I close my eyes. Breathe. "You worked four extra hours so Jennifer could do yoga."
"She really loves that class—"
"And Mark can reorganize his own damn closet."
"But he gets anxious when things aren't—"
"Not your problem." I scoop her up before she can keep making excuses. "When's the last time you ate?"
She bites her lip.
"Coffee doesn't count." I carry her inside, Thor trotting behind us. "Someone has to protect you from yourself."
I set her on the couch. Thor immediately jumps up, lays across her legs like he's pinning her in place. Smart dog.
She's blinking back tears. This woman gives and gives until there's nothing left, and her workplace bleeds her dry because she lets them.
I pull out my phone, dial Dr. Mitchell. He answers on the second ring.
"Rex? Everything okay?"
"No. Daisy just worked four unpaid hours because your staff can't respect boundaries... I don't care if Jennifer wanted to leave early, that's not Daisy's responsibility... Right. She's taking a personal day tomorrow... Thank you."
I hang up. Daisy's staring at me like I've grown a second head.
"You can't just call my boss!"
"Just did. You're off tomorrow."
"Rex!"
"No." I sit beside her, pull her against my side. She comes willingly, tucking into me like she's been waiting for permission. "This is exactly what we talked about. You can't set boundaries, so I'm setting them for you."
The tears spill over. "I tried to say no. But Jennifer looked so hopeful, and Mark gets stressed, and Mrs. Patterson is so lonely—"
"And none of that is yours to fix." I stroke her hair. "You're drowning, baby. And I can't watch it anymore."
"I'm failing at your rules."
"You're not failing. But you need more than rules." The words sit heavy on my tongue. We've been dancing around this since she moved in. "You need someone in charge. Completely."
Her breath catches. "Like... like in those books I read?"
"Yeah. Like that."
"A Daddy." She whispers it like a confession.
Hearing her say it—tentative and hopeful and scared—does something to me. "Is that what you want?"
"We've only been living together two weeks."
"And you've been mine since the first day you moved in." I tip her chin up. "This just makes it official."
"What if I'm bad at it? What if I need too much?"
"You're exactly the right amount of work." I kiss her forehead. "But you need to understand. If you say yes, you're mine. I make the decisions. You follow the rules. And there are consequences when you don't."
"Consequences?"
