Page 6 of Daddy's Reckoning

Okay, little one. Just know I am here for you, okay? I’ll be in touch soon, but you better behave in the meantime, just because I can’t get my hands on you right now doesn’t mean I won’t make you regret bad choices.

I reread the message, satisfied that it was both supportive and a response she would expect from me as her Daddy.

Yes, Daddy.

Good girl.

Now that that was taken care of, I had another job to do. Setting my phone to the side I opted for my computer so I could research properly and make notes more easily. I researched long-distance dynamics, and stumbled upon a blog titled Musings of a Chaotic Mind. Reading through the author’s well thought-out and obviously well-researched articles, I found they were anything but chaotic. I allowed myself to get sucked in and learned about everything from long-distance communications to how to give aftercare from afar. It was a one-stop shop, and before I knew it I’d been reading for hours, and had an entire document of notes and ideas. If I was going to be a long- distance Daddy to Erin, I was going to be the best long-distance Daddy I could. I owed it to her, and honestly, I needed it to work because I was not ready to lose her.

CHAPTER 1

ERIN

I fell asleep on my biochem book with my phone still in my hand, and only woke when it buzzed the next morning. Even after a four-hour nap, I’d still slept harder than ever before. Apparently growing a baby was hard. And if I couldn’t even figure out how to stay up long enough to study, I was more fucked than I’d originally thought.

Thankfully it was my late-start day and I hadn’t slept through another class. The guilt from the day before crept up and made me feel like I was going to be sick. Or was that morning sickness? Either way, I made my way quickly to my bathroom and dry- heaved into the toilet. In all of my exhaustion I’d not only missed class, but I’d forgotten to eat. Hugging my stomach, I sat on the floor of my bathroom and cried. I was not okay; this was not okay. I was a med student, and while I was still pretty wet behind the ears, even I knew a pregnant woman shouldn’t be skipping meals. The baby needed nutrients. I needed nutrients.

Vitamins, prenatal vitamins. I’d been meaning to pick some up, but hadn’t made it to the store. That ended now, today. I needed to do everything in my power to take care of myself and my baby. I’d chosen to keep him or her, and I had a job to do. I forced myself into the shower hoping it would help me feel more human, or at the very least, wake me up.

I got in and let the hot water soothe my aching body. Turned out violently puking worked out some muscles I didn’t even know existed. I wished my apartment had a tub instead of just a walk-in shower so I could soak, but it didn’t. Theo’s did, though. He had a luxurious soaker tub that comfortably fit more than one person. I knew from experience. My body started to respond to the memories of some of our bath activities.

Stop it, I told myself. I did not need to be going down memory lane. I needed to focus on my future, and that future did not include Theo Montgomery.

But he’s still your Daddy, the obnoxious little demon on my shoulder reminded me.

Only for now, while I need the accountability, I argued with myself. As soon as I get my shit figured out, I would quit the program and separate myself from him. For good.

As upset and hurt as I still was by his reaction to finding out I was pregnant, the thought of cutting him out of my life completely made my heart ache. I knew I’d had it bad for Theo, but it wasn’t until I thought about life without him that it really sank in that I was, in fact, head over heels in love with him. I hugged my stomach. At least I would always have a piece of him with me.

Would that make things worse? If the baby looked just like him, would it be a constant reminder of what I was missing in my life? Would it affect my relationship with my baby?

Stop it.

I literally shook the thought out of my head. My baby was my baby and I was already in love with him or her. Nothing would change that.

I focused on my shower tasks so I could get my day going. I needed to make an appointment with my OBGYN and get to the drugstore to get my little nugget some vitamins. Oh, and I needed to eat something. Preferably something that I wouldn’t have to later throw up.

Shutting the water off, I snagged my towel and wrapped it around myself. I needed to find out what time it was to see how much time I could spend getting ready, but I couldn’t figure out where I’d left my phone. Closing my eyes, I let out a deep sigh. The ‘find my phone’ game was one I played often, and it was seldomly a fun one. I really needed to learn to stop setting it down in random places. At least my time as a Rent-A- Daddy client had helped me break the habit of actually losing it. I shuddered at the memory of the last spanking I’d gotten when I had to purchase a phone for the third time. I couldn’t help it. I was always going a thousand miles an hour and some things just got forgotten sometimes. Now I made sure to check for it before I left anywhere. This was why I needed to stay with Theo. His services really did have a positive impact on my life.

So did the mind-blowing sex, the little demon on my shoulder reminded me.

Fuck, I was going to miss the sex. I knew for a damn fact that he’d ruined me for any other man. I should just not even try. I’d just buy some really great toys and take care of my own needs. Then I wouldn’t need to worry about the disappointment of no one measuring up to him. Literally and figuratively speaking.

What was I supposed to be doing?

I knew for a fact that it wasn't to stand naked in my bathroom and think about buying sex toys.

Phone, I need to find my phone.

After a quick search of the bathroom came up empty, I went into my room and thankfully spotted it on top of my still-open biochem book.

“Uugh,” I groaned, thinking about the class that was the bane of my entire existence.

I tapped my phone screen to see what time it was and instead I saw a couple of messages from Daddy.

Theo. His name is Theo.

I quickly changed his name in my phone from Daddy to Theo so I would stop letting myself fall down that hole. He’d made me change it one time as part of a punishment for forgetting his title. I liked it, so I’d kept it. But now seeing it that way on the screen just sucked. He might be my ‘Rented Daddy’, but that was it.