Page 10 of Her Gentle Daddy

“Would you like to take a bath or shower before bed?”

“Can I take a bath?”

Sean smiled and nodded, “Of course.”

Gabby followed him upstairs, and when he went into the bathroom to pull out the bubble bath and bath toys for her, she stood quietly outside the door. He turned on the taps and plugged the tub.

“Do you need help in the bath, or would you prefer I leave you be?”

She lowered her eyes to the floor and blushed, and Sean realized that as timid as she was, having a stranger bathe her was probably a hard no.

“It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll leave you to take a bath. Call out for me if you need anything.”

Sean left the bathroom and closed the door softly behind him. Going into his bedroom, he changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and lay down on his bed, listening in case Gabby called out for him. He needed to figure out how he could gain her trust. He knew it wouldn’t be easy. Whatever she had been through in her life had really done a number on her.

He could be patient and show her that he was trustworthy and only had her best interest at heart. She was so tiny, and all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and take care of her.

After a while, he heard the bathroom door open and a set of small feet padding across the hall. He gave her a few minutes before making his way down the hall to the nursery. The door was slightly ajar, but he knocked gently not to startle her. She was standing next to the twin-sized bed, pulling the blankets back, when he nudged the door open further. The pajamas she wore were threadbare and looked a couple of sizes too big. Maybe he should order her some clothes. He knew she didn’t have the money to buy any for herself, and it was the least he could do to make her feel comfortable.

“Do you need anything before you go to bed? Water, a snack, a story?”

Gabby looked up at him and then glanced at the bookshelf.

“I’ve never had anyone read me a story.”

How sad was that? The sweet little girl had never even had a story read to her. Sadness filled him and the only thing he wanted to do was give her all of the things that she had never experienced in her life but should have.

“Well, we need to change that, don’t we? Go ahead and get snuggled up under the covers. I’ll pick out a story and sit in the rocking chair while I read it.”

He wanted to make sure he gave her enough space so she could relax and actually enjoy the story instead of worrying about her surroundings.

She smiled and nodded, “You don’t mind?”

“I don’t mind at all. I would love to read to you.”

Sean walked into the room and went to the bookcase while Gabby climbed under the covers and hugged her stuffed dog to her chest. Sitting down in the rocking chair, Sean opened the book and began to read. After reading each page, he turned the book around to show her the illustrations. He was only halfway through the story when he heard a soft snore coming from Gabby.

Closing the book, he set it on the nightstand, and after one last look at the sweet sleeping girl, he left the room.

4

GABBY

She was in heaven. Sean’s was the most peaceful and relaxing home she’d ever stayed at. He let her play in the nursery as much as she wanted, although she was careful not to mess anything up, and she always made sure to put everything back exactly where it was when she was done playing with it.

Sean took her to and from work each day, and he would make small talk with her occasionally, but he didn’t force her to talk for the most part. She was slowly beginning to feel more comfortable around him, but she reminded herself often not to let her guard down. Monsters always stayed hidden… until they didn’t. Gabby found it challenging to keep distance between them because Sean seemed to be sweet and thoughtful and, most of all, gentle with her. He also had a stern side, though the sternness she saw from him didn’t scare her.

He had read her a story each night before bed, and most nights she wasn’t even able to make it through the entire book before she fell asleep. It was the easiest she’d ever fallen asleep, and for the most part, she was sleeping through the night as well. She had only woken up twice to nightmares, and thankfully she hadn’t screamed out in her sleep during them so she hadn’t woken Sean.

Sometimes she wished he would sit beside her in the bed while he read to her or, better yet, hold her in his arms while she sucked on a pacifier and snuggled against him. She appreciated that he seemed to be so careful with her and didn’t crowd her space, but she also kind of wished he would.

Silly, right?

Gabby dreaded the day she would have to leave his house and move into whatever crappy apartment she could afford. And based on the rent prices in Seattle, it would be an apartment in the slummiest area of the city. She felt jealousy spike through her at the thought of another Little coming to stay with him after she was gone. Heck, she didn’t even like it when she had thoughts about the Littles who he’d taken care of in the past. She’d wondered how many Littles he’d had live at his house before her.

She pushed those thoughts away as much as she could because each time she started thinking about leaving Sean, she began to panic. Her anxiety levels had been low since moving in with him, and she chalked that up to feeling safe. The last thing she wanted was to go back to near-daily panic attacks. They were only happening once every few days now, and so far, she had been able to hide them from Sean. It helped that he mostly left her alone except during meals and storytime.

“Hey, Gabby girl, do you want to watch a movie tonight? I have a whole selection of DVDs you can choose from.”

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