CHAPTER 6
SCARLETT
It’s been several days since I woke up in Daddy’s bed. To say it has been boring is an understatement. He has kept me lying in bed, only allowing me get up to use the bathroom for several days.
I’m not used to that.
Normally, I’m up and about, getting things done, but I haven’t walked a step since I arrived.
Daddy always carries me to the bathroom and back to bed. I’ve tried to convince him that I can walk, but he said Aiden didn’t want me to rest as much as possible. I wanted to call his bluff, but he threatened to call Aiden and have him give me a full checkup.
Yeah, I backed down real quick.
Thankfully, Daddy hasn’t stayed in the bathroom while I’ve peed yet. I would be mortified if he did. He has offered several times and offered to wipe me after, but I declined.
I don’t think I am that young when I slip into Little Space. Or maybe I am and just haven’t found the person I can be that young around.
Him cleaning me up after I pee is very intimate, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I’m still a little sensitive down there. I don’t want him touching it and wiping me too hard.
So maybe I do want him to help me at some point, but I’m not going to let him know that.
“Little One?” Daddy sounds worried. “Where are you?”
I’m currently hiding in the bathroom after doing my business. He said he needed to take care of something at the lodge and that he would only be there for twenty minutes. Well, that turned into almost two hours, and I needed to go potty.
So a few minutes ago, I got up and slowly walked to the bathroom. But I heard the door open right after the toilet flushed.
He knows I’m not in my bed.
“Little One?” he calls out again.
Slowly, I open the door and look at Daddy, who has his arms crossed over his chest. He doesn’t look happy at all.
“Hi, Daddy. Did your work go okay?” I ask.
“Do not try to change the subject. What are you doing out of bed?”
“How was I changing the subject? You asked me where I was, and I said hi to show you I was in the bathroom. Then I asked you a question,” I sass back.
So, I’ve gotten really comfortable around him the past couple of days. Maybe it was because I got cranky when I asked him to let me walk and he said no. He threatened me again to tie me to the bed, so I stopped asking.
But that doesn’t mean I was happy with his decision.
“Scarlett,” he growls.
“What? I was just telling the truth.” I shrug, taking a step out of the bathroom.
“Freeze!” he shouts.
I stop moving and look at him, letting out a sigh. He is going to come over here, pick me up, and put me back in bed.
“Stay right there,” Daddy says as he walks over and does exactly that.
“Daddy,” I whine. “I’m perfectly fine. I feel a lot better now. I walked to the bathroom to use it on my own.”
“I saw that,” he deadpans as he places me on the bed.
I glare at him as he stands in front of me.
“I wasn’t doing anything wrong!” I raise my voice.
“I said no walking unless I am with you. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
“Do you want me to pee in your bed?” I ask back, attitude clear in my tone.
“No, but if I wasn’t here, should have waited. If you couldn’t wait, I would have changed the mattress and covers,” he gently says.
I open and close my mouth several times.
“I didn’t know how long you were going to be.
I wasn’t about to lie in my pee for hours and not know when you were coming back.
I have regained some of my strength. I wasn’t going for a walk.
I just took myself to the bathroom to use it. Nothing wrong with that.”
“You could have hurt yourself!” His voice rises a bit.
“But I didn’t. I’m not going to say sorry for walking to the bathroom when I’m okay. It’s good for me to move around.” I look at him like he’s grown two heads.
I know when I first got here, Aiden wanted me on bed rest. I understand that, but it’s been several days, and I know I am okay to walk a little. I feel so much better than I did before.
“But you could have hurt yourself,” he gently says, cupping my face. “I don’t know what I would have done if you had. What if I got held up and couldn’t come for a few more hours and you were lying on the floor?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I’m sorry for making you worry, but I am okay. I would have shouted until someone walking by would have heard me.”
“I’m getting you a phone. Next time, you can call me and I’ll come back to help you get to the bathroom,” he declares, ignoring what I just said.
“You don’t need to come back when I’m perfectly capable of walking to the bathroom by myself.” I scoff.
“Yes, I do. You could hurt yourself, and I’m not going to allow that to happen.”
“You can just get me a phone so if I fall, I can call you,” I suggest.
He shakes his head. “I am going to be here to prevent you from falling. I don’t want to get a call when you have. Nope. No way.”
I sigh and lean my face into his touch. I am not going to win this fight. Not when he is high on his emotions. If I am going to get through to him, I will need to wait until he calms down.
