Page 26 of Shades of Loyalty
"If you want to talk, or if anything’s wrong, no matter what, come see me in the next room on the right," I tell her, offering a reassuring smile. "I’m here for you. You’re safe here. And your little girl is safe too. We’ll protect you at all costs. You don’t have to worry about a thing, pretty.”
"Thank you for treating us so nicely. Really." Her words are barely above a whisper, and I can see she’s strugglingto keep her eyes open. She’s so tired it’s almost heartbreaking.
"You’re welcome. Go to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?"
"Alright. Good night," she mumbles, already drifting off. It’s so endearing, watching her try to fight sleep.
I smile, standing there for a moment, before whispering, "Good night, pretty,” and leaving the room for good that night.
Chapter Eleven
Daniel
I could assume that the next morning for Jennifer and Mary seemed much better than the day before.
Right after they woke up, they got dressed and ate breakfast at our dining hall. Mary said it was the tastiest hot chocolate she had in a while.
And while our chef isn’t the best, I guess the little girl loved it. I mean, kids usually don’t have high demands. My nephew doesn’t, either. He eats up anything he gets.
Or perhaps it’s my love for the little kid which makes my chef cook their favorite food so often. I’d never threat our chef.
But if he ever cooks any food involving something that my nephew is allergic to, I’d murder him. I’d lie if I wouldn’t have threatened him withthatbefore.
After breakfast, I showed both Jennifer and Mary their actual rooms they’ll be staying in for now. It’s not like their home, of course.
But I tried to make it as comfortable as possible for them, with the help I got from my sister, Victoria. We also picked up most of their things from their home, not including the furniture.
Only exception we made was Mary’s princess bed. It was too cute to resist. Sue me.
Besides, the look on Jennifer’s face when she discovered that all her clothes and important things were already in her room? Yeah, I won’t forget that.
I also won’t forget the look she gave me once she found out her underwear was in a drawer, too. I tried to explain myself, but then again, I didn’t find a good reason to excuse it.
I can’t have her live here without any of her underwear. What else was I supposed to do? Buy her new underwear? She would’ve probably thought that this move would’ve been weird, as well.
Can’t even get an apology right.
Except forI’m sorry, how else was I supposed to get your underwear here?there wasn’t much to say—though I did feel the urge to tell her we could go underwear shopping together.
I didn’t tell her that, of course. No matter how hot she is, I’m not going to mention shit which will make her feel uncomfortable with me. I’m not that kind of man. I wanther to trust me. And for some fucked up reason, I want to test her limits and find out if she finds me as attractive as I do with her.
The way she looked at me yesterday when I pressed her against my desk and tried to push her boundaries, she seemed like she enjoyed my touch. I would’ve stopped immediately if she would’ve told me to.
But instead of telling me to stop, all she did was close her eyes for just a few seconds and lean into my touch.
I don’t know how to think of that. But what I do know is that I am not going to push her to do something she doesn’t want to. Especially while she was in such a vulnerable state.
After I showed Jennifer her room, I showed Mary the kids room she’d share with my nephew. He’s a lovely boy, just a year older than her.
I’ve seen Jennifer’s worried look, but once Mary and Enzo met, she realized that the boy absolutely adored her daughter.
And Mary? I didn’t even know a girl’s eyes could shine with that much happiness until I’ve seen her eyes when my nephew and her realized that they both have the same bluey stuffie. Fucking insane, and insanely sweet.
They had lots of fun together while they played with their toys, and the second Vicky came in to pick up her son and Mary for preschool, I decided to show Jennifer her workplace.
Mary will continue to go to the same place for preschool. I’d never force a kid to stay here, and besides, my nephew visits the same place. It’s only convenient for them to go there together.
And since my sister has been driving my nephew there for years now—after all, he’s her son—we decided it’d only be smart for her to drive Mary there as well.
