Daddy’s Little Worrier (Missouri Daddies #9)

Chapter One

DAISY

Nerves ran through Daisy as she walked into the bar. It was her first time being in a bar in her life. She didn’t want to be here, but she had to be.

Elsha had wanted to meet up to have a night of fun.

They both had a different definition of what a night of fun meant.

Daisy wanted to be home with her dog, curled up on the couch while reading a book or watching her favorite shows. That was a night of fun in her mind.

“Daisy!” Elsha yelled as she ran toward her. “You made it!”

Daisy forced a smile on her face, trying desperately to match her excitement.

“For a second, I thought you were going to bail on me,” Elsha continued as she dragged Daisy to the back of the bar.

Crowded.

The bar was so crowded, and people were bumping into her left and right. How was she going to survive the night like this?

“Come on, this is my table. We can sit here for a while and drink, talk, and watch people. Then, if we want, we can start to line dance with the other people,” Elsha said as she sat down. “Well, are you going to say anything?”

“I’ve never been to a bar before,” Daisy said, her voice shaky.

“What was that? You’re going to have to talk a bit louder in here!” Elsha shouted.

She shook her head and tried to relax, but her body was starting to shake from the nerves.

“I’m going to get you a drink! What do you want?” Elsha asked.

“Water,” she replied.

There was no way she was going to drink alcohol right now. With how much anxiety was running through her, she was just going to throw up any alcohol that made it into her system.

Elsha nodded and walked off, leaving Daisy all by herself. Her eyes scanned the room, trying to see if she recognized anyone. She hadn’t been in Springfield for a year yet, but she’d managed to find a couple of people to talk to regularly.

Daisy’s eyes connected with a man sitting in the back corner. Quickly looking away, she placed a hand on her chest as she took several deep breaths. Why was he looking at her?

She shook her head and glanced at her hands. Everything was going to be okay. He might have been scanning the room, like she had been, and their eyes had met at the same time.

But the way he was looking at her was as if he had been staring at her for a while.

No.

That wasn’t possible.

No man had ever looked at her in this town. Most of them were preoccupied with their women, and Daisy was perfectly fine with that.

Lie.

She desperately wanted a man in her life. Not just any man, but a Daddy. Someone who could take care of her, spoil her, discipline her, and snuggle with her when she was having a hard day.

Sadly, no man wanted to snuggle all the time. That was how bad Daisy’s days were.

“Here’s your drink,” Elsha said as she placed a glass in front of Daisy. “Do you want to go have some fun?”

She shook her head. “I think I’ll just sit here for a little while.”

“What was that?” Elsha yelled.

Daisy took a deep breath and glanced around, her eyes once again catching the handsome man in the corner. Looking away, she glanced at Elsha and repeated herself, louder this time.

How did anyone have conversations in a place like this? Everyone would hear what they were talking about. There was no privacy.

“Are you sure?” Elsha asked.

She nodded and grabbed her drink. It was a smaller glass than Elsha’s, and it looked clear.

“I’m going to go dance! Come when you want!” Elsha shouted before leaving the booth.

Daisy kept her hand on her glass as she watched her friend go. She looked carefree right now. Daisy always wished she could do something similar one day, but with the anxiety running through her body at all moments, she knew she would never be able to.

She picked up her drink and took a small sip before spitting it out and coughing.

Shit.

What was in that?

“Are you okay?” a deep voice asked.

Daisy coughed and spluttered, trying to get that liquid out of her throat. The man sat down next to her, rubbing her back gently.

“You’re okay. Just let it all out,” he calmly said. “I’ve got you.”

Once she was done, Daisy kept her head down, mortified that she had just choked so much in a bar. What was she thinking? She should have gone and gotten the drink herself, but she trusted Elsha.

“Weren’t expecting alcohol?” the man asked.

She kept quiet, fidgeting with her hands. Maybe if she stayed quiet long enough, he would go away.

“Can you look at me?” he asked.

Daisy shook her head. There was no way she was going to look at him. Not after he’d just helped her.

“Come on, Little One. Look up at me,” he coaxed.

Daisy found herself raising her head and gazing into his hazel eyes.

“Such a good girl,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry,” she managed to get out.

“There is nothing for you to be sorry about. Where is your friend you came with?” he asked.

Daisy looked at him with wide eyes. How long had he been watching her? Was he one of those creeps who wanted to do something bad to her?

No.

She didn’t get that vibe from him.

Sitting next to her, he made her feel calm and safe like he would do anything to keep her protected.

“Sorry for overstepping your boundaries. I just saw how nervous you were when you walked in and didn’t want anyone to take advantage of you.

If you want, you can call some of my friends and talk to them to see that I am trustworthy,” the man offered.

“Jaxson, Leo, Finn, and several other guys and I own a business together.”

