviction overturned. I believe with all my heart that he is innocent. It’s hard not to feel guilty when you see someone you care about suffering. And when I arrived in Elk Jaw, I was feeling a lot of guilt and a lot of pressure.”
“Is he going to be all right?”
His girl. Always concerned for others.
“We think so, but it was a close call.”
