CHAPTER 5
SCARLETT
Thorin walks into the room with a plate in his hand. I try to look to see what is on the plate, but I can’t. He is just holding it high enough that I can’t see anything.
“I made grilled cheese for you. Cut the crust off as well,” he says, sitting in the chair next to the bed.
I start to move Juniper, but Thorin places his free hand on my arm.
“I’ll feed you,” he gently says.
“Oh, it’s okay. I just need to move her, and I can feed myself,” I reply.
“Let me rephrase myself. I am feeding you.”
My mouth forms an O shape, and I nod. I can’t help but feel arousal flood through me as he takes control, telling me what he is going to do.
“Good girl,” he praises. “Such a good girl for Daddy.”
My cheeks turn red, and I look away for a brief second. I don’t think I am ever going to get used to him calling me a good girl.
“Open,” he commands.
I look back and obey, taking a bite as he holds it up to my lips. Cheesy flavor bursts in my mouth, and I can’t help but moan.
“So good,” I whisper.
“Yeah?”
I nod and open my mouth, desperate for another bite. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now.
Daddy chuckles and holds up the grilled cheese again. I take several more bites, him feeding me each one. He even checks the temperature of a new piece when I’ve finished the first.
Something I wasn’t expecting.
Even my first Daddy never made sure my food was the perfect temperature so I wouldn’t burn my mouth. But he was a good Daddy, he just didn’t like to feed other people.
I don’t hold that against him, but I always longed to be fed, and now I am. Thorin—Daddy—is feeding me. Making sure that I have enough food and I’m not going to burn my mouth.
I whine as I eat the last bit of grilled cheese, not wanting it to be over.
“I can make you more if you want,” he gently offers. “It’ll only take me a couple of minutes.”
I shake my head and lean against the pillow, closing my eyes for a couple of seconds. With food in my body, my eyes feel heavy as my body starts to digest the delicious meal.
“Let’s get you lying down so you can fall asleep if you want to,” Daddy soothingly says. “I’ll put Juniper in her crib and place it next to the bed.”
“What about your bed?” I whisper.
“I’ll be in the chair in case you need anything.”
I open my eyes before looking at the chair he is sitting in. While he fits into it, it definitely doesn’t look good to sleep in.
“That doesn’t look comfortable. I can move to another room so you can have your bed back,” I softly reply.
“If you move to a different room, I’ll just sit in the chair in there while you sleep,” he says, looking me in the eyes.
“Oh.”
“Scarlett, Little One. I’m staying near you for a while. Taking the next couple of days off work to be with you in case you need anything.”
My eyes bug out. “You don’t have to do that!”
He shakes his head. “Don’t need to, but I want to,” he grunts. “Someday, I am going to get that through to you. If I never do, then I’ll always remind you. I don’t have to do a lot of things, but I will if it involves you and Juniper in any way.”
I blink several times, not knowing how to respond. My first reaction is to tell him to stop, but I don’t. My second reaction is to cry, which I don’t want to do either.
“Shhh, you’re okay,” he whispers, cupping my face with his hands. “Daddy is right here. I’m not going anywhere. I know you’ve been through a lot in the past couple of days, but I’m here now. I’m going to protect you and our daughter.”
Our daughter.
He called Juniper our daughter and not mine. Oh my goodness. Does he actually mean it?
“Yes, our daughter. I’ve laid my claim on you, and I’m not letting you go. Never. You’re stuck with me on this mountain for the rest of our lives.”
“I’m okay with that,” I mutter, not fully thinking through my words. My eyes go wide once again. “Umm, let me think about it?”
He chuckles. “You can think about it as much as you want, but you aren’t going anywhere. I will tie you to the bed if I have to. I’ll feed you every meal and take you to the bathroom if you try to leave.”
“That will kind of be awkward when Juniper gets older and asks questions,” I mumble.
“Or our other kids, but yes, awkward. But if it comes to that, I’m sure we’ll figure out a reason behind it.” He shrugs.
My mouth drops open. He did not just say that.
“You are not tying me up!” I exclaim, overcoming my shock.
“Won’t tie you down unless you try to leave me.”
“Caveman,” I growl.
“More like Mountain Man, but yes.”
I roll my eyes and look away from him. He can be infuriating, and he knows it with the smug grin on his face.
“Now, do you want to stay in this bed or be moved to a different one?” he asks.
“You really are going to sit in the chair the whole night?” I look back at him.
He nods. “Would put another bed in here, but the room is too small. I also don’t want to get in the way. Need to be alert in case anything happens.”
