Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sydney
Okay, obviously Sydney hadn’t thought this going back to work business through.
It had made perfect sense in her head. She needed the money.
She wanted the routine. And, if she were honest, she missed it.
Missed the confidence she felt when talking to her clients, the satisfaction of helping someone through a tough spot, even the mind-numbing admin tasks.
What she hadn’t thought through was the minor detail that her phone was currently under Daddy Levi’s lock and key.
And she needed that phone to get into pretty much everything on her laptop, as she had it password-protected to the hilt.
Her phone had been with him and Master Derek pretty much from the moment she stepped foot on the Ranch.
And she hadn’t asked for it back because… well, it had felt good, actually. Safe. Not having to think about it. From the updates they’d been giving her, she knew that he was still sending her messages. Not that she knew how, because her South African SIM wasn’t supposed to be able to work here.
But now… now she wanted to work again. Which meant facing that little glowing rectangle and everything attached to it.
Ugh.
She sat cross-legged in her new pink chair, Banana in her lap, a notebook open in front of her where she’d written “Work Stuff” in giant bubble letters that filled the whole page. She hadn’t written anything else. Just stared at the paper while anxiety clawed at her ribcage.
If she asked for her phone, would Levi think she wasn’t taking his protection seriously? Would it feel like she was choosing Greg’s messages over her Daddies’ safety plan?
Would he say no?
Maybe she shouldn’t be going back to work. Maybe she should just hide under the blanket fort Roland had built her in the corner of the apartment instead.
But then she remembered her clients. Real people who’d trusted her. Who might be wondering if she was okay. Who might need her.
She stood up with a groan, fluffed Banana’s ears, and shuffled down the hall to the kitchen where Levi was stirring something in a pot on the stove, one hand holding a wooden spoon, the other resting casually on his hip.
He looked… Daddy. Just so much Daddy she could barely remember why she ever tried to be brave without him.
“Daddy?” she asked softly.
He turned, eyes instantly landing on her. “There’s my girl. Everything alright?”
Sydney hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. “I was thinking… well, I know I said I’d start next week, but maybe I could get started on doing a bit of work again.”
Levi didn’t answer right away. He just gave the sauce a final stir and turned off the burner before coming over. His hands settled gently on her shoulders.
“You sure?” he asked. “Because your face says you’re thinking about jumping into a lake full of eels.”
That made her laugh, even if it was a wet one. “It’s just scary. Not the work, really. I enjoy my work. It’s just… asking for my phone. I know you’ve been keeping it for a reason.”
“I have,” he agreed, rubbing his thumb along her shoulder. “Because Greg’s messages were escalating. And in the beginning we needed it to try and track him down.”
She nodded, eyes dipping.
“But I also trust you,” he added. “And if you say you’re ready, we’ll figure it out.”
Sydney blinked up at him, surprised. “You mean it?”
“I do. I just don’t think we should put that old phone back in your hand.”
Her heart sank a little. “Oh.”
Levi stepped away and opened a drawer and pulled out a small white box.
“When you spoke to Derek and me about needing to get back to work, I thought this might happen,” he said, holding it out. “So I went ahead and took care of it.”
She stared at it.
“A phone?” she whispered.
“A brand new one,” Levi said, smiling gently.
“New number. New start. I cloned the basics over from your old one for now. It has your email, your cloud stuff, a few apps that looked like they might be work-related, and Roland added his favorite music app, obviously, but you can reach out to your clients with new contact info when you’re ready. ”
Sydney’s throat tightened. She reached out and took the box, cradling it like something precious. “You did this for me?”
“Of course I did,” he said, cupping her cheek. “Because I want you to feel safe. And capable. You can do this, babygirl. We’ll set boundaries so you don’t overwork, and I’ll help however you need.”
Tears prickled behind her eyes, and she threw her arms around him. “Thank you, Daddy. Thank you so much.”
He held her close, rubbing her back. “I’m proud of you for asking. That took guts.”
She sniffled. “Can I send out the new info this afternoon? Maybe just check in with a few clients to start?”
“Absolutely. But you take a snack break in the middle, or I swear I’ll come sit on your lap while you’re typing.”
Sydney giggled. “That sounds more like a reward than a punishment.”
“Don’t tempt me, little miss.”
He gave her a soft kiss and sent her off to her desk with a pat to her butt and Sydney couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at his antics.
She didn’t send all the emails that afternoon, just a few.
Her welcome-back message was brief, professional, and full of apologies.
She updated her contact details, offered flexible hours to accommodate the time zone difference or alternatively, an out on their contracts if that wouldn’t work for her clients, and hit “send” before she could overthink it.
Then she sat there, a little breathless, heart fluttering like a trapped bird.
But it was done.
The world didn’t end.
Greg hadn’t materialized out of the shadows.
Nothing cracked or shattered. She just… worked.
Carefully. Slowly. Like stepping back into her old life wearing brand-new shoes.
And it had made her feel better, more in control.
Starting tomorrow she’d work through the responses and set up regular working hours again so she could get back to her old self.
Well, maybe not her old-old self. Because that Sydney was sad, lonely and missed out on life.
She was still at the table, laptop open, fingers half-poised over the keys, when Levi appeared at her elbow holding a little pink plate.
“Snack delivery,” he said with a grin and a wink. “Unless you want me to come sit on your lap.”
Sydney looked down.
A cookie sat in the center of the plate, delicately iced with white and gold swirls. On top sat a note in Levi’s masculine handwriting. “Proud of you, baby.”
Her throat closed up again, but this time in the good way.
She took the cookie and looked up at Levi, blinking fast. “I guess, I will have to, because if you sat on my lap, we might break my pretty new chair, and we can’t have that.”
Levi responded by leaning over and placing a tender a kiss on her brow before tapping her nose. “Now go on, take a bite, and I’ll even pretend a cookie is a healthy snack.”
Sydney laughed, even as tears slipped down her cheeks. “From that, I take it I won’t be getting sugar cookies every day?”
He laughed as he walked back to the kitchen. “You bet your red ass you won’t.”
Sydney looked down at the cookie in her hand and mumbled, “Maybe I’ll take that red ass for a sweet treat.”