Chapter 9
BEAU
I hadn’t stopped thinking about how good Rebekah felt in my arms yesterday. The touch of her skin, the sweet smell of her shampoo, and the way she leaned into my embrace plagued my mind.
I didn’t know what possessed me to wrap my arms around her while she was target shooting, but in that moment, it felt right. I shouldn’t have done it, though. I needed to remain professional. Bosses didn’t normally wrap their employees in an embrace.
I couldn’t bring myself to care about professionalism, even though I knew I needed to. Rebekah just called to all of my Daddy senses, and it was hard for me to ignore them.
I stood at my kitchen window and stared across the yard. I had a perfect view of her house from here, and I found myself staring out of it more often than I would ever admit if asked.
I hadn’t seen much movement all day, and I knew I shouldn’t care, but I did. It was almost dinner time, and I wondered if she had plans tonight. Before I could stop myself, I grabbed my phone and opened our messages.
Beau: Hey Rebekah
Rebekah: Hi Beau! To what do I owe this honor?
I grinned at her text. Someone was being cheeky today.
Beau: I was just texting to see how you were.
Beau: And wondering if you had dinner plans tonight?
Rebekah: I’m okay! Been spending a lot of time outside today.
Rebekah: Uh… I don’t have much planned. will probably eat a turkey sandwich and some chips. I need to go grocery shopping.
Beau: How about I bring over some dinner and you save your turkey sandwich for a different night?
I had no clue what possessed me to ask that question, but I couldn’t take it back now. Not that I wanted to. Any reason I could find to spend time with Rebekah outside of work, I was willing to take. Fuck boundaries at this point.
It felt like an eternity had passed before my phone buzzed again, showing that she had finally texted me back.
Rebekah: No need to do that! Really… A sandwich is okay with me.
Beau: What did I tell you about things I didn’t need but want to do?
Rebekah: That you don’t do anything you don’t want to.
Beau: Exactly, so please. Let me.
Rebekah: Okay, sure. I would like that.
Beau: I’ll see you soon then.
Rebekah: See you soon
I resisted the urge to celebrate, barely. Spinning around, I looked to see what Gloria had packed into my freezer for this week. Finding a pan of chicken alfredo, I grabbed it and a box of garlic bread before locking my house up and walking across the street to Rebekah’s.
Juggling stuff around, I rang the doorbell. I waited to hear the chime play, but it never came. Guess her doorbell doesn’t work. Lifting my hand, I knocked once before the door opened, revealing my Little girl.
I might have had doubts that Rebekah might be a Little, but those all vanished.
Though I guess the right term to describe her would be Middle.
She stood before me wearing yoga pants decorated with some kind of swirly pattern and a tie-dyed hoodie.
Her hair was pulled into two space-bun-looking things on the top of her head, and she had bows that matched the colors of her hoodie.
“Did you check to see who was standing at your door before you opened it?”
I watched her eyes widen. “I knew that it was you. We were just texting, so I knew you would be here soon.”
“That doesn’t matter. What if I had been someone who was trying to harm you? You should always look before you open the door to someone.”
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“What?” I asked. Why would she think I was going to hurt her?
“I asked if you were going to hurt me? Cause if not, then I think I’m in the clear and was safe to open the door.”
“Little girl,” I growled out.
“I’m kidding! I’ll remember to check before I open the door next time.”
I knew that she was only saying that to appease me, but I’d accept it for now.
Moving inside, I placed everything on the counter before turning and taking in what she’d done to the place.
It looked a lot better, considering the last time I was inside here, I felt like I’d walked away with seven different diseases.
A surge of pride bubbled inside me, knowing that she had done most of this work herself, but I was also pissed that she’d had to. Rebekah should have had someone bending over backward to take care of her, and thinking that someone should be me was wishful thinking.
I turned on the oven to preheat and started unwrapping the food. Rebekah had slipped out of my line of sight, and I didn’t even notice. Looking everywhere, I took my time admiring her space before I found her in the backyard.
Rebekah looked adorable, elbow deep in the dirty digging and planting flowers. I stood just inside the door and watched her carefree and in her own world. She looked so much younger right now, and it was tugging at my heartstrings to take care of her.
Hearing the beeping of the oven, I went back and put the food in, setting a timer on my watch. When I returned, I dragged over a chair from her table to sit just outside the door and pulled out my phone to check my emails.
There was no rest for the wicked, which meant my job was never over with.
Spotting an email at the top, I opened it and scanned the contents before forwarding it to Seth.
He would do a little research and let me know if it was something we should take on.
If so, we would gather the guys together and hit the road again.
My eyes locked with Rebekah’s as she turned and gave me a small wave. She had a dirt smear along her forehead as if you wiped it with the back of her hand. I gave her a wave back before turning back to clearing my inbox.
Before long, my watch buzzed, letting me know the timer was done. A little snooping around in her kitchen found some plates and set the table. Carrying the food and a glass of water for us both, I made sure everything was ready before I turned and called her into the house.
“Rebekah, darling, it’s time to come in and get washed up for dinner.”
“No, thanks, I’m okay right now.”
Well, this wasn’t going to go over well. It was clear that she had no intention of listening to me, but I also knew that she needed to eat. I had to tread lightly because I wasn’t dealing with Big Rebekah. I made my way over and dropped to my knees beside her.
“Now, Rebekah, you know that you need to eat something so you can continue to plant your flowers.”
“But if I don’t finish it today, the fairies won’t come.”
“Fairies?”
“Yes! The fairies who live in the neighborhood need somewhere to rest. So I’m building them a fairy garden.”
“Ah, I see. Do you think the fairies would be happy if you made yourself sick because you didn’t eat something to stay strong and couldn’t build their new favorite hangout spot?”
Watching the wheels turn in her eyes, I knew I had won the battle. It didn’t take much to convince her to see my side of things. As she opened her mouth to continue to argue, her stomach let out a loud grumble.
“See, even your belly says that it’s time to eat. Come take a break, and once you are done, you can come back and continue to work until it’s time to get washed up for bed.”
It was a risk talking to her like this, but she wasn’t in the headspace to make decisions on her own. I would be a horrible Daddy if I didn’t take care of her while she was vulnerable.
Hiding my laughter at her annoyed little huff, I offered my hand and helped her stand before we walked inside to get washed up. Rebekah skipped into the kitchen and dropped into the chair I pulled out for her.
“Hands all clean?”
“Yep! All clean. Want to see?” she offered, shoving her hands into my face before I could respond.
“I do see, thank you. Very good girl. Now, eat up.”
Rebekah grabbed her fork and dug in, letting out a small groan that had my pants tightening. Trying to discreetly adjust myself, I picked up my own fork and began to eat while enjoying the company of the precious Little girl sitting across from me.