“One, I would never allow someone to be around you who would bring harm to you. Two, Gloria is familiar with thelifestyle. Her husband was her Papi before he passed away years ago. She knows what it means to have a Daddy, but even if she didn’t, she would never think you’re a freak.”
A little of the tension I was holding onto eased from my shoulders. Did I feel as comfortable calling him Daddy around Gloria like I was the guys? Not at all, but knowing that she wouldn’t care made it easier.
“Okay, Daddy, I trust you. Can I finish making our coffees now?”
“Sure, babygirl. Just be careful not to burn yourself carrying them to the table.”
“I’m not a baby, Daddy! I can carry cups of coffee without spilling them!”
“You might not be a baby, but you are my Little brat, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself. So I’ll say it again, please be careful carrying the coffee over to the table.”
I rolled my eyes where he couldn’t see them. Or at least I thought he couldn’t see them, but the firm swat to my bottom told me that he definitely did
“Ouch, Daddy! What was that for?”
“You know exactly what that was for, you cheeky brat,” Daddy replied, dropping a kiss on my head before he went back to his seat. Once I felt like I had the blush and my face controlled, I grabbed the cups of coffee and headed over to where Daddy and Gloria sat.
Breakfast went smoothly,and once I got comfortable, it was fun talking with Gloria. It was so cute watching Daddy and her interact. Gloria, who had said I could call her Abuela, treatedDaddy like he was her long-lost son. He treated her just the same.
I learned that her Papi passed a while ago, and the only family she has left is back home in Mexico. She went to visit them about once a year, courtesy of Daddy, who paid for her trip each year for Christmas.
Once breakfast was over, Daddy sent me back to my house to shower and get changed. Apparently, we were going into the office to clean up the gear from the last mission. I guessed they would normally do that the very next day, but Daddy wanted to take a day to just spend with me.
I felt bad that I’d gotten in the way of them doing it the next day like normal, but my apology fell on deaf ears. Daddy reassured me that none of the guys were heartbroken at having a day of rest before coming back into the office.
After taking my time to apply my products to my hair and taming it back into some sort of style, I made sure to throw them all into a bag along with a change of clothes. I wasn’t certain that Daddy would want me to stay at his house again, but I wanted to be prepared just in case
Before I knew it, there was a knock at my door. When I glanced at the clock, I noticed time moved a lot faster than it felt like it did. With my water bottle and a small snack in my hand, I opened the door and gave Daddy a wave.
My smile dropped, and my wave quickly slowed when I saw the look on Daddy’s face. “Did you even check to see if it was me standing at the door before you opened it?”
Not this again. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and face palm myself, barely. I didn’t know why he was so concerned about me checking the door before I opened it. We lived in a quiet neighborhood in a town that barely had a reason to have a police station. Nothing was going to happen to me here.
“I knew it was you, Daddy. No one else knocks on my door.”
“You could be meeting the Pope himself, and I would still want you to check to make sure.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I’ll be sure to check next time.”
“Oh, I know you will because I’m going to make it a reminder you won’t forget.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, but I followed Daddy into the house, shutting the door behind me. I dropped my bag on the floor and walked to where he sat on my couch.
“Why is it important to check the peephole before you open the door, Rebekah Leigh?”
For heaven’s sake, did he really need to government name me? I fought every instinct in my body begging me to throw attitude his way. I didn’t think that would play out well if I did. It seemed I was in enough trouble. There was no reason for me to add to it.
“Because you think there could be someone in our quiet little town who would hurt me.”
Oops, guess the road bump between my brain and mouth that’s supposed to catch my sassy remarks before they can spill out is broken this morning.
“I’m sorry!” I quickly blurted out, hoping to save face and minimize the damage I’d done.
“Oh, you will be sorry. Before we continue, are there any hard limits I should know about?”
“No, Sir. None that I can think of right now.”
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to go over my lap for a spanking that will hopefully remind you of the reason that Daddy wants you to check the peephole before you open the door.”
