Page 36 of Her Gentle Daddy

When he started to lift his face, she flung her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Sean’s hands went to her hips and lifted her into the air, so her legs wrapped around his waist as they kissed each other deeply and passionately. She’d never thought she would love a man’s touch or his mouth on her, not after what she had been through, but with Sean, everything was different.

Gabby ran her tongue over her swollen lips when they finally pulled back for air.

“Will you text me when you get to where you’re going and also when you’re leaving?”

She nodded, “I promise.”

“And if you feel any anxiety or bad feelings, I want you to call me right away, and I will come for you.”

“I know you will, Daddy.”

“Let me pack up a snack and a drink for you to take with you.”

“I’m only going to be gone for an hour or so,” she said incredulously.

Sean nodded, “Okay, I’ll pack two snacks and a drink. Just in case.”

She trailed behind her Daddy as they went to the kitchen, shaking her head with a huge smile on her lips.

Driving an expensive car was something that Gabby had never done. She didn’t even know what kind of car it was, but it had all sorts of electronics and a giant touch screen monitor to control everything. Sean showed her the basics of how to make everything work, but as soon as she pulled out of the driveway, she had pretty much forgotten everything he’d shown her, and the heat was blasting so hot that she had to crack the windows.

Dumb fancy cars.

She followed the GPS directions on her phone, and when she pulled up to her location and parked, Gabby stared out of the car’s windshield to the building marked as the King County Courthouse.

“Well, here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself.

Gabby paid the parking meter and climbed the steps into the building. She sighed with relief when she walked through the metal detectors without setting them off. Not that she had anything that would cause an issue, but she didn’t want anyone patting her down.

Walking up to customer service, she waited her turn and stepped up to the counter when an impatient woman waved her forward.

“I’m not sure where I need to go. I’m looking for my birth certificate. I was told that I was born in Seattle.”

The grouchy-looking woman softened her expression slightly.

“Go up the set of stairs over there, and you’ll see a sign for birth records.”

She nodded toward the woman and went in the direction that she had pointed. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion as she thought about all the possibilities that lay ahead once she got a hold of her birth certificate.

Her mother had told her that her father had died, but she’d also told Gabby that he had another child, and she hoped that by finding out who her father was, she could find out if she really did have a half-sister out there somewhere.

When she got to the top of the stairs, Gabby followed the sign and took a number from the dispenser before sitting down to wait. She pulled out her phone and texted Sean.

I’m at my location, Daddy. Safe and sound.

It only took a moment for a response.

Thank you for letting me know. I love you, Gabby girl. Be good.

She frowned and quickly typed back a message.

I’m always good.

When she read his response, she smiled to herself.

Good, but a little naughty sometimes.

“Seventy-eight,” a clerk called out.