Page 27 of Obsessed Daddy
“She’s knocking on your door in the middle of the night, so… yeah. Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” I stand from the bed and kiss the top of her head as I dress her small frame, then my own. I don’t rush. I take my time, brushing my fingers through her hair, calming her nerves. “It’s going to be okay.”
She nods slowly as her mother screams something from the bottom of the stairs.Clearly this is going to be a thing.
This situation is my fault. I recklessly showed up without concern, and I interrupted the lives of everyone around me. I have to be the one to answer all their questions tonight.
I look toward Bella, squeeze her little hand in mine, and kiss the top of her head. “I want you to let Daddy handle this, okay?”
She nods, though I know there will be another punishment coming later. She’s going to talk, she’s going to over-apologize, and she’s going to internalize this whole damn thing, but I won’t have that. My baby isn’t to blame. I won’t let her carry that burden.
I suck in a deep breath and unlock the door, fully ready to wrestle with whatever bullshit June throws, but she doesn’t look as shocked as I thought she’d be. In fact, her posture is still and her face is flat.
“I knew this was happening the second I saw you on top of her at the lake house. I even tried to coax it out of Bella, telling her how I thought you were into me.” She shrugs. “Figured she’d get jealous and spill her guts. Then, when she turned off her location tonight, I called Dillon, and he told me some big, muscled guy with tons of tattoos took her. It didn’t take long to put two and two together. How could you?”
“I’m so sorry,” Bella says, stepping out from behind me like I knew she would. “I didn’t plan for this to happen. I just—”
“Save it.” June rolls her eyes. “I know why you like him. He’s fucking hot. Everyone thinks he’s hot. And truthfully, the more I think about it, the more I see how sickly perfect you two are together, but I don’t get why you have to fuck him ten feet from my head. I mean, I thought that’s what I heard, I tried to ignore it, but… jeez, Bella. Kinda slutty if you ask me.”
“That’s enough,” I growl, my teeth clenching inadvertently. “Watch your mouth.”
June turns away, laughing under her breath as she says, “You’re such a hero, Clint. I’ll bet she gets all gooey and gushy when you put on that big, strong, protector act, doesn’t she?”
“What’s going on?” Bella’s mom says, finally reaching the top of the stairs. “What are you doing here?”
“He’s fucking Bella,” June says, rolling her eyes.
“In my house!”
“In your house,” my ex-fiancé snarks. “Fun times, huh?”
I know I need to stay calm. This is a battle that needs emotional reasoning, not brute force. That’s going to be pretty hard for me.
“I really am sorry,” Bella says, her voice low. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. We just clicked.”
“Sure,” June sighs. “Of course you clicked. You clicked with a man who’s twenty years older than you. It’s that or… he’s a psycho who loves control and you’re easy to manipulate. Not sure which, but I know where I’d put my money.” She shrugs and heads back down the hall. “Good luck to you both. We’ll see how long this lasts.”
“Not in my house, we won’t!” her mother snarls, curlers falling from her hair. “Both of you… out! I won’t have this depravity happening right above me while I sleep!”
I nod once and lift Bella onto my shoulders, a gasp coming from the peanut gallery as I stop to tear her kitten poster off the wall.
What my baby wants, my baby gets.
No debate. End of story.
Epilogue
Two Years Later
Bella
“Do you think there’s a Deepling in here too?” I peer over the edge of the canoe and stare down into the turquoise water, studying the depths with careful precision. The pond isn’t as clear as the lake, but it’s close. Close enough that I can see the massive fish swimming back and forth beneath us.
I think they’re carp. I’ve learned a lot about fish in the last couple of years. Apparently, carp thrive out here in this pond. Something about loving fine sediment and there’s plenty of that here. They’re definitely not the man-eating monster of the lake, but I’m not about to jump in there with them.
“No,” Clint says, voice low, “but if you believe the lore of the forest, there are definitely pond fairies nearby. Apparently, they like gathering on the lily pads at dusk.”
“No, they don’t.” I offer a crooked grin and shake my head as a frog croaks nearby.
“So the Deepling is real, but pond fairies are where you draw the line? I’m thinking your logic train is coming off the tracks.”
