Page 44 of XOXO, Daddy
“Okay,” I repeated, a little louder.
“Okay, you want this, or…” he trailed off. The hope in his voice nearly broke down every wall I had erected.
“Okay, I want this,” I said, turning towards him. “I want this. I want you. I want–” I cut myself off, almost afraid to say the words.
“Say it, love. Tell me your truth.”
“I want my Daddy. I want to be Daddy’s princess,” I said, my eyes finding his, seeing them just as misty with unshed tears as my own.
“Then come home, princess. Come to Daddy,” he replied in a voice thick with emotion, and held his arms open wide.
Before I had time to think any more about my fears and worries, I crossed back across the room and threw myself into his arms, bowling him back across the bed. Our lips met in an inferno of fiery passion that even the tears flowing freely from my eyes could not quench.
“Daddy… oh Daddy… I want — I need…” I rambled incoherently, unable to form words around the boulder lodged in my throat at the thought of what I had almost lost forever.
“I know, princess. I know. Daddy is here. It’s okay, baby girl. I’ve got you.”
I’m not sure how long we laid there together before I drifted off to sleep. All I knew was that I was in my Daddy’s arms again.
And his arms felt like home.
Chapter Twenty
The next fewdays passed with nothing but good things. Aside from greatly impressing my bosses with my new marketing campaign plans for the new quarter, Daddy and I were settling into our new, and veryofficial,dynamic quite nicely.
Daddy had given me a list of tasks and chores to complete every day. While I hated some of it — mainly the journaling and positive self-talk — the rewards I got when I completed all my tasks were, well, in a word, delicious.
I was excited to get off work and goget offwith Daddy. Why did the work day have to be so long? It was brutal, being away from him. But it pleased Daddy that I was doing so well at work, and honestly, I was quite proud of myself, too.
A knock sounded on my office door as I was settling down to respond to the last email of the day.
“Come in,” I hollered. I glanced up to see Alyssa walk in.
Oh great. Please, please, please, do not let this end in a fight. Not here at the office!
“Hey, Willow. I know you’re probably busy, but I was wondering if we could talk.” I could feel the nervous energy coming off of Alyssa in waves. While I knew exactly what she wanted to talk about, all I could think about was her screamingat me that night. Regardless, I had put this off for long enough. I had avoided her, refused to take her calls, and at the end of the day, my mother had been right. I needed to face the situation head on if I was ever going to truly have a relationship with Adam. And that meant it was time to face the music.
“I’m actually about to finish up for the day,” I answered.
“So, we can talk?” she asked softly.
“Yes, but not here. Want to join me down the street at Crema? In, say, half an hour? I promise not to ghost you.” I suggested, glancing at the clock on my wall. That would give me enough time to finish up this project and still give me a few minutes to collect myself.
“Sounds good. I’ll see you there.” With a nod of her head, her lips pressed tightly together in a thin line, she left my office, leaving me to my raging anxiety once more.
As soon as my project was complete, I picked up my phone to text Daddy.
Alyssa asked to speak to me.
Oh really?
Yes.
Are you going to talk to her?
Yes. We are meeting at a coffee shop in a few minutes. I’m nervous.
I know, but I promise you, it’ll be okay. Take three slow, deep breaths for me, princess. No matter what happens, I’ve got you.
