Page 58 of Cage
By the time I’m done shopping, I’m surprised my credit card hasn’t dissolved into dust and the pilot hasn’t told me I can’t bring all this shit on board. It’s worth it, though. I’d spend every last dollar to make Ember’s desires come true. She’s never had the chance to be truly Little, and I’m going to change that.
My thoughts have been non-stop since I left Declan’s. Would it be so bad if I kept Ember for myself? From what I know, she has no real ties to DC other than her piece-of-shit father. If I had it my way, she’d never see the bastard again.
She also doesn’t know what she wants to do with her future yet, so it’s not like she has a path already laid out ahead. With me, she can do whatever she wants. Hell, she can be my baby twenty-four-seven if she wants. It would make me the happiest man alive. It would ultimately be her choice, though. If she wants a career, I would support her in that.
Am I really considering this?
Fuck. I am.
I’m strong, but I don’t have it in me to let Ember go. They say every man has a weakness, and mine is my Little firefly.
First things first, I need to figure out who the hell this threat is and eliminate them. If I’m going to offer Ember the chance to stay in my life, I want it to be by choice and not because she needs protection.
My phone buzzes, and I snatch it from my pocket as the plane starts down the runway.
Declan:Seriously, though, how much to get in on your brother’s bet?
I shake my head and send him back a middle finger emoji; he returns it with a laughing one. Maybe letting these men into my life wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I trust them, which is saying a lot since the only people who have ever had my trust have been my brothers and Rowie.
As I go to slide my phone back into my pocket, it goes off again with a text from Jasper.
Jasper:No need to panic, but do you know if Ember is allergic to bee stings?
Fuck. My Little girl. And I’m not there to comfort her. Some fucking Daddy I am.
“I don’t care what you have to do, but make this jet go faster,” I yell out as I press Jasper’s name on my contacts.
I’m going to kill my brother. How could he let her get stung? Fucking Christ.
My entire body shakes with both fear and anger. Ultimately, I know it’s not Jasper’s fault, but it’s easiest to go after him. I just hope my Little firefly will forgive me for leaving her. Even if she does, I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself.
19
EMBER
When Cage brought me to the main house and left me with Jasper and Theo, I had to work really hard to keep from begging to go with him. It’s not that I don’t like his brothers. I do. And I love Rowie. But there’s just something about my Daddy leaving that makes me want to cry.
Which is a huge problem. One day soon, he’s going to send me away, and I’m never going to see him again. Yet I’m sad that he’s going to be gone for only a few hours. I was the one who asked him to be my temporary Daddy. It seems like, instead, I’ve set myself up for heartbreak.
I don’t want to focus on that now, though. Otherwise, I’ll be a blubbering mess in front of Rowie, Theo, and Jasper, and that would be horrifying. I’m already worried about what Theo and Jasper must think of me, coming into their lives and turning their brother into my Daddy. Rowie, on the other hand, has made her feelings about it quite clear. Not only did she jump up and down, clapping her hands when she found out, but she started making plans for us for things to do in the future as best friends. The thought of leaving her, too, makes my heart ache even more.
“Do you want to go outside and play on the playground?” Rowie asks as we color at the art table.
Jasper and Theo have mostly left us alone other than occasionally peeking in to check on us. For the most part, Rowie seems to do whatever she wants throughout the day, and the men just keep tabs on her while also making her take an afternoon nap. From what I’ve gathered, the guys all rotate who stays in the main house to look after her. It’s sweet how they are all so involved in her life. It’s like every time she sees one of them, she lights up, and so do they. It’s the same way Cage lights up when I enter the room. It’s an addictive feeling to be the center of someone’s attention.
“Oh, that sounds so fun. I’ve been wanting to go on the swings.”
She tosses her crayons into a container and closes her coloring book. “The slide is my favorite. We have to ask Theo or Jasper. I’m not allowed to go on the playground without someone supervising.”
I follow her through the house until we find Jasper, who is rubbing his eyebrows as he stares at a computer screen. He looks tired.
“Will you come outside with us so we can go on the playground?”
Jasper looks up, his jaw immediately relaxing as though he’s happy for the break. “What’s the magic word?”
Rowie grins. “Pretty please with cherries and pink sprinkles on top?”
I giggle, and Jasper turns his attention to me. “And what’s your magic word?”