Page 52 of Tinley's Daddy
“It will get easier.” He shifted to face me. “All of this gets easier with time. I promise.”
An alarm went off on his watch.
“We have to get a move on.” He looked at his watch. “We have breakfast and then you have a meeting with Maria. Finish getting dressed.”
“Okay.”
Josh kissed the side of my head and then headed for the door.
“Joshie.”
He stopped and smirked.
“Daddies have nicknames, too.”
He chuckled.
“Huggies.” I held my hands out and ran toward him. I hugged him around the waist. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Little Lee.” He kissed the top of my head and headed down the hall toward the kitchen.
I admired him as he walked away.
CHAPTER 17
JOSH
Joshie
I liked it. It felt like Daddy. I wanted nothing more than to be Tinley’s Daddy. It was too soon for that. She was still so fragile. Claiming her would scare her off for sure. If we didn’t end up together, I had already made it my mission to provide an environment for her to heal and grow. She had the hard part of the bargain. Being Tinley’s Daddy felt like my calling in life.
I grabbed my phone and sent off a text to my assistant to purchase a sketch pad, a marker, colored pencils, and crayons. I also requested she send me some photos of dog stuffies. I would let Tinley pick out the one she wanted.
Tinley walked into the kitchen. She compromised on her hair and pulled it all into a slicked-back ponytail with a braid.
“You look nice.” I motioned for her to sit on the stool on the counter. She climbed up and smoothed down her sweater.
“It felt like fall today.” She giggled and swung her legs back and forth.
I set a cutting board, a ceramic knife, and two bananas in front of her.
“Can you cut those for me?”
“Yep.” She nodded and peeled the banana, concentrating on making each cut equal to the next. I mixed the rest of the ingredients for the pancakes. The smell of bacon filled the room.
My phone beeped. I checked it.
“It’s a text from your aunt.” I showed her the phone. “I told Agent Stanley to give her my number.”
“What does it say?” Tinley continued with her job.
“She wants you to call her.” I set the phone on the counter. “She’s probably worried about you.”
“I can’t right now.” Tinley set the knife down. “Is that okay? I just want this for right now.”
“This is what you will have, for as long as you need.” I nodded.
She nodded back, picked up the knife, and went back to cutting the most perfect banana slices.
