Page 134 of Her Daddies' Everything

“I want you to pay attention, Immy,” Jenner said to her. “You are not going to die, understand me?”

“Jenner, she’s not thinking properly,” Abe told him.

Immy sniffled. Jenner was mad at her. She didn’t want Jenner to be mad at her. Immy was a good girl.

“Fuck,” Jenner muttered. “Of course you’re a good girl, Immy. I’m not mad.”

“You sound mad. Immy doesn’t like that. Immy is sick! You should be nice to Immy!”

“I only ever want to be nice to Immy,” Jenner told her.

“You’ve been avoiding Immy. And it makes her sad.” She had no idea why she was speaking about herself in the third person. But she felt like she was a different person. She felt . . . odd.

As though something had changed inside her. And she wasn’t just talking about the fever. She drew her legs up to her chest.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Jenner said to her. “I’d never want you to be sad. I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you. And that it hurt your feelings.”

She sniffled. “It okay. Sometimes Immy thinks she has too many feelings. She should be tougher, not so emotional.”

“Immy should just be herself,” Sampson told her. “And other people should make sure they don’t upset her.”

Another sniffle and she felt tears dripping down her face. Oops.

“I don’ts feel so good.”

“Here, let’s get this medicine into her,” Abe said.

“I’ll do it. Immy, baby, open up,” Jenner ordered.

“I don’t wanna.”

“Immy, you need to take the medicine to make you feel better,” Abe told her.

“Nuh-uh. Don’t want it. Just want Snowy and bed.” That’s all she needed.

“I’ll hold her nose and someone shove them in there,” Sampson said in a gruff voice.

What?

No!

She’d kick him in the balls if he tried.

Oh, who was she kidding? No, she wouldn’t. She was a big old wimp who didn’t even like to swat flies. How did she possibly think that she was going to kick someone in the balls?

“Need to be more like Cat. She could do it,” she grumbled.

“You’ve been making some progress with your self-defense,” Sampson told her. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Progress? She spent the first few lessons running away every time he came at her. Or giggling when he did something. That was hardly going to scare an attacker, was it?

“You don’t need to know how to fight someone off,” Jenner told her. “Because you’re not ever going to be alone to let someone get close.”

“For how long?” she asked tiredly.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“How long will I have to live like this? Not allowed to go anywhere alone? I just . . . Maeve’s stalker is gone. So shouldn’t things go back to normal?”

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