Page 26 of Her Hero Daddy

“You did so good, baby girl. You were so brave, and I’m so proud of you.”

Haylee began to cry again, shaking her head. “I’m not brave. I’m so stupid for putting up with that abuse. I’m pathetic.”

He pulled her back from his chest until she was face-to-face with him, and his furrowed brow told her that he was not happy.

“I don’t ever want to hear that come out of your mouth again, Haylee Ann. You are not stupid or pathetic. You were being brainwashed and manipulated by a psycho, and you did what you had to do to survive. Do not ever call yourself those things or put yourself down like that again, do you understand me?”

If she wasn’t so shaken and weirdly turned on by him scolding her, she might have wondered how he knew her middle name, but instead, she cried harder and snuggled up to his chest. He stroked her back and whispered sweet words to her, telling her that she was smart and safe and perfect in every way.

12

KANE

Listening to Haylee explain what happened with Tim had him seeing multiple shades of red. He did his best to hold it together for her, but he had been on the brink of explosion. He wanted nothing more than to arm up and go find that bastard. He couldn’t wait to hear from Luke that Tim Parker had been arrested. Then he’d be able to breathe, and so would Haylee. He would hire the most expensive attorney in the United States to make sure the guy went away for a very long time, and he knew a lot of inmates from his years of being a cop that wouldn’t take very kindly to a man in their prison who beat a woman.

Holding her in his lap, he felt as though she was made to be there. Protecting her was his mission, and he would make sure she never felt scared of a man again, whether she was under his care or not. The thought of her possibly being in another man’s care didn’t sit well with him. But he had needs that were more than what most men wanted. He knew he was demanding, strict, and overbearing. He was obsessive, especially when it came to someone he cared deeply about, and his protective side was fueled by that obsession.

Most women didn’t want a man structuring their entire life, creating rules and boundaries, and disciplining them when they misbehaved. They would find that to be belittling and restricting when really, to him, it was a way of empowering them and putting them first. He wanted a woman to be his Little and follow his lead. He sensed a Little side to Haylee, but while a lot of women seemed to have a Little side to them, not very many women were willing to actually accept that side and embrace it.

Luke and Ally came downstairs, Ally seeming to be much happier than she had been when Luke sent her up to the nursery he had set up in one of the spare rooms. Kane had sent Luke a text that morning and let him know that if he needed to, he could send Ally up there to play if things got too intense or emotional with Haylee.

“All right, we are out of here. I will get a hold of you later when I hear some news,” Luke said.

Haylee nearly leaped off his lap, causing her to trip and nearly fall if he hadn’t caught her. Kane made sure she was steady on her feet before letting go of her. She smiled shyly at him before moving toward Ally.

“I’m sorry I made you sad,” she said.

Ally shook her head and gently reached out to hug Haylee. “You didn’t make me sad. That asshole made me sad.”

“Ally, language,” Luke said gently.

The girls released their hug. Ally shrugged. “Well, he is one.”

Luke smiled down at her and booped her nose with his index finger. “Yes, he is a major one, but you are much too sweet and beautiful to say such icky words.”

Kane studied Haylee, wondering what she thought of Luke correcting Ally like that. He was pleased to see that she didn’t seem fazed by it. Instead, she had a look of longing on her face as she watched them. He couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been since she’d had any loving interactions, whether physically or emotionally, with a man. She seemed starved for positive physical touch.

“I’ll text you later,” Ally promised as they walked out the door.

Haylee stood in the doorway, waving at them as they made their way to their car. Kane walked up behind her, gently reaching out his hand to stroke her arm. He couldn’t help but touch her. It was as though she was a magnet that pulled him in.

“Logan should be here soon. How about I get you a snack and something to drink before he comes?”

She turned toward him, frowning. “Are you sure he has to come? I’m fine. If I had any broken bones or internal bleeding, we would surely know by now.”

“Too late, I’m already here,” a deep voice said as Logan walked up the steps to the porch.

Haylee spun around and gaped at Logan, who was standing in front of her. A possessive feeling overtook Kane, and he put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. Logan looked at him and smirked knowingly. Logan was just as possessive over people he cared for, so he understood exactly what Kane was doing—staking his claim.

“Good to see you, brother,” Logan said, reaching his hand out to Kane.

Kane released Haylee and reached out to give him a back-pounding hug. When they released each other, Logan held out his hand toward Haylee.

“Hi, Haylee, I’m Logan Andrews.”

She smiled shyly, shaking his hand. “Hi. I didn’t know you guys were brothers.”

Logan grinned. “Well, we aren’t blood brothers, obviously, since I am way better-looking than Kane, but we served in the military together, so we’re brothers for life.”