Page 59 of Plum's Priest Daddy

Chapter Thirty-One

For the next week, Plum was listless and moody. She cried at the drop of a hat and got frustrated even more easily. Gideon was doing his damndest to be what she needed but he had no fucking idea what that was. To be completely fair, he didn’t think Plum knew either.

He was in his study composing an email to the other organizers of the interfaith spring festival when he smelled burning, which was alarming in itself. But then he heard a crash followed by a scream that sent him running to the kitchen to find a sobbing Plum on the floor, her back pressed against the cabinets with a smashed glass pan in front of her.

“What happened, love?” he asked as he stepped carefully around the glass to go to her.

She was curled up in a ball, weeping, and he hated how small she looked. When she raised her head to look at him, he hated how fat tears ran down her cheeks, streaking her face. She was a tiny ball of miserable fury and he hurt for her.

“I can’t do anything, Gideon. Not a goddamn thing. I have to get you to help me with all this fucking paperwork, you’ve been doing all the cooking, reminding me to bathe for fuck’s sake. I was feeling a little better after lunch so I decided to make some brownies for you as a treat and I…”

Plum looked at the mess on the floor, a mash of glass shards and brownie detritus and let out a frustrated screech while pulling her hair.

“I can’t even make brownies. Not even from scratch. Out of a box. I must’ve turned up the oven too high and then I smelled them burning and that freaked me out and I forgot to get potholders because it’s not like I’m a professional baker who’s spent ten years taking pans out of ovens and should know they arehot. Argh!”

“It’s okay, love. It’s just a pan and some crumbs. Easy to clean up.”

“Maybe the brownies are, but I am not. I’m a mess.”

“I’m not sure what you’re expecting from yourself. It’s only been two weeks since the fire. That was incredibly traumatic. Would be for anyone to lose their home or their business and you lost both. I think you’re being unreasonably hard on yourself.”

Her brows knitted together as she glared at him.

“And I think you’re being unreasonably patient and generous and you’re going to get sick of me being such a disaster and regret ever having met me.”

Her snappish tone belied her words and his heart went out to her. Yes, she was angry and frustrated but she was also terrified and she didn’t need to be.

“Oh, darling,” he murmured as he hauled her onto his lap and held her there while she burst into a fresh round of tears.

“Everything is terrible,” she wailed as he petted her hair and hushed her.

“Not everything, but it feels close, doesn’t it? It’s hard, I know. But it will get better, you’ll see.”

“If you tell me everything happens for a reason or this is all part of God’s plan, I’m going to deck you.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he assured her, and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I think God loves all his children but he’s not always the best parent. Downright neglectful often but I’m sure it’s hard to keep track of eight billion people. But he does send helpers sometimes. So maybe God sent you me. I’m almost certain he sent me you.”

She looked up at him again, eyes red and swollen, cheeks splotchy. “Gideon, I…”

His stomach lurched. Was she going to tell him she regretted coming here? That she was leaving? That allowing him to be her daddy while she was here had been a mistake and she wanted to take it back? But he would mask his fears and let her say whatever she needed to say.

Plum looked down at her hand toying with one of the buttons of his shirt. He hadn’t even noticed she was doing it.

“I know we started doing this again when I moved in after the fire. And I don’t…”

Her face screwed up and he tried not to hold his breath. Sent up a prayer that she wasn’t going to end things. It hadn’t been easy the past couple of weeks but the only reason was because she was distraught and deservedly so.

“I don’t want you to think that’s the only reason I want to be with you. I mean, I have absolutely no idea what I would’ve done without you for the past two weeks but I had other options. And the reasons why I broke things off seem so small now. Not small because I think your calling is any less important to you or because I expect it to be smooth sailing when a priest wants to be with a heathen like me, but…I was foolish. And I’m sorry I hurt you. Sorry I pushed you away when I should’ve talked to you instead. Fought for you.”

It turned out Gideon had not done as great a job at not holding his breath as he would’ve liked. A huge sigh of relief flushed out of his lungs.

“I’m so glad you feel that way, love. I—”

“Hey, shush. I’m not done yet!” she protested with a light smack to his chest. “I would understand if you didn’t feel the same way and you were just taking care of me to be nice. It would hurt, but I would get it. But it sounds like maybe I don’t have to worry about that?”

Still red-rimmed and puffy from her crying, her green eyes were nonetheless beautiful as she blinked up at him. He wanted to throw her to the ground and ravish her but that wouldn’t do for several reasons including all the glass and her injured ankle so he settled for a slow shake of his head. Gideon didn’t dare speak after being chastised but he tried to convey with his body, his soul,“No, you don’t have to worry that I don’t want you anymore. I do. Maybe more than ever.”

“So, um, anyway… I just thought you should know that. I can’t promise to be anything but a mess for the foreseeable future but I want to be your mess. Clean up in the produce department?” she joked, and it was so charming. She was charming. And she was saying she wanted to be his, for real and maybe even forever.

“I don’t mind a little clean-up,” he assured her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and leaning in to kiss her softly.

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