Daddy, Sir (Dirty Daddies 2024 Anthology #6)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Greyson

Greyson hadn't been able to shake her from his thoughts.

From the moment she walked away from him at that restaurant, Lily had taken up permanent residence in his mind yet again.

He told himself it was just nostalgia. That it was the shock of seeing her after so many years. But as the days passed, an ache settled deep in his chest, one he hadn’t felt in years.

He thought about her at night when he lay in bed, staring into space. Remembered the way she used to curl up in his lap, resting her head against his chest while he read to her. Remembered the soft lilt of her voice when she called him Daddy . Remembered the way she had trusted him, given herself over to his care so completely.

And then he had walked away from her. From their future.

Leaving her had been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. Serving his country had been his duty, his responsibility, and he had done it with pride. He was proud of his service. But Lily had been his . The one thing in his life that had felt effortless. Pure. She had made him feel like the best Daddy in the world, and she had been the perfect Little for him.

But that had been nearly twenty years ago.

Surely, she was married by now or at least there was someone who filled that need in her life. It was pretty obvious by the way she’d rushed away from him that she had no interest in him. He had no claim to her, no right to even think about what could have been with her.

He needed to let her go once and for all.

By Friday, he'd had enough of torturing himself with his regret. If he was going to move on, he needed to reclaim the part of himself he’d buried for so long.

So he went to The Playground.

The club was familiar, though he hadn’t been since the last time he’d been in town several years prior. It was a world he had once thrived in, a place where he had felt whole . Of course, that had also been when he’d been there with Lily.

He stepped inside, nodding to a few familiar faces as he entered the littles’ play area, his eyes scanning the area.

But then, his heart stopped.

Because he saw her .

Lily.

He would recognize those curves anywhere, the delicate slope of her neck, the way she moved, so effortlessly soft, so naturally little.

She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a doll in her lap, her hair in pigtails tied with pink satin bows like he always used to do for her. A frilly dress pooled around her, the color soft and sweet, just like her.

His pulse raced.

For a moment, he thought he was imagining it, that his mind was playing some cruel trick on him. But no.

It was her.

And from what he could tell, she was there alone.

Before he could stop himself, he took a step forward, then another. His body moved on instinct, years of longing pulling him toward her like a magnet.

He stopped behind her, inhaling deeply, steadying himself.

“Lily.”

She froze.

Her shoulders tensed, her fingers clenched around the doll in her lap. And then, slowly, she turned her head.

The moment their eyes met, the world around them faded.

Because, right there in front of him, dressed in pink and looking as perfect as she had all those years ago, was his Little Lily.

Greyson took a steadying breath before moving closer, his boots barely making a sound against the padded floor of the littles’ play area. He lowered himself to one knee beside her, a deep groan slipping from his throat as his muscles protested.

“Damn,” he muttered, rubbing his knee with a smirk. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

Lily giggled, the soft, airy sound sending warmth straight through him. “Neither am I.”

Greyson shook his head, his gaze tracing over her face, the familiar sparkle in her eyes, the way she still had that natural innocence about her. “No,” he said. “You still look just as Little as the day we met.”

Her cheeks flushed, a faint pink creeping across her skin.

His chest tightened, and he swallowed, forcing his voice to remain even. “Are you here with anyone?”

Greyson wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer, but he had to know. The thought of her in another man’s arms, calling someone else Daddy , made his stomach churn.

Lily shook her head. “No.”

She shifted, glancing around the room, and his pulse kicked up a notch. “Are you?”

“Came alone,” he answered, almost interrupting her.

An awkward silence settled between them.

Greyson held her gaze and then let out a slow breath, forcing himself to break the tension.

“I’ll let you get back to playing,” he whispered, though it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Lily nodded, but he didn’t miss the flicker of something in her eye. Disappointment? Uncertainty?

He forced himself to his feet, another quiet groan escaping as he straightened. Fuck, his years of service were catching up with him. Then, without another word, he turned and made his way to the side of the room, finding an empty chair. And then he watched her.

Not in an intrusive way, not in a possessive way, at least, that’s what he told himself. But he couldn’t stop looking.

She was still his Lily.

Maybe not in the way she once was.

Maybe not at all.

But as she sat there, lost in her own world, brushing the doll’s hair with delicate fingers, Greyson’s thoughts reeled.

Could he do this?

Could he step back into her life?

More importantly, did she want him to?