Page 11 of Bully

“You’re nine months too late for that, Gabriel.”

His eyes closed and nostrils flared. “Can I at least see Innah?”

That made me chuckle.

“Oh,nowyou want to see my daughter?”

“She’sourdaughter.”

“No, she’smydaughter,” I clarified, pointing to my chest. “I’mthe one that gave birth to her.I’mthe only parent on her birth certificate. AndI’mthe one that’s been taking care of her.”

Bully’s tongue slid over his teeth. “You’re right,” he conceded.

I had no reply to that.

I wasn’t expecting him to actually agree.

“Can I see her? Please?”

He stepped close—too close. I inhaled and held, trying to make space for him. I didn’t want to touch him. Couldn’t touch him. If I touched him, I’d crack. Nodding, I swallowed hard and opened the door wider. It wasn’t until he was inside and a few feet away from me that I felt like I could breathe.

“She’s asleep.”

“That’s fine. I just want to see her.”

I led him up the stairs, acutely aware of his closeness. The warmth of his skin… the unique scent combination of the soapy and oriental cologne he wore. Chills covered my arms and my pussy leaked without my permission. When we made it to the top of the stairs, he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

Gasping, I tensed immediately.

“Bully…”

My voice shook as his beard and lips grazed my neck, making me shiver. “This is the first time I’ve felt my heart beat in nine months, baby. I missed yousofucking much.”

For one very, very brief moment, I allowed myself to relax in his embrace. It didn’t matter how many people hugged and held me, no embrace felt as good, warm, and safe as Bully’s. Unfortunately, the man who had become the safest place for me felt foreign and unsafe because of his disappearing act, so as much as I didn’t want to, I pulled away.

We walked into her room, and I intentionally stayed a few steps away from her crib. He took small steps toward it. I heard the intake of breath that filled him when his eyes landed on her. For a few seconds, he stared at her. When it seemed he couldn’t take it anymore, Bully picked her up and rested her against his chest. Tears slipped down his face as he laughed quietly, then hummed. Holding the back of Innah’s head, he rocked her and kissed her over and over and over again.

Her eyes fluttered open, settling on him long enough for her to smile before they closed again.

“Hey, Princess. Hey, baby girl.” She whimpered and squirmed before looking at him again. She smiled—again. “Daddy’s home, and I promise, I’m never leaving you again.” He sniffled. “You hear me? Only God will be able to take me away from you.”

Innah looked his face over for a few seconds more with a tilted head before going back to sleep. The moment somehow felt intrusive, so I turned away and wiped my own tears. Hearing him promise to never leave her again did something to me… something I didn’t want to feel for him. Not this soon at least. Regardless of how things ended between us, Bully had always been a man of his word. If he promised to be here for her, he would be.

“I’ll uh… give you a moment.”

He gave me a distracted thank you as I left the room, unsure what the hell to do with myself. I decided to shower and try to clear my thoughts, hoping he’d be gone by the time I was done. Once I was dressed in a two piece short set, I went back to her room, and he was still there… holding her… looking at her as if he’d never seen a more beautiful sight. I understood his reaction to her because it was the one I had too.

“How long did you plan on staying?” I asked, gaining his attention.

“I guess I can leave now since she went back to sleep.”

Nodding, I watched as he stood and put her back in bed. Then, we went back downstairs. I avoided his eyes as he opened the door but made no effort to leave.

“I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but I hope we can talk soon, Innvy. There’s a lot that I couldn’t tell you then and I really shouldn’t tell you now, but I will. I will because I love you and I want to be with you and our daughter. So if you need time and space, I can give you that—” His hand gripped my chin and tilted my head in his direction. “But I amnotgiving up on us. Do you hear me?”

“You don’t get to come here and—”

“Aye, fuck allat shit.” He tightened his grip on my chin as I huffed and tried to push away. “Now I know I fucked up but everything I did was for a reason. I just need you to trust me, baby.”

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