Chapter 6
NOAH
Noah looked at Frankie, who was sitting by her usual window, her phone in her hand.
It had been two days since he had given the other Littles Frankie’s phone number, and they were still sending her lots of messages.
Noah had thought about messaging the other Littles and telling them to slow down, but then he saw the smile on Frankie’s face when it started.
A smile.
He had seen her smile several times, but her smiles were rare now. He wanted to bring it back, but there was so much fear in Frankie he was trying to deal with. But now… now it was all slowly changing. Noah didn’t know what Dominic had said to her, but whatever it was worked.
“Little bit?” he said as he stepped into the room.
Frankie placed her phone on her lap and looked at him. “Yes, Daddy?”
Noah would never get tired of hearing her call him Daddy. It warmed his heart, knowing she trusted him that much.
“I need to go to the club today,” he carefully said. “Jaxson and Michael need to discuss some stuff with me in person.”
He didn’t technically need to go in person, but it would make it easier if he did. Then they wouldn’t have to share their screen and find the documents. This way, they could just show him in person, and it would take far less time.
Frankie bit her lip and looked outside.
“I can get Dominic to come over and stay with you while I go meet with them, or you can come with me,” he said, giving her two options.
He waited several seconds to see what she would pick. He figured she would go with Dominic coming over since she didn’t like being home alone. That had made doing several things outside of the house very difficult, but he made it work.
“We can do the same as the other time if you don’t want Dominic in the house. Put a blanket around you as we walk in and leave you in my office,” he offered.
He didn’t really want to do it, but if it got her out of the house, he was perfectly fine with it. Baby steps. Soon, she would be walking out of the house without the blanket.
“I,” she took a deep breath and clutched her phone. “Will the other Littles be there?”
Noah shook his head. “No, they won’t. One works at a bakery, another owns a coffee shop, and the others are normally hanging out at those two places.”
Her shoulders relaxed before she nodded. “I guess I can go with you. As long as I don’t have to see anyone. I’m not ready for that.”
He walked over to her, kneeling in front of her and grabbing her hands. “I’ll make sure to tell everyone they can’t see you, and I’ll really make sure Dominic knows. I’m proud of you.”
Her eyes get watery, but Noah didn’t comment on it.
“You don’t have to tell him,” she whispered. “He saw me last time.”
“Are you sure?” He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her decision.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. Maybe not for a long time, but he can visit for a little bit.”
He smiled and stood to his full height. “Do you want to get your shoes on while I grab the blanket? I’ve got snacks in the car and my office. There isn’t a bathroom in my office, but if you need to go, you let me know and I’ll tell everyone to give us some space.”
Small inconvenience, but everyone would understand. They all knew she hadn’t set foot outside of the house for three years, and this was a start at getting her in the right direction.
“Okay.” Her voice was so small, and for a moment, Noah was worried this was pushing her too much.
This was the second time she would leave the house in less than a month, which was a big deal. Noah thought she was never going to leave the house and be a shut-in her whole life. It worried him, but he was being patient with her and trying to nudge her gently to build her confidence.
“Are you sure? I know Dominic wouldn’t mind coming to the house and hanging out with you,” he offered one more time.
“I’m sure.” She gave him a tight smile.
He didn’t like how stressed she looked about this. No one should ever be this panicked over going outside, but Frankie was.
“Okay. If that changes, you let me know,” he told her.
Frankie nodded and walked over to her shoes, grabbing them and slowly putting them on. Noah left the room, heading into theirs. The pink blanket was on their bed, her comfort blanket.
“Okay, I’ve got your blanket. Let’s get into the car, and I can put it on you,” He took her hand and walked to the garage.
She was gripping onto his hand, her palm was sweaty. She was really nervous, and Noah wished he could do something to change that, anything. He would do anything to change how she was feeling right now.
“In you go.” He helped her climb into the car.
After buckling and placing the blanket on top of her, Noah made his way over to his side, getting in and turning on the engine.
“Are you ready to go?” He turned toward her.
Even under her blanket, he could see her hands clutching each other. It pained him to see her so nervous to go out into the world.
“Frankie?” He gently touched her shoulder.
“I’m go-good,” she stuttered, keeping her eyes locked on the front window.
Sighing, Noah pulled out of the garage and drove toward the club. Every couple of minutes, he looked over, making sure Frankie was still there, and every time he looked, she was paler.
“We’re here.” He pulled into his parking spot.
Noah quickly texted everyone to stay out of the hallways while they came in. Part of him didn’t want to, but he wasn’t going to betray her trust like that. Her trust was a precious thing.
“Come on.” Noah gathered her into his arms, placing the blanket over her head.
She wasn’t as stiff and shaking this time as they made their way up to the club and through the doors. But he could still feel the grip she had on his shirt, a tight one at that.
“You’re okay,” he whispered, holding her even closer. “We’re in my office, and the door is closed.”
