Page 29 of Her Gentle Daddy

“I might doubt it a lot, though.”

“You can doubt it, and I promise to reassure you every time you do. I’m not going anywhere, Gabby, and I hope you aren’t either. I will love you through the good and the bad.”

She began sobbing loudly again, and he continued to rock her for over an hour until she was sleeping soundly in his arms.

A week later, after dropping Gabby off at work, Sean went to his office downtown to meet with a new client. He spent several hours going over documents and talking with the man about his new business.

After the man left, Sean looked over the various business documents for the construction company when his cell phone rang, showing Zane’s name. It was unusual for Zane to call, and his mind immediately went to Gabby.

“What’s wrong, Zane?”

“Hey, I need you to come to the club. Gabby is having a panic attack, and she won’t let me get near her. She’s balled up in the corner of the nursery.”

He immediately grabbed his laptop and keys and ran out of his office to his car.

“Did something happen? Remind her to breathe and don’t try to touch her.”

“Gabby, breathe, honey, your Daddy is coming. I don’t know what happened. Damian is here, and we were walking through the club looking at the security cameras, and when Gabby saw him, she turned pale, and her breathing went shallow, and then she ran to the nursery.”

Fuck.

“Make sure Damian isn’t near her. If there’s something about him that’s scaring her, she isn’t going to calm down if he’s around. Don’t touch her but go sit near her and talk to her.”

Sean drove through the city streets as quickly as he could while listening to Zane talk quietly to Gabby through his car’s Bluetooth. He could hear Gabby saying she wanted her Daddy, and it made his heart swell knowing she wanted him while she was struggling.

“Put it on speaker so she can hear me.”

“Okay, it’s on speaker.”

“Hey, baby, Daddy is on his way. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Let’s start breathing together. One big breath in and out. Breathe with Daddy.”

It took him a little over ten minutes to get to the club while he spoke to Gabby the entire time without getting a response from her. Quickly ending the call as he parked his car right by the door, Sean ran inside and directly back to the nursery. His heart sank at the sight of his little girl, curled up into a tight ball in the corner, crying and breathing too heavily for his liking.

Zane got up from his spot on the floor and backed away as Sean got closer.

“Baby girl, Daddy is here. I’m going to touch you.”

He half expected her to shake her head no, but to his shock, she nodded. Kneeling in front of her, he reached out and pulled her into him, holding her tightly to his chest.

“Breathe in and out, Gabby. Daddy is here, and you’re safe. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”

He sat down on the floor, pulling her in with him, and stroked his hand up and down her back in a steady motion. She whimpered several times, but her breathing slowed a bit.

“That’s my good girl. Feel my hand? Focus on how my hand is moving up and down your back. You are safe, and nothing bad is going to happen to you.”

“Daddy?” she whispered.

“Yes, baby girl, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

With each passing minute that felt like an eternity, Gabby’s breathing slowed, and she was no longer trembling in his arms. He continued to rock her and whisper to her, reminding her that she was loved and special and safe.

“I’m so embarrassed.”

Sean continued to stroke her back and rock her.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed, baby girl. Zane is a Daddy. He understands.”

“He’s going to think I’m a freak. Or fire me.”