Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
“Good girl. You’re doing such a good job. My brave baby. Just keep breathing. Daddy is here. I’m going to keep you safe.”
“S-sorry,” she managed to get out as tears filled her eyes.
“Hey. You don’t need to be sorry. None of this is your fault.” A dark look entered his eyes. “It’s that bastard who will pay.”
She concentrated on her breathing. In. Out.
God, it was so scary feeling like you couldn’t breathe.
“Don’t do anything rash. Please. It’s not worth it.”
Leaning forward, he kissed her lightly. “No one hurts you, baby. No one.” Then he drew her into his lap and rocked her gently back and forth. “What do you need?”
“Water. You.”
“Then that’s what you’ll get.”
“And . . . and not to think.” She didn’t want to think about anything.
“Let Daddy take care of you, then. I’ll go and refill your bottle of water.” He attempted to put her down on the bed, but she wrapped herself around him.
“Don’t leave me, Daddy! Please!”
“Shh. It’s all right. I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed her forehead. “I won’t leave you.”
Getting up, he set her on his hip and picked up her bottle. She wrapped her limbs around him, still scared he might leave her.
“Come on, let’s get you a drink.”
Moving into the kitchen, he filled her bottle with warm milk while she drank water from her sippy cup.
Carrying her back to bed, Reuben tucked her in against him as he rested back against the headboard and held the bottle to her lips.
“You’re all right, baby. I have you.”
Faith’s eyelids began to grow heavy, but she was too scared to fall asleep. When he drew the bottle away, setting it aside, she buried her face into his chest.
“I can’t sleep, Daddy. I’m scared.”
Reuben moved them so he lay on his back with her in top of him. Then he placed his fingers by her lips, letting her suck them into his mouth.
He wrapped his other arm tight around her.
“I have you, baby. I won’t let the nightmares get you. I promise.”
57
Rule Ten: You need Daddy, you call him
“Eat your breakfast, baby,” Reuben told her firmly.
Faith stared down at the toast and scrambled eggs on her plate. She didn’t feel like eating.
She was in a grouchy mood. And she didn’t want to do anything but grumble and groan.
“I don’t want to.”
“Do you want something else to eat?” he asked, setting a coffee down in front of her.
She took it, sipping it with a sigh of relief. “No. This is all I need.”
“You can’t just have coffee for breakfast.” He placed some painkillers by her plate, and she took them gratefully.
“There’s nothing wrong with coffee for breakfast. It has dairy and caffeine. That’s two major food groups.”
“Caffeine is not a food group.”
“It darn well should be.” God, she felt like crap. She was tired, and her head was thumping.
Why did she drink that tequila? Why?
And then there had been her nightmare. She’d thought she’d drunk enough that she wouldn’t dream.
Unfortunately, she’d been wrong.
“Would you like me to feed you?” he asked.
“No.”
“Would you like a spanking?” he asked.
“What? Noo! That’s so mean. You can’t spank me when I don’t feel well.”
“You’re hung over,” he pointed out.
“It’s the same thing.”
Reuben snorted and sat down to cut up her food. “You need to eat something. Then I’ll put you back to bed.”
“I can’t go back to bed.”
“You need more sleep.”
“I’ve got to go to work,” she told him.
He eyed her for a long moment. “I don’t think so. You’re not up to work today.”
Okay, now she felt terrible. Getting up, she plonked herself down in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Sorry, Daddy. I don’t mean to be a grumpy-bum. Just give me time to drink another coffee and I’ll be all good to go to work.”
He kissed her cheek. “Thank you for the apology, baby. But you’re not going to work today. You’re going to eat your breakfast and drink your water and coffee, then back to bed.”
“But you need me!”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to work from home today to keep an eye on you. I just want you to rest. If you get tired of being in bed, you can move to the sofa.”
“All right.” That was kind of a relief, if she was honest. She felt exhausted.
“I have a couple of things for you. Stay here a moment.”
Getting up, he set her down on her chair. When he returned, he was holding two boxes. One was a cell phone box. The other was a velvet jewelry box.
“New phone.” He handed that one to her first.
“You can’t buy me a new phone!” she protested.
“Baby, your one is on its last legs. You need it. And I’m not taking no for an answer.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“What is this?” she asked as he kneeled in front of her and held out the velvet box.