Page 8 of Break Me, Daddy

“I didn’t say that. But you’re a busy man. And a Daddy right down to your bones. You’re going to feel torn between your work and your desire to keep an eye on her twenty-four-seven.”

She had a point, as much as it grated to admit. “I can’t just stand back and do nothing.”

“I’m not saying you should.” Her lips twitched with reluctant amusement. “And I’m very aware that even if I tried, you’d tell me to fuck right off.”

“You know me well.”

“I do. Which is why I’m being very blunt right now. You need to give her a little space to work through this on her timetable. Usually, eating disorders like this have more to do with control than anything else. If I had to guess, something happened recently to make her feel like her world is spinning out of control so she latched onto the one thing that’s always been within her power in the past. Food.”

The thought of watching his babygirl struggle with something, when could help her with a few simple rules, didn’t sit right. “So what the hell am I supposed to do?”

He barely noticed the dinging of the elevator as the doors slid open. Naomi stepped out, and he followed, forcing his steps to slow so she wouldn’t have to run to keep up with him.

“Her therapist will have better advice than I can give you for how to get her back on track. I have a feeling she’ll thrive with some sense of structure in place, like putting rules and boundaries in place around mealtimes. Praise her for eating, don’t criticizeanythingeven if it’s not what you would consider a ‘healthy choice’. Model the kind of eating she should be following based on her therapist’s advice. Most likely, she has a long list of food she’s labeled off limits. Her treatment plan should include reintroducing those foods. Let her see you eating those foods without negative consequences.”

Stopping on the sidewalk, she turned to him again, and he saw the hard truth of her words reflected in her eyes. “I’m not going to sugarcoat this, Holden. She’s in for a long, rough road. If you’re not in this for the long haul, you need to be upfront with yourself and with her about that. She needs as much stability as she can get right now.”

“I’ve always been in this for the long haul, Naomi. Frankie is mine.”

Her expression cleared, amusement twinkling in the bright blue of her eyes. “I had a feeling you were, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t tell you exactly what I was thinking.”

“When have you ever held back on that front?”

“Exactly,” she said with a bright, loud laugh. “I’ve got to get back to the office, but one last piece of advice, if you’re willing to hear it.”

“Shoot.”

“Frankie isn’t the only one who’s going to need support. Talk to your friends, hell, find yourself a therapist. Seriously, Dr. Jen is phenomenal. I can’t recommend her enough, especially for my clients in the lifestyle. She’d be a great support person for when you inevitably feel like you’ve failed.”

“I don’t fail.” At Naomi’s raised brow, he sighed. “But all right. I’ll keep Dr. Jen’s card around.”

“Good. And you know where to find me if you need anything, day or night.”

“Thanks, Naomi.”

“Anytime.” Turning, she waved over her head. “I’ll send you the bill for today.”

Chuckling, he turned back to the elevator, her words running through his mind.

Structure, rules, those were all things he could easily give his little siren. If anything, as Naomi had said, he’d have to keep his natural desire to controleverythingshe did under his roof in check.

But he’d do it. He’d do whatever it took to make sure Frankie got the help she needed. A little frustration on his end was a small price to pay to ensure she was safe and healthy.

After all, she could have called anyone last night. Lottie would have come running without a second of hesitation, as would any of the women in their little circle from Club BDE.

But she’d calledhim. Her Daddy. And he hadn’t spent nearly a year chasing her, scaring off the other Doms at the club, doing everything in his power to make her see shebelongedwith him, just to run now when she needed him the most.

There was a small, quiet voice in the back of his mind questioning why she had called him. After all those months of avoiding him, of doing everything inherpower to prove she didn’t want anything to do with him, why had he been her first choice when she hit rock bottom?

It didn’t matter. Whatever her reasoning, she was with him now.

And he wasn’t letting her get away again.

Frankie

The doorto her room opened again, and Holden stepped inside, a smug grin stamped across his ridiculously handsome face.

“What’s got you looking like the cat that ate the canary?”

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