I suck in a breath. “Something is going to happen?”
“No, nothing is going to happen. But even then, I will always be prepared. With me sitting on this chair as both of you sleep, I am between you and the door. When you are comfortable with me in your bed, I will always be closer to the door so I can protect you and Juniper for as long as she’s in our room. ”
I stare at him as he finishes speaking. “Wow,” I whisper.
“What?”
I shake my head.
“Little One,” he growls.
“I just wasn’t expecting that!” I rush out. “Wasn’t expecting to say you were going to put yourself between the door and us,” I quickly explain.
Thorin leans forward and cups my face with his hands.
“I don’t know who you were with before, but you already mean everything to me.
You and Juniper. I am going to protect you with my life.
You are going to be safe, and nothing is going to happen.
You two are my top priority right now. If we have more children, they will be protected, too. ”
I open and close my mouth several times, and tears pool in my eyes. I blink several times, trying to get them to stop, but they just fall down my cheeks.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” he gently says as he wipes away the tears.
“Hormones,” I choke out.
But I know even if I hadn’t just had a baby and all my hormones weren’t out of whack, I would still be crying from everything he just said. How can I not? It’s every girl’s dream to have someone to protect them, cherish them, and be their priority.
I’ve never had that.
Now Thorin is throwing all of this at me, and he hasn’t even known me that long.
“Really?” I whisper. “You mean everything you just said?”
Thorin leans even closer, giving my lips a little peck and nodding. “Every single word. And if you need me to remind you every day, I will, but I’m also going to show you with my actions.”
We stare at each other for several seconds before Daddy pulls away from me.
“Let me grab Juniper and put her in her crib. Then you can fall asleep. If you need anything, let me know. I’ll be right here the whole time.”
“What if you need to pee?” I ask out of nowhere. “You won’t be here.”
Daddy chuckles. “You’re right. Good thing you won’t notice I’m gone if I have to pee. And if you’re awake, I’ll let you know.”
“And if I’m asleep, you’ll just leave without telling me?”
“I’m not going to wake you up. You need your sleep, and I don’t want to interrupt it,” he gently says.
“I know, I just. I don’t know why I was asking that.” I look down at Juniper in my arms.
Daddy had already brought the crib next to the bed.
“Little One, it’s okay. I’m not mad at you for asking questions. You can ask me anything.” He cups my face once again.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“I don’t want you to say sorry when you don’t need to.”
“So—” I stop myself. “Right. Well, I don’t know what to say now.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he says.
“But then it might be an awkward silence, and I don’t want that.”
“Look at me,” he commands. “Good girl. So what if it’s an awkward silence? I don’t care. We could always have music on if you’re worried about it.”
“Oh, no, that’s okay. I just probably need to get over it,” I brush it off.
“Nope.”
My eyebrows raise. “Nope?”
“Yeah, nope. You are not going to just push it to the side like it doesn’t mean anything.
It obviously does, and we are going to make sure it doesn’t happen.
I can’t guarantee there won’t be any awkward moments, but I’ll try to keep them to a minimum,” he says.
“Though I have a feeling there won’t be any. We this strong connection.”
“I don’t know.” I sound so unsure.
I’ve never had that with anyone, so I don’t know if what he is telling me is true.
“I’ll just show you,” he says. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“I guess?”
Daddy smiles and holds his arms open. “Let me put Juniper down so we can go to sleep. She’ll be right here the whole time.”
I look at Juniper and snuggle her for several seconds before giving her to Daddy. It feels so weird to have someone else taking care of her. I know I just gave birth to her, but he would never have taken care of her.
He was planning on selling her.
“Promise she’ll be here and you won’t do anything?” I ask and immediately regret it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I know you won’t.”
Daddy places Juniper in the crib gently before turning back to me.
“You’re okay,” he gently coos at me. “I’m not mad at you asking me that. You have every right to ask me since I’m a stranger. I promise that she’ll be right here the whole night. As soon as you wake up, you’ll see her. I won’t do anything. Well, unless I am handing her to you.”
I let out a breath of air and nod. “Thank you.”
“Any time. And if you wake up and need to see her and can’t, you call out for me and I’ll show you. I don’t care what time it is; you wake me up.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, tears pooling in my eyes once again.
He is being really sweet and I can’t take it. Everything he is doing is the opposite of everything I have endured.
“Good night, Little One,” he whispers, kissing my forehead after he helps me lay back.
“Goodnight,” I whisper, getting comfortable.