Page 8 of Daddy's Damaged Little Girl

He bit his lip. He turned to Lacey and handed her the file. “Here is what you needed, Lacey. If there’s anything else, you know where I’m at.”

Lacey smiled. “Yes. Thank you, Sebby.”

He sighed dramatically and looked toward the ceiling, making Lacey laugh.

He watched the confusion on Sage’s face and explained, “She calls me Sebby. It’s a nickname she gave me when we met, and she won’t stop. I think I need to tell your daddy to beat you more.”

Sage gasped and looked horrified.

He walked to her and carefully cupped her chin. “Sweetheart. I would never condone any woman or child getting hurt. This is the way Lacey and I tease each other.”

Lacey nodded. “He’s right. He might be as large as Bigfoot, but he’s marshmallow inside.”

He snorted and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “I better get back to work. I’ll see you girls later.”

He turned at the door and looked at both of them. “And stay out of trouble.”

Lacey laughed, and Sage nodded slowly. He smiled, turned, and left.

He couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Lacey.

“What do you think of him?” Lacey asked.

“Oh, I … you know.”

“Isn’t he dreamy?”

“Well, I would say … um … yes.”

He continued to walk away, thrilled that he had Lacey on his side.

Chapter Five

Sage watched him leave and couldn’t take her eyes off the door until she heard Lacey giggle next to her. She turned to her friend. “What?”

“You like him,” Lacey said.

Sage’s eyes widened. “What? No. I don’t even know him. Or I don’t think I do.” But she couldn’t help feeling that she’d seen him before. She just didn’t know when or where.

Lacey smiled. “He’s wonderful. He’s done a lot of work for the organization.”

Sage knew her friend was trying to help, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to have a normal relationship. “Lacey, you know what happened to me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to be with a man again.”

“If something did happen between you two, he’d be the best one for it. He’d be patient with you. I know he’d make a great daddy.”

Just the thought of being able to have her own daddy made her heartbeat accelerate. Would she be able to heal enough to take that chance? Only time would tell.

“I need to get back to work,” Sage said.

Lacey smiled and hugged her. “I’m here for you.”

Sage tightened her grip on the other woman. “I know, and I thank God for you every day.”

For the next few weeks, everything was calm, and Sage was able to go about her life with only a few nightmares to break the serenity that was finally starting to build in her life.

Sage picked up her phone at her desk when it rang. “Hello.”

“Hey, it’s me, Lacey. We got in another group of women and children. Can you come to the admission room?”

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