Page 27 of Scarlett's Mountain Man
CHAPTER 8
SCARLETT
To say I am exhausted is an understatement. It’s been almost a week since Aiden gave me the all-clear to move around a little. I didn’t realize how much it was going to take out of my body, but it was a lot.
The first night, I only woke up from a bad nightmare, but walking twice that day for five minutes each wore me out. My body has gotten used to it a little more, but I am still very tired.
I haven’t told Daddy, but I’m pretty sure he knows. I can’t get anything past him. He seems to know everything, sometimes even before I do.
I sigh and look at Juniper in my arms. She’s awake and looking directly at me.
“Such a good girl for Mommy,” I coo at her. “So pretty.”
She just blinks at me, and I know she probably doesn’t understand what I’m saying, but it doesn’t matter to me.
“We’re in such a better place,” I gently say. “Now we won’t have to worry about whathe’lldo to us.”
I don’t dare speak his name, not wanting her to know who her real father is. His name isn’t on the birth certificate, and I’m glad. He doesn’t want any rights to her. He wanted to sell her.
“Thorin, Daddy, is so nice for letting us stay with him right now.” I kiss her face. “We’re going to be just fine. He’s going to protect us while we stay here.”
I don’t know how long he plans on allowing me to stay here. Is he just letting me stay here until I heal, just being my Daddy until I can take care of myself and Juniper? My heart breaks at the thought so I push it away. I don’t need to be thinking about that at the moment. Now, I need to focus on healing and when the time comes, then I’ll deal with it.
“He’s so big and strong,” I giggle, continuing to talk to Juniper. “You just love being in his arms. I think I would too, but I don’t know so count yourself lucky.”
Even after I invited him to sleep in the bed, he hasn’t. I don’t know what’s holding him back. Maybe he doesn’t want to get in bed with me since he knows I’m going to leave.
“I’ll always protect you two. Even as we grow old and gray,” Daddy says.
But then he says something like that, about us being together for years and years, and I think he wants me to stay. So why won’t he come sleep in bed with me?
“Yeah?” I reply, looking back at him.
I’ve gotten so comfortable around him that I’ve stopped flinching whenever he walks into the room and talks. The first couple of times, I jumped, and he always had this guilty look on his face.
“Yes, I mean it. I’m always going to protect you two. I’ll protect her from all the boys when she gets older.”
I roll my eyes. “You mean scare them all off so she can’t date anyone?”
“Exactly.” He smiles.
“Do you not want her to marry?” I ask.
“Never said that. I’ll just make sure he’s good for her first. I don’t want her heart to get broken.”
“Everyone gets their heart broken at some point. It’s like a rite of passage,” I say, remembering the times I was hurt.
He smiles at me and nods. “Yes, but if I can stop it happening, I’m going to.”
“I can’t believe we are actually talking about this,” I whisper. “I don’t even know how long I will be staying here.”
“Forever,” he replies. “Forever is how long you are going to stay here. Both of you.”
I blink several times, not believing he just said those words.
“I’m not letting you go. Never,” he declares. “When you came here, I just knew there was a connection. One I’m not willing to let go.”
“Oh,” I whisper.
