Page 8 of Soldier Daddy’s Dutiful Little

Does that mean he does not have his keys? He was probably standing there being all confused as to where he left his keys. I had better go give them to him.

I tried dialing his number repeatedly on my way to his house but it kept going straight to voicemail. Did his battery go flat? Is he ignoring me? Has he gone on another mission?

A barrage of thoughts flooded my mind and none were comforting. Each one was just more frustrating than the last. I got to his house and it was exactly the same way I left it. That means he wasn’t here.

Do I leave here and go home or I wait for him here?

I sat inside and fell asleep on his plush couch, only waking up when his headlights flooded the dark house from outside. It was then I noticed it was already dark and the house lights were all turned off.

I rushed out to meet him. He looked tired, drained, not very happy and rather bothered. There was an almost indiscernible droop in his normally erect shoulders and I instantly knew something was off.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Oscar

I killed the engine of the car, and saw the front door open to reveal Vanessa stepping out gingerly as though unsure of who she was coming to meet. So I hurriedly stepped out of the car. By hurriedly, I mean I successfully put one foot in front of the other.

The concerned look on her face successfully tore down the fragile tough guy walls I had so carefully arranged on my drive back from the Headquarters. I could feel the lump in my throat getting larger, cutting off my air supply with each step I took.

She rushed over to meet me as the tears threatened to fall. Her arms wrapped themselves around my waist, the action itself, soothing. My walls came tumbling down and I found myself crying into her hair.

Just realizing that I'd never get to see my mother’s smile again or ever bicker with my dad again riled me up so much and raked my body with sobs. I hadn’t updated her about what was going on with the case and as I tried to speak, only groans and more tears came out.

“Shh, it’s okay… it’s okay. Just take a deep breath, Sweet…” she murmured, hugging me. The nerve-wracking sobs subsided and I honestly wondered how I was so comfortable being vulnerable around her. It was a side of me I had always tried not to show her, but it came do naturally now.

She looked up at me, her own eyes glistening also with tears. “Hey, you can always tell me all about it, okay? No rush, no hiding things. You can tell me everything. All of it.”

I looked at my Little like I hadn’t seen her before. Why in the world was I just meeting this woman? The more I saw the sincerity and openness in her expression and demeanor, the more I wondered why I even tried keeping it from her on the first place; the more I questioned my original thought of handling it alone.

I know I draw strength from having someone to care for and it’s even better my little angel is not one that feels all the care is owed her. She loves me very much, evidently and she cares about me. It may not be in the same sense of my caring for her but it is worth about the same to me.

Not like I exactly wanted to just hide things from her but the last time I talked to her about it, we got very carried away. Merely remembering how she distracted me was causing a stirring in my groin, despite the fact that my mood wasn’t very receptive or cheery.

I cleared my throat. “Um, I’d talk. But over dinner. I got some Chinese on my way back and I figure you’ve not had dinner like me?”

“Okay. I’ve actually not had dinner yet and I do love Chinese though. Should I take it inside?”

“Yes, please.”

My eyes trailed her from the car to the inside of the house, just grateful that I at least, had her around. Her dainty fairy-like steps seemed to call out to me to follow after her as soon as possible. I waited for her to fully enter the house before I reached for the box of the stuffed animal I got for her.

I kept it behind the back seat and when I thought about it then, it appears to have doubled as a good hiding spot. I took the box and tried to make the white paper bag as inconspicuous as possible.

I wonder just how excited she would get when I hand it over. I chuckled to myself, pretty sure I was going to put a dreamy smile on my Princess' face that night.

Vanessa

When he allowed me to pick up the food from his car seat, it felt to me like the car smelt different and it was not the food. This change of scent was subtle almost ethereally feminine.

I saw a white paper bag peeking out from behind the back seat. Embers of jealousy were immediately stoked in my heart and it took quite a bit of effort to calm myself down and bring it up later if he did not bring it up himself. He deserved the benefit of doubt and rightfully so.

The food was not all that heavy, I noted as I entered his cozy house, headed straight for the kitchen, turning on the lights as I went along.

My mind went back to Oscar who I left at the car. The condition I saw him in…hurt me too, so much. He must have been going through a lot, thinking he could just shoulder it alone and now it’s breaking him.

I know he is strong and insure as hell do believe that he is but he must have been trying to take on way to much than he could handle. All I want to do is be there for him at his lowest, encourage him, and make him forget his problems even if I know I can not exactly take it all away or make the issues disappear.

I absentmindedly transferred the food into a glass bowl to microwave it. I didn’t quite trust the container it came in and I certainly didn’t want to risk burning his microwave, like Cheryl did ours one night she was feeling too lazy to transfer the food to a more appropriate bowl.