“No.” I fisted my hands against Daddy’s chest. “But it’s not fair to make it sound like this is my
fault. You know I wouldn’t have gone to work if she’d told me she was bringing Willow over. She
could have called me at any point and even if I was already in the parking lot at work I would have
turned around.”
“Baby, I wasn’t trying to blame you.” I squirmed, trying to get away from Daddy. He rested a
forearm against the wall over my head, pressing kisses to my neck. “I might not have been clear about
that, but I donotblame you for anything that happened today. I can only imagine how frustrated you
are. I’ve only known Willow for a matter of hours, and I’d kill anyone who threatens her safety.”
“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” He didn’t deserve to be the target of my rage when everything he’d
done had been for our sake. “I feel like no matter what I do, I’m going to lose. We’re just starting to
figure out things between us, but how long are you going to stick around if I demand Lisa give me
primary placement? You might be Daddy, but that doesn’t mean you signed up to be a parent. And I
might not be able to keep working at the club even though that’s the job that pays better. But I don’t
have a choice other than to make those sacrifices because you’re right, today can’t be repeated.”
Daddy took a step back and I sagged into his arms. Now that he’d let me vent everything, I felt
exhausted. I wanted to turn off my brain and let Daddy take control for the rest of the night, but I
couldn’t.
“We’ll find our way, baby,” Daddy promised me. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re mine, and that
means all of you. Let’s snuggle for a few minutes, then you can get cleaned up and we’ll head back to
the house for dinner. Okay?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.” I followed Daddy to the living room. I toed off my shoes and climbed onto
his lap. Maybe I should have felt shitty for taking a few minutes to myself, but I trusted Daddy. If
Willow woke up, Gen would let him know and we’d be back with her. This felt like a test of what
could be my new normal.
I dozed, reminders that Daddy would always have my best interests in mind floating through my
head. In his arms, nothing felt quite so impossible.
21
WILLIAM
COREY HADN’T BEEN ASLEEP MORE THAN ABOUT TEN MINUTES WHEN MY PHONE BUZZED IN MY POCKET.
It wasn’t easy to reach it without waking him, but I somehow managed. That was a testament to how
