Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34052 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
I squirm in his lap. Does he really like taking care of me so totally? That’s hard to wrap my head around. “But it’s not healthy,” I argue, changing the direction of this conversation.
“Ah. Melissa told you that.” Suddenly a slow smile spreads on his face. “That’s why you didn’t want me to meet her. You knew she would talk to me about ensuring you could take care of yourself and be independent if needed. You didn’t want her to say those things to me because in your heart, you’d rather not face that level of independence. You’ve known that for a long time. You didn’t just figure it out this week. The only thing different was realizing you could live an even deeper submission at a younger age. Did I get it right?”
I gasp, my eyes going wide as saucers I suspect. How did he figure all that out?
He chuckles. “Baby girl, you can’t hide anything from Daddy for long. You stumped me on this one for a while, but now I’m catching up. So you lied to Melissa and to Daddy, and I bet your parents too, yeah?”
My face heats as I lick my lips. “Yes, Sir.”
“I bet that didn’t feel very good. I bet your heart was hurting and probably your tummy too.”
I give a slight nod. He understands me better than I do.
“Don’t you think it would have been better to come to Daddy and talk about your feelings instead of keeping them balled up inside, eating away at you?”
Now that he puts it that way… “Yes, Sir,” I murmur.
“Now, you listen closely to Daddy. I don’t want you to decide how Daddy is feeling and what he’s thinking. I’m going to tell you, and you’re going to believe me. You are not needy. Nor are you a burden. You fill my soul, Josie Miller. In every way. You are exactly perfect just the way you are. Even your quirks are adorable and perfect. They make up who you are, the woman and Little girl I fell hard for while I picked a yellow lollipop off the bottom of your shoe.”
Tears start to leak out of my eyes. When I reach up to swipe at them, Daddy takes my hand and holds it against my tummy. He wipes my tears instead.
“When you’re sad, I want to be the one to comfort you and wipe your tears. When you’re happy, I want to be in the room to see your smile. I want you to jump into my arms and hug me. I want everything with you. I want to create an environment that makes you the happiest you can be because when you’re happy, I’m happy.”
More tears fall. Daddy grabs the corner of the sheet to dab at my face.
“Let’s talk about your independence. Your parents and Melissa are not wrong. It’s always good for a person to be capable of independence. I haven’t fostered that in you. I will start doing so now.”
My breath hitches. I try to sit up. “Daddy…”
He chuckles. “I’m not suggesting I intend to send you to the store on your own to purchase a wrench and some lug nuts so you can fix the toilet, Baby girl.”
I can’t help but giggle. He’s being silly now.
“What I can do is make sure you know who to call if the toilet is broken so they can come fix it.”
I sigh. “Can’t you just call?”
He laughs. “Yes. Always. But what Melissa and your parents want is for you to know what to do if something ever happens to me. Being too dependent on someone isn’t always healthy.”
I pout.
Daddy pulls my lip out with his thumb. “Hear me out. I bet we can come up with something that works for us. If we spent even fifteen minutes a day going over important life skills, you would accumulate them and feel more confident. We can start a journal where you write down what I teach you. How Daddy pays the bills. Where I keep important papers. Where the password list is kept. The code to the safe. That sort of thing. What if I got hit by a truck and you couldn’t pay the electric bill?”
“Don’t get hit by a truck, Daddy. That would be awful.”
“I’ll do my best, Baby girl. But life throws curve balls, and you need to be ready to catch them. I would be remiss if I didn’t make sure you could take care of yourself. I know you were doing a great job on your own in your apartment, but since you moved in with me, I haven’t continued to hone your skills. That was an oversight. We’ll fix it starting now.”
I sigh.
“But first, my naughty Little girl needs to accept a pretty harsh punishment for lying to so many people, keeping feelings bottled up inside, and not telling Daddy. I don’t want that to happen again. Lying outright and by omission are pretty serious offenses.” He lifts a brow.