Page 26 of Obsessed Daddy
“Our cabin?”
“Our cabin.” I kiss the top of her head gently. “I know a guy that has some property for sale next to a pond up on the landing. Pretty sure that kitten poster would look good up there somewhere.”
She sighs softly, and for a second, I’m content again. Content as our heavy breathing matches one another. Content as the scent of wild herbs fill the space from the trellis below. Content like, for the first time in my life, I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
Then, like life does, it kicks up dust, reminding me that there are still things left to be said.
My eye burns and tugs deep inside the socket, a feeling that’s been progressing for months. What used to be a dull throb is now a pressure that pulses and waves, each one reminding me that my vision is in jeopardy.
“What’s wrong?” she says, lifting her head from my chest. “Your eye is all red again.”
I sweep a strand of hair from her vision, not wanting to tell her the reality of how weak I truly am.
“Tell me what’s going on,” she whispers. “It looks painful.”
I drag in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I stare at her. “You’re going to think I’m an old man, and I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet.”
She laughs. “You are, aren’t you?”
“No,” I narrow my brows, a little offended by the truth for some reason, “I’m actually very cool and hip.”
“You might be the last person on Earth still using the words cool and hip.” She grins and sits up from the bed, staring down at me. “What’s wrong with the eye, though? I need you to be serious for a second.”
I pause for a long moment, thinking over the exact words to use and how to use them. I haven’t told this story many times since it happened. When I had my first conversation with the therapist who was trying to talk me out of a depressive state that I wasn’t ready to be talked out of yet, it didn’t go well at all. I’d just been discharged, I was in pain, and I didn’t know how long I’d have my vision for, so I lashed out. I had no time for the questions, and no patience for someone who didn’t know my pain.
Since that brief interaction, I’ve kept the whole thing secret from just about everyone. I’m not looking for sympathy, empathy, or whatever. It’s my problem, and I’ll deal with it.
But as I look at my girl and her normally bright eyes filled with concern, I know it’s time. I can’t hide this any longer. Not from my little girl.
“It’s a piece of shrapnel. A tiny shard that’s embedded after a roadside bomb. They left it in because it’ll cause more damage to go fishing for it rather than leaving it alone. They’ve kept it from getting infected, so that’s a small blessing.”
“What?”
“It’s not ideal but I’ve been living with it for a while now.”
“So what are you doing to help it?”
“There’s nothing I can do. It was just occasional irritation for years, and now it’s started blurring my vision. I expect I’ll lose the eye by the end of the year. I haven’t told anyone this, not even my buddies.”
“Is that why you’re rushing the cabins? You want to finish before this gets worse, don’t you?”
I nod slowly, the tips of my fingers rubbing up and down her bare back.How is she so fucking soft?“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. It’s hard to talk about this shit.”
“Well,” she shrugs, “guess this means we need to rush everything. The wedding, the kids, the cabin.” She kisses my forehead gently. “We’ve got work to do.”
Fuck… more angelic words have never been spoken.
“Yes, we do, little girl. I won’t stop until we’re settled.”
The moment barely has a chance to breathe when a loud bang slams against the bedroom door.
“Who the hell are you talking to?”
“Oh my God,” Bella whispers, eyes spread wide. “What do we do? She’s going to lose it!”
“We get dressed, and we tell her.”
“In the middle of the night?”
