Page 55 of Her Gentle Daddy

“What’s wrong?”

“Come sit down, baby.”

He moved and sat down in his chair again, patting his lap. Maddie moved into the room slowly, eyeing Sean as she walked past him to sit on her husband’s thigh.

“We have something to tell you, and I think that Sean would like to start.”

Shooting Ian a glare, Sean leaned forward and smiled at Maddie, who was obviously not buying it.

“I met a Little who moved to Seattle to look for her sister that she’s never met. Kane and I did some digging, and it seems that you are her sister. Her father is your father.”

Maddie looked confused as she stared at Sean and then moved her gaze to Ian and then back to Sean.

“Are you being serious, or is this a joke?”

Ian’s hand ran up and down her back as though trying to soothe her.

“He’s being serious, baby girl. All the documents are in that folder right there.”

She eyed the manilla folder and slowly reached out to open it as though it was going to bite her. As she picked up each piece of paper and read the contents, her hands began to shake to the point that Ian took the papers out of her hands and wrapped his arms around her. Letting out a sob, she buried her head into his neck.

Sean sat awkwardly while Ian soothed Maddie, brushing his fingers through her hair and whispering into her ear. It was several minutes before her sobs quieted and turned into sniffles, and she turned her face toward Sean, her cheeks tear-stained and red.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, baby,” Ian said quietly.

She shrugged, “Can I go up to my room?”

Ian searched her face, and Sean felt guilt fill him for upsetting Maddie.

“You may. I’ll come to check on you in a few minutes.”

Releasing her from his lap, Ian let her leave the room and then looked across to Sean, who felt just as lost as his friend looked.

“I’m sorry to come drop this on you both like this.”

Waving his hand in the air, Ian leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

“She probably just needs time to process this. She just lost Cameron a year ago, and now suddenly she has a sister.”

Standing from his chair, Sean nodded, ready to head back to see his own little girl, even though she still had several more hours of work until she was off. Ian’s phone vibrated, and when he read the message, he looked up and grinned at Sean.

“The princess upstairs is requesting your presence in her playroom.”

Dread and anticipation filled him for what was to come, but he nodded and followed Ian through the house and up the stairs to an open doorway where Ian walked right in, but Sean stood at the threshold and waited. Maddie sat on the twin-sized bed, clutching a stuffed Stitch doll, with her knees pulled up to her chest.

“Will you tell me about her?”

The question was directed to Sean, and he felt something that felt like relief inside that she was asking more questions about Gabby. That meant she was curious about her, and that was probably a good thing. Ian sat down next to her on the bed and motioned for Sean to come in and sit down in the rocking chair.

“What would you like to know?”

“Everything. What is she like? Where did she grow up? Was our father in her life?”

“She’s wonderful. She’s a Little like you, and she’s sweet, kind, and strong. She grew up in Reno, her mom passed away when she was seven, and then she was put into foster care, where she had a really rough time. She was hurt by a lot of the families who fostered her, so she struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. She never met your father. She only knew of you because her mother had mentioned once that he’d had another child.”

He could see tears filling Maddie’s eyes, and Ian saw it too because he lifted her from the bed and pulled her into his lap.

“How was she hurt? Was she abused?”

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