Page 14 of Her Gentle Daddy

He wasn’t prepared when she leaped into his arms and hugged him so ferociously that a lump formed in his throat. Wrapping his arms around her, Sean stroked her back and settled her into his lap. She sobbed in his arms for so long that by the time she stopped, he wasn’t sure how she was even still awake.

“I’ve never had a room of my own,” she said with a shaky voice.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and smiled.

“Well, now you do, baby. Now you do.”

It made him feel warm inside that she didn’t try to wiggle off his lap. He would have let her if she tried, but she seemed content being snuggled up against someone. He wondered how long it had been since she’d had something as simple as someone holding her.

“What do you say we get up off this hard floor and go watch a movie. You can snuggle up with me on the couch if you’d like.”

She nodded but didn’t move right away, so neither did he. When she finally started moving, he helped her stand up and then stood up as well, and for the first time since he’d met her, she seemed relaxed.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” she whispered as she danced from one foot to the other.

He smiled down at her, “Okay, baby, you go potty, and I’ll get a movie started. How about The Secret Life of Pets 2?”

Gabby nodded and rushed toward the hallway bathroom. Sean turned toward the sink and saw the bleached towel that had caused her such distress and tossed it in the garbage can before heading to the living room to start their movie. He had just sat down when she walked into the living room, and he hoped she would come to sit with him. He figured she could use as much comfort as possible because it was apparent that she had been attention-starved for her entire life. At least starved for positive attention.

She only seemed to hesitate briefly before she came and sat down beside him on the couch, close enough that they were touching. Lifting his arm, he wrapped it around her shoulder as she snuggled into his side. He wanted to ask her a million questions so he could understand her better, but instead, he started the movie and just held her as they watched it. Secret Life of Pets was one of his favorite animated movies, and she seemed to love it too if her giggling was anything to go by.

“How about I make some dinner? Do you want to go grab Patches and keep me company while I cook?”

Gabby nodded and went to find her stuffed friend. He planned to ask her some light questions while he cooked dinner and hoped having her stuffy would help comfort her. When she returned, she climbed up on a barstool and watched him move around the kitchen.

“Do you have panic attacks very often, Gabby?”

Her big doe eyes studied him as though she was unsure if she wanted to answer his question.

“Sometimes more than others. But I have them regularly.”

Sean nodded, “Is there anything I can do in the future if I see you having one?”

“Like what?” she asked.

“Like get you a drink of water or a cold compress or Patches?”

She shrugged, “I’m not sure. I’ve always been alone when I’ve had them, so I just do what I know to do to get through them.”

He thought about that for a moment and carefully chose his following words. He didn’t want to upset her or make her feel like the freak that she already assumed she was.

“Have you ever talked to anyone about your panic attacks? A counselor or anyone?”

Gabby hugged patches to her chest and shook her head.

“No. I don’t have insurance.”

Right. He should have known that. He made a mental note to check with Zane to see if she could get health insurance since she was employed with the club.

“Would you be interested in having someone to talk to? I know a lovely woman named Savannah. She’s a therapist, and she is also into the lifestyle.”

He turned to look at her reaction to his question, and he was pleased to see that she didn’t look upset but rather intrigued. Then her expression turned sad.

“I can’t afford to do something like that. Maybe one day, but not now.”

Sean stopped chopping the vegetables that he would add to their stir-fry and walked over to the island where Gabby sat.

“Gabby, I would take care of all of that. If you would like to talk to Savannah, I can arrange it and take care of the cost.”

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