Page 13 of Daddy's Little Patient

She snuggled under the covers. “How long do I get to stay here?”

“Forever if you want.”

Her eyes widened. “Really, you’d let me stay here for the rest of my life?”

Alex smoothed the hair from her face. “How about we get you well, and then we’ll talk about our futures?”

She yawned, nodded, and her eyes blinked and then closed.

“Good night, Baby.”

“Good night, Alex.”

He studied her for a long time after she fell asleep before he stood and started to walk out but turned back when she called out to him.

“Alex,” she called out.

He thought she’d been asleep. “What, Baby?”

“You’ll stay with me, right? You won’t go away?”

“No, honey. I’ll be here for you forever.”

“You’ll sleep beside me?”

Alex exhaled. “Yes. I’ll be right beside you.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and closed her eyes again.

He walked out of the room and exhaled. He was getting in deep and only after a whole day. He couldn’t imagine what he would feel after a week or a month.

Chapter Six

Raina woke up, and the first thing she did was listen for Alex. She panicked when she didn’t see or hear him for several minutes. She fought off the blanket and stood. She braced one of her hands on the mattress and waited until the dizziness ended before she walked out of the bedroom.

The longer it took to find him, the tighter her stomach got. She knew part of the reason it took so long was because the house was big. Not as big as hers, but still very large. She stopped and leaned against the wall as a wave of despair engulfed her. God, she missed her house. She had a lot of good memories, and she loved the gardens and the pond in the back. There was a swimming pool she used every day. She knew every nook and cranny that no one besides her father had known about, and now, since he was gone, it was just her. There were secret rooms and a secret set of stairs all over the house. She used those stairs to escape when the man came looking for her.

Would she ever be able to go back?

Raina sighed and continued to look for him. She started getting dizzy because she had been on her feet for so long and was still weak, so she sat in one of the big chairs in what she guessed was his office and closed her eyes.

A tear slid down her face at the thought he’d left her. She knew it wasn’t logical because he had to return to his house sometime, but her heart didn’t feel that way. She just felt empty and scared.

“Jesus, there you are,” Alex said when he walked into the room. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Baby.”

“I couldn’t find you,” she said and then started to sob.

“Oh, honey. I’ve been here the whole time. I promised I wouldn’t leave you.”

He picked her up, sat, and set her in his lap. She sagged against him and let her emotions free. It was nice to be held and cared for—the only other person who had done that had been her father.

She finally wound down and sighed. Alex reached for the box of tissues, wiped her face, and then put a tissue to her nose. “Blow.”

Raina sighed.

“Do you feel better, Sally?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yes, and I have to tell you something.”

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