Page 7 of Daddy's Little Fighter
She stood there, looking at her shoes that lay just a couple of feet away from her. They were always near her, in case she needed to put them on, but she never did. This would be the first time in three years.
Three years of being in the house, and she was about to walk out.
What was she thinking?
“Oh, Little One,” Daddy gently said as he bent down in front of her.
Her eyes moved to Daddy, and she just stared at him. What else was she supposed to do?
“Let me help you get your shoes on real quick, and then I can help you into the car.” He picked up one of her shoes.
She slid her right foot into the shoe before doing the same with her left. Was she really going to do this?
Before she could back out, Daddy stood to his full height and took her hand. “Come on, Little One. Daddy’s got you.”
She sucked in a deep breath and followed Daddy, getting into the car and allowing him to place the pink blanket above her seatbelt. She held on tightly, like her life depended on it, as he started up the car.
Frankie was really going to do this.
Daddy grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Everything is going to be okay. Daddy is here, and I’m not going to leave you.”
“Until you leave your office,” she whispered. “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have said yes,” she rushed out.
But she didn’t want to stay in the house alone, and she really didn’t want Dominic to see her.
He was the one to find her in the parking lot of the store, panicked and about to get hit by a car. He had seen how badly shaken up she was, and she didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes. She didn’t want to see the look of pity when he realized she was like those kids had said.
“It will only be for a couple of minutes, and we will both have our phones on each other. If you need anything while I step out, you will call me. I won’t be far away,” Daddy explained. “And everyone knows not to go into my office or be in the hallway when we get there.”
Frankie looked out the front window and took a deep breath. They were now on the main road, heading straight toward BTS. She was really doing this. Frankie felt nauseous as they continued to drive down the road, her hands shaking.
“Take a deep breath in,” he slowly said, briefly looking at Frankie. “And slowly let it out. Good girl. Now repeat. Everything is going to be all right. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Daddy was going to take care of everything.
“I know this is scary, but we are doing it together. Nothing and no one is going to stop you.” Daddy calmly spoke as they pulled into the parking lot.
Frankie sucked in a breath as she looked at the building. She used to love coming to work every single day, saying hi to people and being in her element. Three long years had gone by, and Frankie kind of missed this place.
But she wasn’t going to get used to this.
She couldn’t.
Frankie pulled the blanket over her head, not wanting to see anyone.
“I’ve got you,” Daddy whispered as he got out of the car.
This was a mistake. Frankie should never have gone out like this. She had made a vow to herself three years ago that she wouldn’t, and now she had broken it. All because she didn’t want to be in the house with the monsters.
Monsters that weren’t even real.
But they were real to her. It felt like the walls would close in on her, darkness clouding her vision as the monsters surrounded her. No. She wasn’t going to think about that right now.
“I’m going to pick you up now,” Daddy said. “Are you ready?”
Frankie poked her head out and looked at him. “No one is in the hallway?” she whispered.
Daddy shook his head, almost like he was a little disappointed Frankie had asked. “No one is anywhere close by. I made sure of it, but even if they were, they aren’t going to make fun of you. They all love you and want to see you flourish.”
