Chapter 22
Bryson
I’m still shaking thirty minutes later when we leave Lillian’s apartment.
I’m furious with her mother. How could anyone treat their own child that way?
And where is her father? What a wuss. His wife flew across the country to stomp into her grown daughter’s apartment and demand she come home as though she were five years old? And the man doesn’t even come along?
I don’t share my aggravation with Lillian. She doesn’t need to know my thoughts. She understands all of this. Even though she’s being strong and refuses to let herself cry, she’s hurting. I don’t think until today she really realized that her mother would behave quite so badly.
I’ve never struck a woman, but I swear if that lady had gotten one inch closer to my girl… I don’t know what I would have done, but I’m glad I didn’t have to. When the bitch finally stepped into the hallway, I had the satisfaction of slamming the door in her face.
I don’t realize how tightly I’m gripping Lillian’s small hand until I release it to drop her suitcase and backpack so I can lift her into my truck.
I reach across to buckle her in and then lift her fingers to my lips and kiss her knuckles.
“Sorry, Baby,” I whisper, trying to calm myself. “I didn’t mean to squeeze you so hard.”
She cups the side of my head and pulls me down for an awkward hug. “It’s okay.”
After stowing her bags behind her, I shut her door and look all around one more time.
I don’t see evidence of her mother, but the woman is unhinged.
I don’t trust her. Finally I round to the driver’s side and climb in.
It’s not until I shut the door that I take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
We spent half an hour in a mad rush to get out of her apartment.
I don’t think it was necessary to be quite so frazzled, but once Lillian’s mother was gone, I was focused on two things: making sure my girl was okay and getting her the fuck out of there.
I turn toward her. “I hope you don’t mind a detour. Instead of going out to lunch somewhere, I thought we would go to Camden and Simone’s for a while. I’ve already texted Camden to let him know. Is that okay?”
She smiles and nods. “It’s probably a good idea. I should talk to Simone.”
And I need to talk to Camden. If he’s got surveillance on anyone in Chicago, I need to know about it.
“Did you tell Camden what happened with my mother?”
“No, Baby. I just said we had some things to discuss and invited us over to their house for lunch.” I snicker at my wording. That’s basically what happened.
Somehow, Lillian has the strength to giggle. “Maybe he is making boxed mac and cheese,” she jokes.
I pick up her hand and kiss her fingers again. I need to be touching her. When I’m done, I set her small palm on my thigh and pat it. “Keep your hand here, sweet girl.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she says softly.
That’s right, Little girl. I’m your Daddy.
Our drive is quiet. I’m sure Lillian is deep in her head like I am. But it doesn’t take long before I’m pulling up in front of Camden and Simone’s house.
I love that Lillian waits for me to help her out of the truck. I’m feeling so fucking possessive of her that I want to carry her. But that seems like overkill, so I set her on her feet, but I hold her hand once again as we head for the front door.
Camden opens it before we reach the porch.
Simone ducks under his arm. She glances from me to Lillian and back again before gasping. “What happened?”
I’m not surprised that she can see our distress on our faces. It’s impossible to hide our somber expressions or Lillian’s swollen eyes. She may have worked hard not to cry, but her eyes are puffy as though she had.
“Mom happened,” Lillian informs her as she lets go of my hand to hug her sister.
“Oh my God,” Simone shrieks. “What? Did she show up at your apartment?”
“Yep. And she was crazier than ever.”
Camden’s brow is furrowed as he ushers us inside.
Simone turns toward Camden. “Daddy, please can we go to the playroom?”
“Yes, Little one.” He shifts his attention to me. “If it’s okay with Bryson.”
My heart is still beating too fast, but I don’t miss the way Camden defers to me as though it’s a given that I make decisions for Lillian.
She and I haven’t had a serious discussion yet about what our dynamic will look like in private, let alone in front of other people.
But she looks to me with wide, hopeful eyes.
I turn to her, lift her by the waist, and hold her flat against me, eye to eye. I kiss her gently and move my lips to her ears. “Are you okay, sweet girl?” I whisper.
She nods. “Yes, Daddy.” She’s obviously feeling Little.
That’s good because I’m feeling extremely Dominant and overbearing.
This is my woman. I want her to be happy.
I want to be able to protect her against the sort of thing that happened today.
I wasn’t there when her mother showed up. It won’t happen again.
I continue speaking softly in her ear. “I think you need some time with your sister, but come get me immediately if you need me. Okay?”
“Yes, Daddy.” She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly.
It’s not until I set her back on her feet and watch her walk up the stairs with Simone that I realize her pretty white dress was probably hitched up a bit too high. Undoubtedly, both Camden and Simone saw her panties. It didn’t even make Lillian flinch. Either she wasn’t aware, or she didn’t care.
Camden waits while I watch the women disappear before he claps a hand on my shoulder. “Coffee?”
“That’d be great.” I follow him into the kitchen, where I find a platter of sandwiches sitting on the island.
