Page 34 of Alpha Daddy's Little Secret

“Just need to get home and get in the shower.” Sadie mumbles.

I don’t want this for her. I don’t want this for us. But here we are. This is all inevitable. Sneaking around is messy, and something is bound to get messed up. I just need to think a few steps ahead.

“Wish I could go grab breakfast for us, but—”

“Freddy, your time is best spent with my dad, not me.”

Those words make me feel filthy. I doubt she meant for it to sound like that, but there’s much to consider.

She dresses quickly and pulls a brush from her purse. Brushing her hair, she keeps her eyes from me in the mirror’s reflection. This hasn’t been her rhythm. She usually teases me through the mirror’s reflection with blowy kisses and sexy smirks. She’s upset, and there’s a good reason for this.

“What’s on your mind?” I ask.

“Maybe we should pause.”

“Huh?” I’m not understanding, or maybe I just don’t want to understand.

“On us, Freddy. This is a lot, and it’s very fast. It’s like we’re on a rollercoaster.”

She’s right about that, but I don’t want to get off it. Not yet. She’s being too impulsive right now, too youthful.

“Do you have mouthwash?” She finally meets my eye through the mirror.

“Huh? Yes, I should.”

She dips back into the bathroom as I pace in thought. I definitely don’t want to look like one of those desperate single dads that divorces his wife and dates someone so young. That’s a stomach-churning scenario. I despise those kinds of guys.

Maybe she is right. Looks like her impulsiveness will seal the deal and make it all hurt less in the end. I should go ahead and cut out of this fast. There should be no reason to hold onto her. Right?

She returns and gives me a sour eye as if she is reading my mind.

“So?” she asks.

“I agree.”

I give her a sweet smile. Her lips tighten before she gives me a stern nod.

“Good. Makes sense. You said we shouldn’t get our feelings involved, and since I love my father, I don’t want to hurt him by continuing this relationship.”

She’s reaching to sound grown, but I will not criticize her for this. It’s adorable, and she’s speaking her truth. I was only hoping we could still manage to have fun, but this is all too close to home.

“Sadie, you’re right.”

She wears a look of worry. I’m hoping her face will match her words soon instead of looking like I’m breaking her heart. I don’t want to break her heart, and I don’t want this to end, but—

“Perfect,” she says. “I’m glad we figured this out.”

“Well,you did. But I do agree. I respect your feelings for your father. Of course, I know you love him. But now…I know that since you love him, you feel you can’t no longer engage with me. At least not in these ways.”

I want to take her against the wall and ask her if she’s really sure. But this can’t be all about me. I must step aside. In all reality, maybe all of this is meant to reveal my freedom. And when I truly think about it, the only attachment I require from this point on in my life is my attachment to Dustin.

Fuck it; time to get gym-ready.

Chapter 13

Sadie

Iwalkacrossthedark motel lot’s pavement, feeling Freddy’s gaze on me. He’s an intense man; the opposite of my exuberant intensity, his intensity is well-contained and fermented. Maybe it’s his age. He truly got me back there. I really didn’t want to end my time with him, but hearing my father through those thin motel walls burned me.

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