“Where?” she asked.

“At Behind the Scenes,” he replies.

Her eyes went impossibly wider. “You’re a Daddy?” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

The man chuckled. “Yes, I am. You know about Daddies?”

She nodded and flicked her gaze away, taking a deep breath. She needed to stop this conversation before she said something she would regret.

“Asher!” Elsha squealed. “What are you doing here?”

“I was sitting in the back corner when I saw this young lady coughing after taking a sip of her drink. Your friend?” Asher asked.

“Yes. Why were you coughing?” Elsha asked, turning her attention to Daisy.

“Oh, nothing,” she mumbled.

“Little girl, no lying,” Asher said.

“Daisy, what’s wrong with your drink? I asked for water, like you asked. I promise,” Elsha quickly said.

“It wasn’t water,” she told her friend, feeling guilty.

“No,” Elsha mumbled. “I am so sorry! I didn’t know. I asked for water and thought he gave it to me.”

“It’s okay,” Asher said. “What are you two girls doing at the bar?”

“We wanted to hang out together,” Elsha replied before taking a sip of her drink.

“Do you think Daisy wanted to come to a bar?” Asher asked, tilting his head to the side.

“She’s never been to one, but it’s so lively here.”

All Daisy wanted to do was go home, snuggle up to her dog, and read a book. She wanted to be far away from all these people.

Daisy started to scratch her arm, trying to keep her mind off the crowd. How much had they heard of their conversation?

“Daisy?” Elsha called out her name, but she didn’t pay any attention to it.

She needed to get her breathing under control before she started to really panic. She would embarrass herself if she had a panic attack in the middle of the bar.

Shit.

Don’t think like that.

“Daisy?” Elsha called her name once again. “Daisy?

“Little girl, listen to me,” Asher began. “Listen to my voice, and only to my voice.”

Daisy continued to scratch at her arm, trying to keep one thing constant. She needed it, or else she was going to break down right here, in front of all these people.

“I’m going to touch you,” Asher informed her before he cupped her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Focus on me and only me. Listen to my voice and nothing else. You are going to be okay.”

Was she, though?

Daisy knew it wasn’t a good idea to come to the bar, and yet she had forced herself to come. She didn’t want to disappoint Elsha. She didn’t want to lose her as a friend if she told her no.

“Good girl. Now take a slow, deep breath in. Hold it for a second. And slowly let it out. Good Little Girl. You are doing amazing. We are going to do it a couple more times to help you calm down,” he calmly explained.

Daisy continued to look into his eyes, drowning out everything but his voice, allowing herself to fully relax.

“Such a good girl,” he whispered.

Shivers ran through her at his words, making her blush. Daisy had never had a man call her that before.

Was she really a good girl?

“Do you want to go outside for a little while?” he asked her.

She nodded without thinking. When Asher went to let her hand go, she quickly squeezed tighter, not wanting to let go of him just yet.

“You’re okay.” He locked eyes with her. “I’m right here, and nothing is going to happen. I’m not going anywhere.”

It reassured her, even though she didn’t know Asher at all.

But he was a Daddy.

“Elsha, you can stay in here for a little while longer. I’m going to take Ms. Daisy out for some fresh air somewhere quieter,” Asher told her. “Come on, let’s go outside. Did you bring a coat?”

Daisy shook her head. She had taken a cab there and figured she would be inside for the night and wouldn’t need a jacket.

Asher frowned. “In this weather, you always need a jacket. I don’t care if you are going to be inside the whole time; you will bring a jacket with you next time. Understand?”

Daisy nodded.

“Words,” he prompted her.

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered as they walked to the door.

“Where are you going, Asher? I thought you just got here,” a man at the front of the bar door questioned.

“I’m taking Ms. Daisy out for some fresh air. Do you have my jacket?” Asher asked.

The man handed him something and met Daisy’s eyes, making her grip onto Asher’s hand tighter.

“Don’t scare her,” Asher growled.

The man raised his hands. “Didn’t mean to. I was going to keep an eye on her, but Matt needed me to do something.”

“You let her in when you knew something was off?” Asher asked.

“I can’t deny people entry when they are over the age limit. You know that.” The man pinned him with a look. “Don’t tell me how to do my job.”

Asher sighed and looked down at Daisy. “Ready to go outside?”

She looked outside and shivered, preparing herself for the cold. She wouldn’t be able to stay out there for long, not in a short-sleeved shirt. Daisy had been freezing when she’d walked from the cab to the bar.

“Wear this,” Asher said as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. “Put your arms through.”

She followed his command before he ushered her outside. Daisy immediately took a deep breath in, letting the cold air penetrate her lungs and calm her down even more.

“Why didn’t you tell Elsha you didn’t want to go to a bar?” Asher asked, and Daisy’s whole body tensed.