“I made girly lunch,” he says, laughing. “Some days you just have to eat silly sandwiches in bite-sized triangles with the crusts cut off. It’s in the Daddy handbook.”
I smirk. “I’m learning.” I take a seat at the island and accept the mug he slides in front of me before giving him the rundown on what happened.
Camden groans when I finish. “Fuck. To answer your question, yes, I did have a PI following the girls’ parents for a few weeks.
I wanted to know their every movement. I can tell you their father, Richard, mostly goes to his office and back home.
He plays golf with a group of men twice a week.
My PI saw no evidence of him deviating from his regular life over the disappearance of his second daughter. ”
“And their mom? What’s her name? I didn’t even ask.”
“Carolyn.” Camden glances toward the entrance to the kitchen before turning back and lowering his voice.
“Truly snobby bitch. I don’t think she even communicates with her husband.
She looked angry and frustrated in the pictures my guy took, but she immediately shuts that down as soon as she’s at the club.
Fakest shit I’ve ever seen. I’m not surprised she lied to everyone and made up a story about Lillian visiting Simone, even though she had no idea where Lillian was. ”
“What about Herman Westheimer?”
Camden chuckles sardonically. “Unaffected. Went about his life working for his father. I have plenty of pictures of him out with friends for drinks. Doesn’t look grief-stricken to me.
He’s even been seen on dates with more than one woman.
Granted, that doesn’t mean he didn’t intend to marry into the Lighton family, but if he’s a philanderer, I doubt he would have stopped dating. ”
I blow out a relieved breath. “That’s good. Hopefully, he doesn’t care that Lillian left.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about Herman. If I had thought so, I would have warned you weeks ago. I didn’t want to interfere in your relationship. That was for Lillian to share when she was ready. But I would have if I’d thought she was in danger.”
I nod. “Thank you. Appreciate it.” I run a hand over my hair. Who knew falling in love would be so fucking stressful. Suddenly, someone is more important in my life than me. I don’t like her hurting, and I certainly don’t like her in danger.
“She’s not going to stay in that apartment tonight, right?” Camden asks.
I shake my head. “Fuck no.”
“She’s welcome to stay here,” Camden says with a laughable smirk.
I chuckle. “No. But thank you. I’ve got it.”
“Figured. But I had to offer.”
“Appreciate it. I’ll contact Black Blade Protection and have someone make sure Carolyn Lighton leaves town.”
“Do you really think she’ll stick around and try to get Lillian alone?”
I shrug. “She won’t be successful if she does. Luckily, my neighborhood is gated, and I have a state-of-the-art alarm system. I’ve already lectured Lillian about the difference between discipline for safety infractions and discipline for silly things like running in the house.”
Camden laughs. “Yep. Welcome to age play.”
“You’re not back at work at the university yet, right?” I ask, my jaw tight.
“No. I still have a few weeks of summer vacation left. Happy to help. Would you like Lillian to come over here during the day while you’re at work for a while until you’re confident no one is going to catch her unaware?”
I blow out a breath. “Yes. I’d appreciate it.” I groan and tip my head back. Who knew I’d be arranging for someone to protect my girlfriend? I hope she doesn’t balk at the idea. I won’t be able to fully focus on my job if I’m constantly worrying about her.
“Done. Simone will be pleased. The two of them weren’t very close growing up. They’re bonding now and making up for lost time.”
I sip my coffee and set the mug down with a huge sigh. “I hope Lillian won’t feel like I got her a babysitter.”
Camden chuckles. “I suspect she’ll be fine. I doubt she’ll ever desire to spend as much time in Little space as Simone, but she’ll appreciate boundaries and important rules, especially if they come from you.” He lifts his brows.
I hesitate. “Has she said as much?” She’s probably been talking to Simone about me for weeks.
Camden shrugs without looking away, meaning yes. He glances toward the doorway again before continuing, “How will you fulfill your sadistic side if you enter into a relationship with Lillian?”
I take that to infer that Lillian has expressed exactly that concern with Simone, and I’m not the least bit surprised. It’s not a shock. She and I have discussed this, too.
Setting my mug down, I lean back. “Turns out controlling a Little girl in even the subtlest of ways can be very sadistic.”
Camden grins. “I bet.”
“That doesn’t mean I no longer have the urge to pick up a cane and hear it whooshing through the air before it strikes the back of a pair of thighs. I don’t have all the answers.”
“Maybe you need to take Lillian to Surrender and introduce her to what you do. She may have glimpsed it the night she was there, and she’s probably Googled sadism and watched some videos online, but nothing compares to seeing it in person.”
I sigh. “I know you’re right, but it scares the living daylight out of me. What if she freaks out?”
He shrugs. “Then you deal with it. Judging by what I witnessed between you when you arrived, I’m confident this will work itself out. You don’t have a choice, do you?”
“No,” I agree. I let my gaze drift toward the doorway, willing her to materialize. I miss her. “She’s mine,” I mutter.