Page 55 of Finding Little Fiera

Her heartbeat pulsed against his side, and he wanted to reassure her. Hell, he plain wanted her. But more than that, he wanted her to choose him.

He rested his forehead lightly against hers. “Talk to me, firefly,” he murmured, then braced himself for whatever she would say.

Her fingers tightened in his shirt, then loosened, then tightened again.

“I just—” She huffed out a breath and shook her head. “You can’t just drop that on a girl while she’s sitting on your lap.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips, but he didn’t let it take over. This wasn’t a moment for teasing her out of it. “Would you rather stand?” he asked evenly.

Her eyes widened. “No, Daddy.”

“Then talk to me, babygirl.”

She glanced away, staring at the western picture framed on the wall like the answer might be written in the brushstrokes. “It’s not that I don’t…” She trailed off again, frustration flashing across her face. “I’m not very good at this.”

“Not very good at what?” If he could speak the words for her, he would.

She sighed. “Not good at talking about bad things. Or hard things. Or anything, really. I never know how to get the words out. The only thing racing harder than my heart is my brain. And my brain races so hard that my mouth can’t keep up. And then I wind up saying everything all wrong, and that makes the people I’m talking to feel sad. And now I’m babbling again.” She stopped talking and ran a trembling hand through her hair. “The last thing I want to do is make you sad, Daddy.”

And if those words didn’t grip his heart and squeeze, he didn’t have one. He tilted her chin up so she would look at him. “Telling people how you honestly feel can be hard, but it always works out for the best.” She blinked at him, listening, so he kept going. “I already told you there’s no punishment for bein’ honest, firefly. There’s no retaliation or rejection either,” he added quietly. “If you don’t want this, all you have to do is simply tell me.”

Her brow furrowed. “You say that like it’s easy.”

“I said it was simple. That isn’t always the same thing as easy.” His jaw flexed once. “But it is necessary.”

The rocking chair creaked beneath them, the steady rhythm almost too loud in the silence that followed. His little firefly overthought everything. He could see it in the way her gaze darted around the room and in the way her arms tightened around Sniffles. The rain outside was nothing compared to the storm he could imagine raging in her head.

Given her past relationship, this might be too hard for her. But if it was disappointing news, he needed her to give it to him so he could show her how a real Daddy handled it.

“Fiera.” He gentled his voice just a fraction. “Look at me.”

She did as she was told. And there it was. Her eyes told him what her words couldn’t. Her eyes shone with want, fear, and a hope so bright it nearly hurt to see.

“I want it! I do,” she blurted. “Okay? I want… this.” Her hand gestured vaguely between them. “I’ve never wanted anything more than you as my Daddy. But,” she rushed on, because of course she did, “I don’t know how it would work.”

“Well, let’s talk about that, because I want this, too. What is it you’re not sure about?”

“Wilder,” she said, the word heavy. “When camp is over, you’ll go wherever you’re planning to go next. I’ll go back home.Back to… everything. You can’t go there, and I can’t go anywhere else. So, I don’t know how it would work.”

She was wrong, but only because she didn’t have all the facts. Maybe he should have told her he was going to Wilder, too, from the start. He and Derek had discussed it. Mace hadn’t wanted her to feel pressured by knowing she’d be running into him in the future.

If he’d realized how fast he’d be drawn to her, how deeply he’d care for her… he might have handled things differently. But he hadn’t. Now he needed to give her the same honesty he’d asked of her.

His hold on her tightened at the thought of her slipping away. “You want me,” he said, needing to hear the words again.

“Yes, Daddy. But there are costs you don’t understand. I’m not sure you’ll think being my Daddy is such a good thing once you do.”

“You’re just afraid of the costs?”

She was still perched sideways on his lap, still warm and solid in his arms, but the air between them had changed. This wasn’t about whether she wanted him anymore. It was about whether she could trust what came next.

She didn’t even know what came next, not really. He had to fix that right now. He tightened his hold again before speaking. His palm pressed firmer against her waist. He needed her to feel as secure as possible.

“Firefly,” he said quietly, “there’s somethin’ you need to know.”

Her lashes lifted, curiosity shining from her eyes. Her smile was bright. Hopefully, that wouldn’t change. “What is it, Daddy?”

He didn’t look away, couldn’t have if he’d wanted to. Her reaction to what he had to tell her was too important.