“Okay, sure,” I reply, huffing once again.
A wave of exhaustion weighs heavy on me. Daddy is intently looking at me with that reverence in his eyes again.
Love.
This time, I know I’m not imagining it. He really is looking at me like he loves me, and I can believe it. Daddy has made sure I’ve had everything I need, felt safe, and taken care of Juniper when I needed to take a minute.
“Do you need to lie down and rest?” Daddy gently asks. “Maybe take a nap?”
“No,” I whisper.
I’m sick and tired of staying in bed, taking a nap, and doing absolutely nothing.
“No?” Daddy raises an eyebrow.
“Yes, no. I don’t want to lie down anymore. I want to leave this room, please,” I beg.
Daddy looks at me, unsure. “I don’t know. I think you should rest a bit longer.”
“I’m not an invalid!” I raise my voice. “I want out of this room. I am going crazy. I feel like the walls are closing in on me, and I can’t do it anymore. You can carry me out of this room and place me on the couch, but I need out.”
Tears well in my eyes as I stare at him. He blinks repeatedly. What is he doing? Why isn’t he saying anything?
“Please, Daddy,” I beg, looking him in the eyes. “I need to smell fresh air. I need to be able to see out the window.”
“You’ll obey my orders?” he asks.
“Yes.” I nod enthusiastically.
If he lets me sit on the couch today, I will say yes to anything. I don’t care as long as I escape out of this room.
“If you do as I say, you can sit on the couch,” he gently says, kissing my lips.
I moan and push my head forward when he tries to pull back. Everything in me wants him to touch me, but I know he can’t. I’m still healing.
“I know, Little One. Soon, but not today,” he murmurs. “Do you need to take anything from this room with you?”
“Just Juniper,” I reply.
“I’m going to carry you into the living room and then I’ll come back for Juniper,” he says before picking me up.
I nestle my face into his shoulder as he carries me out of our room. Once he sits me on the couch, I take in a couple of seconds to look around. It’s just like I expected. A barren log cabin. He doesn’t have anything hanging on his walls and has very minimal things on the ground.
There are no pillows or blankets on either of the two couches, but there is a little coffee table in front of them with a fireplace and a TV mounted on the wall.
“You stay right here, I’ll be back with Juniper in a second.” Daddy kisses my forehead before walking off.
I wrap my arms around my torso, waiting for Daddy. Juniper has been sleeping on and off all day and night. When she is awake, she loves to snuggle in my arms or in Daddy’s.
It honestly scares me a little how much she likes being in his arms. She doesn’t know that he is a complete stranger, though there isn’t really anything for her to worry about. I didn’t think she would be so comfortable around a stranger.
Yet, she is a newborn baby, and it’s my responsibility to keep her away from people who pose a risk.
Daddy isn’t dangerous though… that I know of.
“I’m going to put her in her Moses basket in here,” Daddy says as he sets her next to me.
I didn’t realize there was a crib already in the living room. I pinch my eyebrows together as I look at him.
Did you buy all of these?” I ask, my eyes bugging wide. “How much money have you spent?”
“Shh, you’re okay,” he soothingly says. “There are four in total. Two were a gift from my sister, and I bought two. I want one for every room so we don’t have to carry them around everywhere.”
My mouth hangs open as I look at him. “I would have been fine carrying them into the other room or just placing her on a blanket with pillows next to her. Though, I don’t see many blankets.”
I instantly regret my words.
“We’ll buy more. I’ve already got a couple on hold in town that someone is going to collect in the next couple of days. Just need to make sure we don’t need anything else.”
“No, you don’t have to do that. I didn’t mean to say that, so you would spend money. Really, I’m fine with just one soft blanket and a couple of pillows from the bed. That’s all we need,” I rush out.
Daddy places a finger against my lips, hushing me. “You’re okay. I’m not mad at you. I’m doing this because I want to spoil you both.”
I open my mouth to say something, but he gently hushes me again.
“You aren’t going to argue about this. I have plenty of money. Buying a couple of soft blankets and two cribs made no dent in my bank account. I promise. And I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. I want to spoil you two.”
“But I don’t need them, we don’t need them,” I whisper.
“I know you don’t need them, but you want them. I’m going to get them for you. Let me spoil you two?” he asks. “Please?”
I can’t help but smile and nod as he says please. “O-okay. I’ll try to let you spoil both of us.”
Daddy kisses me on the lips. “Thank you.”