Page 9 of Daddy Crush (Silver Fox Daddy)

I reached out and gently touched her shoulder. “You have your own unique qualities that make you special, Clover. I think of you as someone who stands apart from the crowd. Someone with their own path to follow.”

Her lips pressed shut, and I struggled to express how much I was here for her. “I get it, though. Feeling out of place. And I can promise you, as someone who’s seen a few more years than you, there is no membership to any secret society that gets you out of hardship scot-free. We all have pain. We’re all flawed, and we’re all doing the best we can with what we’ve got. Imperfect as that is, it has to be enough.”

My words hung in the air as she looked away towards the beachfront, which by now had stars hung overhead, and shuddered in her seat. She hadn’t been told how beautiful she was often enough, and it made her self-conscious. I decided I’d do whatever it took to help her understand how special she was. And soon enough, I’d establish a set of rules between us to help her feel more grounded and guided.

“You’re enough, Clover. More than that. You’re brilliant, beautiful… and life is more honest and interesting with you in it.”And I don’t deserve you,I thought.No more than you deserve the shameless thoughts I’ve had about you every waking minute since your arrival.

I reached out and placed the flimsy strap of her dress on her shoulder and felt the warmth of her skin. Just the sound of her voice made my heart clatter inside its chest wall, struggling to make itself known to her. To communicate to her my awakening.

She was the one thing that made me feel more alive, more at ease than drinking. As if when she was around, for the first time in my life, I knew my purpose on the planet.

To protect.

Cherish.

Take care of her.

But I couldn’t say those things out loud.

She wouldn’t grasp them coming from a man her father’s age.

Or so I thought, until she breathed, still refusing to look at me. “You don’t understand. Sometimes I think that’s something I’ll never achieve—normalcy. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the country, spending more time with animals than people. Living on my parents’ farm when I was way too old. I don’t know how to act right. Take, for example, my reaction with that asshat, Hoss. The one I zapped. The whole town turned against me for defending myself. I can’t figure out if the problem is other people, or if the problem lies with me.”

In the dash light, I saw her bite her lip and slant her dark eyebrows into a frown. I considered what she said, wishing I could take her pain and press it into a diamond shield, insulating her from any future hurt.

Unfortunately, I knew life wasn’t like that. There was no healing without scars, and sometimes old wounds throbbed like the dickens, no matter how long ago the injury was inflicted.

I shook my head, and when I spoke, my voice was tender, nearly a murmur. “There is no such thing as ‘normal’. Our differences can be a source of conflict, but if we can look past them and focus on our shared humanity, we can find common ground. It’s important to recognize and acknowledge our emotions, but it’s just as important to appreciate and respect each other’s perspectives.”

She sighed heavily and leaned back in her chair; her face contorting with a mixture of pain and resignation. “Why do some people get away with murder? It doesn’t seem fair,” she whispered, more to herself than to me.

I reached out and touched her hand lightly, my voice tranquil as I spoke. “Truth always wins. Unfortunately, liars usually get their turn to spin it first.” Her revelation reassured me, giving me justification for following my own instincts with her: to always make sure my baby girl was doing okay. She needed me. My tone held a degree of warmth and concern. “Life isn’t always fair, Clover. But I promise you this: I’ll always have your back.”

She looked over at me with a mix of gratitude and disbelief. I hoped to offer her something she never thought she’d find: genuine acceptance. That was the silver lining about hitting rock bottom, if you did it right. You let the lesson sink in deep so that your preponderance towards judging others was wiped away like dust.

You came out the other side with a new way of seeing things. One that left criticism of others far behind, because you knew how easy it was to fall from sanity’s grace. You understood the fragility of contentment, and how it wasa state to be revered and treasured far more than the highs and lows that chased you for years.

We drove the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one—rather a peaceful quiet where we both seemed to reflect on our conversation.

When we arrived at my house,I told her, “Stay put.”

She smiled at me, and a wave of warmth flooded through my body.

She was naturally obedient.

I was someone who truly understood what it meant to be an outsider—someone she could lean on when things got tough. Sensing the strength of her emotions, I opened the passenger door for her and pulled her into an embrace to hold her close.

“Thank you,” she said simply, meeting my gaze with a newfound determination blazing in hers. “I’ve been waiting for you to do that for such a long time.”

I nodded solemnly before taking her hand to lead her inside.

Clover stood in the kitchen while I prepared steaming mugs of tea. When they had steeped, I stirred a teaspoon full of honey into her chamomile, just as she preferred it. Then I led her into the living room and carefully placed them on the coffee table. Sitting down on the plush sofa, she crossed her long legs and looked me in the eye. Her challenge was simple: “Have you ever played truth or dare?”

My insides tossed in turmoil, and my cock stirred, my body’s way of telling me it was definitely time to play. Simply to get each other out of our systems. I replied without inflection, “In a faraway time, long ago, yes.” My attraction to her was perilous, and right this moment, I didn’t give a damn. I watched her closely and felt my pulse quicken, my desire swelling over me like a winter wave. This was the closest to being out of control I’d felt since my last drink. That was it. An ocean of whiskey couldn’t intoxicate me as much as Clover.

She couldn’t look me in the eye when she said the words, and it made them even sexier. “So, truth, or dare?”

My steady gaze bore into her, until finally she looked at me and my voice rasped, “Well now, you have no way of knowing this, but... I never can resist a dare. It’s gotten me into more than one spot of trouble.”

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