Page 21 of Arrow
“What if I did something wrong in my past? Something bad?”
“Emilee, I know about your past.”
“Wait? What?” What did he mean he knew about her past? How much did he know? Did he know about her family? What about her addiction did he know? Did he know she’d stolen from the people she loved to get her next hit? How about the number of times she’d bartered sex in exchange for drugs? Did he knowhow immoral she’d been? Surely not, or he wouldn’t want to be her Daddy.
“The other night, when you came here for the first time, I called Dax and asked about your background. You were a stranger staying in my house. Assuming since you were a member at The Citadel, you didn’t have any felony convictions, but needed to know you were safe.”
“So, you know?” Her heart sank to her stomach like a rock thrown in the lake.
“Know that you’ve had it unfair? Absolutely. Known that you’ve made a few poor decisions? Who hasn’t? God knows I’ve done my share of stupid things in my life. We all make mistakes. You learn more from a mistake than you do from a victory, Kitten,” he reassured her.
He didn’t mention her parents’ deaths. Did he know about that? About her sister? She shuddered in his arms thinking about it.
“I’ve got you, baby.”
“What?”
“I’ve got you. In the moments when you are shaking in fear, Daddy’s got you. When you squeeze your eyes closed, afraid of what is on the other side, I’ve got you.” He squeezed her chin, applying just a slight amount of pressure. “I’ll help you get the courage to open them again. I’ve got you in your joy, in your sadness. When you feel you are going to break into pieces, I’ll hold you together. When you feel you are about to fall, I’ll keep you up. I’m not letting you go, Kitten. I’m never letting you go.”
“But, I’m already broken.” She said the words in a whisper. He let go of her chin and took a step back as if she’d slapped him.
“Stay here,” he commanded, lifting her up and sitting her on the counter, before turning and walking around the to the other side. Had she finally done it? Said the words that pushed him away? She hadn’t lied to him. She was already broken. Brokenbeyond repair. How do you put shattered pieces of glass back together?
Arrow picked up the new crayons he’d gifted her. He opened the box and started tearing the paper off each one.
“Daddy! My new crayons! Stop!” He raised an eyebrow at her but continued. She watched as the paper identifying the blue crayon fell to the ground. He held it up to her, now bare of its wrapper.
“What color is this, Kitten?”
“Blue.”
“Now,” he paused and looked her in the eyes as he broke it in half.
“Daddy!!”
“Do you think it will still color?”
“Y-y-es,” she stuttered, emotion deep in her throat. “But it’s not as pretty…” she wasn’t willing to give into his lesson yet.
She watched in terror as he broke up the rest of the crayons in the pack, some into multiple pieces. Then, he opened the cabinet next to the stove and grabbed a silicone muffin pan. He put the broken crayons in each spot, mixing up the colors. He moved around her, stopping to drop a kiss on her forehead, before turning on the oven.
“Are you making crayon muffins?” she asked, perplexed.
“Wait and see.” He popped the muffin tin in the oven and lifted her off the counter. Taking her by the hand, he led her back into the living room. He sat on the couch before pulling her down onto his lap. “We can talk this through tonight as adults, or you can be my little girl and let Daddy take care of you. It’s up to you. If you want to let it all go for the evening and just spend time in your little space, I’d love to give you a mental reprieve. I’m here for you if adult Emilee needs to talk. Either way, it’s your choice and I will be happy to be either for you.”
It took her about one second to decide. “I’s want to be your little kitten.”
He dropped a sweet, tender kiss on the top of her head. “Let’s get you ready for bed and then Daddy will read you a story or two.”
CHAPTER 9
ARROW
He read Emilee’s face like a book.
Like hell was she thinking about work. If he’d venture a guess, she’d been thinking about her run in with Mills. The bastard would pay for what he’d done to Emilee. If he wasn’t a well-trained and disciplined special forces operator, he’d likely have stormed out of his house, tracked him down and made him suffer. Lucky for Mills, he wasn’t an impulsive pup.
Instead, he would call in reinforcements who could build a case against the asshole. An ironclad case. The worst place on earth for a police officer was in general prison population and he intended to see him rot there for the rest of his life. Hopefully, a short, miserable life.