"But the movie?—"
"Will still be here when you wake up. Sleep, sweetheart. You're safe."
The last thing I remember is his arms around me and the sound of his heartbeat steady beneath my ear.
When I wake up, the movie is over and there's a soft blanket draped over me.
Tyler is still holding me, scrolling through his phone with his free hand.
"Hey," I mumble, disoriented.
"Hey, sleepy girl. Feel better?"
"What time is it?"
"Almost five. You slept for two hours."
"Two hours?!" I sit up, panicked. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to?—"
"Hey." He pulls me back down. "Don't apologize. You needed sleep. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to actually rest."
"But I wasted our afternoon?—"
"You didn't waste anything. Watching you sleep peacefully, knowing you trusted me enough to let your guard down? That's not a waste. That's a gift."
My throat tightens. "Tyler?—"
"I mean it. You work so hard, Chloe. You take care of everyone. But you don't let anyone take care of you. Today, you did. You let me make you lunch and hold you while you slept."
"I don't know how to do this. How to let someone take care of me."
"Then I'll teach you. One day at a time. One small step at a time. Starting with dinner. I'm making spaghetti. You're going to sit at the counter and tell me about your week while I cook." I’m beginning to think Tyler only likes one type of food. I stifle a giggle.
"I can help?—"
"Nope. You're going to sit and let me feed you. That's Daddy's job."
There's that word again. Daddy. Coming so naturally from his lips.
"Okay... Daddy."
His eyes darken with approval. "Such a good girl. Come on."
He leads me to the kitchen, settling me on a bar stool while he starts cooking.
I watch him move around the space with the same controlled efficiency he brings to everything. He chops vegetables, stirs sauce and cleans up as he goes, leaving no mess behind.
"Tell me about the shop," he says. "How was business this week?"
"Good. We had a big order for a corporate meeting. Twenty lattes and forty pastries."
"That's great. Did you charge them appropriately?"
I hesitate. "I gave them a discount. For being a big order."
He looks at me over his shoulder. "How much of a discount?"
"Twenty percent?"
