Page 11 of Her Gentle Daddy

Looking up from where she sat on the floor of the nursery, Gabby’s breath caught in her throat. Partly an automatic reaction of fear whenever he appeared in the doorway and partly because he was so handsome and the t-shirt that he was wearing was tight enough to show off his sculpted arms.

You will never be good enough for a man like him. Look at him and look at you. He feels bad for you, and he’s a nice guy. He’s just being nice.

“Okay. That sounds good.”

He smiled, “Awesome. How about we order pizza and have a pizza night and eat popcorn during the movie?”

She grinned and nodded, “Okay!”

A look of satisfaction on his face made her feel giddy inside. He was always so expressive with her, and it helped her read him and feel safer.

“I’ll go order. Any particular kind you want?”

Gabby shrugged and looked up at him, suddenly feeling unsure. She had never been able to choose what kind of pizza she wanted, so she didn’t know what she would ask for.

“Anything is fine,” she said quietly.

Sean studied her for a moment before nodding and disappearing from the doorway. Turning back to the stuffed animals and dolls lined up in front of her, Gabby continued to play.

As soon as she heard the doorbell, she cleaned up the toys she had out and placed them back where they belonged. Just as she had put the last stuffed animal on the perfectly made bed, Sean appeared in the doorway.

“Sweet girl, you know you don’t have to keep the room as clean as you do. I want you to use and enjoy all the toys and everything in here. There’s nothing wrong with a little mess.”

Turning to look at him, Gabby tried to figure out if he was making fun of her for keeping it so clean or if he thought she was weird, but all she saw was concern and kindness.

“Okay,” she said quietly.

He smiled softly making her feel a flutter low in her tummy in response.

“Come on, let’s go eat and find something to watch.”

The evening was perfect. Sean had ordered two medium pizzas and got half and half on each one, so there were four different kinds of pizza for her to choose from. It was like he was a mind reader sometimes. That or he was just thoughtful. She had tried a small slice of each kind and decided she liked plain cheese the best.

He let her pick the movie they watched, and it took her a long time to decide. He had a ton of DVDs to choose from, and it didn’t help that she hadn’t seen even a quarter of the animated movies that he had. She hadn’t had the chance to watch very many movies as a kid. She finally settled on The Secret Life of Pets. She had never seen it, but it had a bunch of dogs on the cover, and she loved dogs. The movie was cute, and she giggled several times at the crazy antics of the animals, which she noticed made Sean smile.

Gabby wondered if he had actually enjoyed himself or was just watching the movie for her benefit. Either way, she appreciated it, and several times throughout the movie, she wished she’d had the guts to move over to the couch he was sitting on and climb into his lap.

She knew a good-looking man when she saw one, but no man had ever affected her the way Sean did. Gabby couldn’t remember the last time she felt as though she wanted someone’s affection so much, or the last time she thought about wanting to kiss a man. Heck, she was pretty sure that he was the first man that she ever even thought about wanting to kiss. She doubted that he felt the same about her. Sean seemed like the type of man who was genuinely kind and wanted to help people. It wasn’t like she was special enough to get a man like him.

He was definitely wealthy if his home and car were anything to go by. He was tall, with green eyes, chestnut brown hair that he kept trimmed nicely, a short, manicured beard, and one of the sexiest smiles she’d ever seen. He also seemed to be one of the kindest people she’d ever met. She still hadn’t convinced herself that he wasn’t a monster hiding behind a halo, but for some reason she felt safer with him than she had felt with anyone in her entire life… though she knew she was a complete idiot for even thinking about feeling safe with a man. Men couldn’t be trusted. Not in her world anyway.

The following day, Gabby didn’t have to work, so she stayed in the nursery and played as much as she could except for when Sean came and got her for meals. She liked that he didn’t shout at her from downstairs to come down and eat. A person could only handle so much shouting in one lifetime. He always walked up to the nursery and knocked lightly on the doorframe so he didn’t startle her.

She sat at the table, waiting for him to bring her whatever he had made for lunch. When he brought the pink princess plate over to the table and set it in front of her, she grinned. He had made her chicken nuggets, carrots with ranch dressing on the side, and applesauce. Three of her favorite foods. He set a sippy cup in front of her filled with a chocolate nutritional shake that he told her he would give her every day at lunchtime. He said it would give her extra vitamins.

“After lunch, I need to run to my office to grab some paperwork. Do you need anything while I’m out or need to go anywhere?” he asked.

He had made himself a sandwich for his lunch and sat down next to her to eat.

“No, I’m good.”

After lunch wrapped up, Sean left the house and told her he would be back within an hour and to make herself at home. He was always telling her that. It was such an odd yet comforting feeling, the thought of making herself at home in Sean’s house.

Gabby went back to the nursery and decided to cuddle up with Patches and read some picture books. She found several books that looked entertaining and pulled her stuffed friend to her chest as she began flipping through the pages.

For some reason, while she read, thoughts of having to leave Sean’s house crept into her mind, and the thought made her feel as though she couldn’t breathe.

Trying to pay attention to her books but failing miserably, Gabby sat up in the twin-sized bed and tried to swallow, but it felt as though her throat had sand in it. Getting up from the bed, she walked downstairs slowly, holding the railing with each step. She needed something cold to drink, and then she would probably feel better. At least, she hoped.

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