Noah sat her on the couch, drawing the blanket off her face and smiling.
“There you are,” he softly said.
“You ha-have to go now?” She drew her eyebrows in as she looked up at him.
“I do. They are waiting for me, and the longer I put it off, the longer we are going to stay here,” he explained. “But if you need me, I am only a phone call or text away. Don’t hesitate to contact me. And please turn your phone off silent so if I text you, you can hear it.”
Her head drew into her shoulders slightly as she gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that,” she whispered. “I wasn’t expecting him to come in. When he did, I was so focused on keeping the blanket above my face that I didn’t hear my phone.”
Noah cupped her face. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you for not hearing your phone. I was just worried.”
Worried was an understatement. He had rushed out of Oliver’s office when Frankie didn’t reply.
Oliver had followed him the whole way, making sure everything was okay and if he needed backup.
Thankfully, he didn’t, but there was so much going through his mind when she didn’t respond.
He thought she might have gotten taken, but then he realized that no one would be able to get into the club without getting past several people.
“I don’t want you to feel bad for it happening. There was a lot going on, and I’m not mad. I just want you to have your phone off silent so if Dominic does come and visit you again, you will hear if I text you,” Noah explained. “Sound good?”
She nodded and pulled her phone out, turning it off silent.
“Good girl,” he purred.
Frankie shivered and looked up at him with heated eyes.
“Later.” He chuckled, letting go of her face. “I need to go meet with them so we can go home sooner.”
Now he didn’t want to leave her alone, but he knew they were waiting on him and would soon come looking if he didn’t show up.
“Text me if you need me,” Noah reminded her as he walked to the door.
He looked at her one last time before leaving his office, making sure to close the door behind him. . It didn’t take him long to reach Jaxon’s office, and when he walked in, both of them already there.
“How is she doing?” Jaxon asked.
“Was she all right in your office on her own?” Michael spoke at the same time.
“Hello to you too.” Noah laughed as he headed up to the desk. “How did you know she was here?”
Michael gave him an are you serious look. “You took longer than normal. You also came to the club a while ago. If you were alone, you would have come straight here.”
Right.
“Yes, she is with me, and yes, she is fine. She is nervous being outside of the house, but she has her blanket and her stuffed animal. The door is closed so no one can get in, but I have a feeling Dominic is going to find his way there,” Noah told them.
“And she is okay with that?” Jaxson raised an eyebrow.
Sighing, Noah nodded. “He showed up last time when I told everyone to stay away. But by the time I got there, Frankie was fine with it. Still had the blanket pulled up to her face, but they were talking.”
That was a sight to see. Never did Noah think that would happen, her talking to someone after only talking to him for three years. He was happy Dominic had gone against his instructions and talked to Frankie. It could have been bad, but it turned out great.
“How was she afterward?” Michael asked.
“She was exhausted, but after a couple of naps, she was fine,” Noah replied.
“And the girls messaging her? It all happened really close together,” Jaxson pointed out. “Is she okay with that?”
He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “I made sure it was okay with her before giving them her number. I’ve caught her smiling a couple of times when she gets a text.”
Hopefully, this would help her get out of her shell and want to go outside more.
Noah opened his mouth but quickly shut it.
“What is it?” Michael asked.
“It’s nothing.” He waved his hand in the air, dismissing the thought.
“It was something. You had this look all over your face like you wanted to talk about something. Go on,” Jaxson urged him.
Noah took a step back and thought for a second. Did he really want to bring it up?
“What is it?” Michael asked once again.
“The other day, I thought I saw Frankie standing in front of the door with her shoes on, like she was ready to go outside,” Noah softly admitted, not believing the words he spoke or what he saw. “It could have been my eyes playing tricks on me.”
“Did you say anything to her?” Michael leaned forward.
Noah shook his head. “I didn’t. If what I saw was real, I didn’t want to spook her or make it seem like I was angry with her. Instead, I went into another room and called out her name, giving her time to move if she wanted to.”
Noah was still trying to figure out whether what he saw was real or not. She was standing too still as she looked at the door. It could have been his eyes playing tricks on him, which wouldn’t be the first time.
“Maybe she wanted to go outside,” Jaxson replied.
“Frankie doesn’t want to just go outside.” Noah chuckled. “She hasn’t wanted to set foot outside for three years. Perfectly content with staying inside with me for the rest of her life.”
Everyone knew about her struggles.
“Keep an eye on her. Maybe if there is a next time, talk to her about it. She may not be brave enough to talk to you about it, or maybe she doesn’t want to get your hopes up,” Michael pointed out. “But be patient with her. I know you will, but it’s just a little reminder.”
Noah nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay, enough of that. Let’s get to work so I can get back to my girl.”
“Before that, you need to come see this.” Jaxson pointed to his computer screen, laughing a little.