“Good. Keep your phone charged and with you.”
“Yes, Daddy. I love you.” Brooklyn wanted to make sure he heard and remembered that.
“And I love you, little girl.”
He kissed her hard before taking her hand and leading Brooklyn back into the bedroom. She sat on the bed as he pulled on his military fatigues.
Will I see him again?Her heart broke at that thought. She brushed away a tear to keep him from seeing her upset. Caden needed to focus on the mission—not worry about her.
He held out his hand when he finished to tug her off the bed. Caden squeezed her hand as they walked down the hallway. They’d reached the family room when headlights rolled over the ceiling, signaling that a vehicle had parked in the driveway.
“That’s my ride, Brookie. Take care of yourself for Daddy. It’s okay to be sad, but remember that I will do everything in my power to get back to you as quickly as possible. I just found you. I have more to live for now than ever before. Okay?”
“Yes, Daddy. I’ll miss you so much.”
Caden kissed her hard before swatting her behind sharply. “I’m going to spank this bottom when I get back,” he promised.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” she said, trying to maintain her composure.
After another hard kiss, Caden told her, “Look in the pantry tomorrow,” and he was gone.
Brooklyn slid down the wall in the dark room and cried until her chest hurt and her tears had dried up. Forcing herself to stand, she walked back to the bathroom to pull his towel out of the hamper. She pressed it to her nose and inhaled, savoring his scent clinging to the fabric. Carefully, she folded the towel and hung it on the rack before heading back to their bed to curl up on his pillow with Fluffikins. Even her stuffie couldn’t console her.
Sure she wouldn’t sleep anymore, Brooklyn filled her mind with memories of spending time with her daddy. When she jerked awake several hours later to her surprise, the bedroom was full of light. Caden had to be far away by then. She hugged herself and sent love after him. Her heart rate settled into his slow pattern, putting a smile on her face. He’d gotten the message.
“Fluffikins, we need to do something today. Let’s start with breakfast.”
She got up and dressed slowly. It was going to be a long day. She might as well not rush. Hurrying would create more time for her to fill. Before leaving the bedroom, Brooklyn hugged Caden’s pillow. Its squishiness didn’t substitute for squeezing his hard body.
In the kitchen, she paused to consider what to have for breakfast. Her phone rang on the charger in the kitchen. Daddy always plugged it in there because he didn’t want her sleep to be disturbed. Jumping to her feet, Brooklyn ran to the counter to check the display. It wasn’t Caden.
“Hi, Aspen.”
“You sound disappointed,” the sweet woman said.
“I’m sorry. I thought maybe it would be Daddy.”
“Of course you did. I’d be worried if you didn’t sound unhappy that it was me calling,” Aspen teased. “Are you doing okay?”
“I wasn’t scared when my daddy was here. Now, I’m jumping at every sound again.”
“Have you heard anything from Brent?” Aspen asked. Her tone sounded sharper, like she was concerned.
“No. Nothing. It’s all in my mind,” Brooklyn confessed.
“That’s easy to understand. You’ve been through a lot. When I want to distract myself, I plan how I’m going to welcome my daddy home. I try on different outfits and practice my seduction moves in front of the mirror.”
“No way! You are so bad, Aspen!”
“So bad I’m good,” Aspen said, and Brooklyn could picture the grin on her friend’s face as Aspen continued, “Rexy looks at me like I’m a dork and goes to sleep somewhere, but I have fun. You could try it too.”
Caden’s blue eyes dark with arousal flashed into her mind. Could she seduce him? Brooklyn was confident her daddy would enjoy any plans she created. A flashback to him making sweet love to her when she’d woken up from a bad dream popped into her mind. Whatever he was doing had to be dangerous. Maybe she could distract him from the monsters that lived in his thoughts.
“Earth to Brooklyn. Stop thinking about your daddy’s fancy sex moves.” Aspen’s giggles danced through the phone lines. Brooklyn joined in her merriment, allowing her friend to lighten her mood.
A few seconds later, the reality of her daddy’s absence flooded back, making her sad. Aspen had distracted her once. Brooklyn guessed she had more ideas. “What else do you do when your daddy is gone, Aspen?”
“I miss him,” Aspen told her honestly. “It helps to get together with Giana and Pippa. We’ll call you when we make plans.”
