Page 53 of Daddy's Muse
Pappa smiled at me indulgently. “Very good. Did you know we also call them ice bears?”
I shook my head. “No, but I love that.” Raising my fork, I took another bite of eggs.
“Now, can you tell your Pappa how you’re feeling?”
My good mood sobered a bit, my lips tilting downward. “Do we have to talk about that?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “I need to know how best to care for you.”
“Oh…” I sighed. “Better than last night. But not… not great. It feels better when I don’t think about it. Like,” I blushed, “… like when you took care of me.”
He nodded. “You’re not supposed to know how to handle all that on your own. That’s why I’m here. That’s why you need to be here with me.”
The words made something small in my chest ache—like he was giving me permission to just… give up.
Pappa reached over and brushed his thumb over the back of my hand, his touch warm and gentle. “You’ve been trying to carry too much on your own, Colby. It’s too much for someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” I repeated softly.
He smiled faintly. “Sweet. Soft. Trusting. You shouldn’t have to know what it feels like to check under your bed in the dark. You shouldn’t be walking home from work after sunset, or wondering if someone’s watching you.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly tight. “But I can’t just…stop. I have responsibilities.”
“You can,” he said. “You’re already here. You’re safe here. Let me deal with everything else, lille prinsen.”
It should have sounded overbearing, but in that moment—with my nerves still raw and my body still bone-deep exhausted—it felt like a relief.
Pappa’s gaze softened, but his tone stayed steady. “You’ve been getting by, Colby. And I’m very proud of you for that. But that’s not the same as living. If I leave you to do it all yourself, you’ll burn out. Or worse—” His jaw tensed for a second. “—something will happen that I can’t fix, and I won’t let that happen.”
I stared at my plate. “What if I’m too much for you, Pappa?” I asked quietly.
“You’re not,” he said gently, rounding the counter to wrap his arms around me. “Do you want to know a secret?”
“A secret?”
“Mhm,” he hummed, rubbing his chin on the top of my head. “I love taking care of you. In fact, Ineedit.”
“Really?” I glanced up at him. “You mean it?”
“I promise, little one. I have never needed someone,anything, as much as I need you. You give me so much, just by being your true self.”
My eyelids fluttered shut as I relaxed back into his strength. “Pappa…”
“Can you let Pappa take care of you? How I want? How I need? Stay here with me, kanin. Not just today. Please.”
“O-okay… Okay,” I agreed, earning a pleased rumble from his chest. “I can stay for a couple of days, but I should email my professors and call out of work. I don’t want them thinking I just vanished.”
Bodin’s mouth curved in a slow, approving smile. “That’s reasonable. I’ll set up my laptop in the den for you. You can send your emails while I make us coffee.”
I nodded, relieved. “Okay.”
He leaned in, brushing his hand over my cheek. “See? That wasn’t so hard. You don’t have to fight me on everything, lille prinsen. I’m not trying to take anything from you.” His voice softened, dipping into something warm that made my tummy squirm. “I just want to give you somewhere you don’t have to look over your shoulder. I’ll handle all of your needs. Give you anything you want.”
My cheeks flushed as I thought of a few needs that he could help with.
After breakfast, I followed him to the den, where a massive stone hearth and overstuffed armchairs made the space feel like the perfect place to curl up and take a nap.
Pappa set his laptop and my phone on the coffee table, ruffling my hair. “Here you go. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.”
