Epilogue
TINA
Run, Daddy said. Desperate, terrified, and completely helpless, Daddy told me to run as fast as possible to Reclaiming Red.
So I did as any good girl would do, I listened. I ran as hard as I could with only one thought in mind—get to Uncle Bash.
Food and water didn't matter on the road, let alone my comfort items. No more diapers or bottles. Only peanuts and rest-stop toilets when the need became too much to ignore.
I just needed to find Uncle Bash before I was lost forever.
There was no guarantee I would make it toward the end, but when the guy with the beard found me trying to escape the disgusting man dragging me from my car, I caught a break. I still can’t believe an MC president saved me, and literally hand-delivered me to Bash.
Daddy told me he would be right behind me except the tone of his voice couldn't conceal his hidden meaning. I may be a Little but I grew up with a father who lied and deceived my mom too many nights to count. I know when someone isn't giving the full truth.
Daddy is coming for me, but not yet. Judging by the dark, growly tone of his voice the last time I talked to him, he's going after the monster who's chasing me.
Now, I'm all alone, wondering if I'll ever see my Daddy again. I can't be Little without him. He's my compass and my comfort. Daddy knows exactly what I need every moment of every day.
We've been together for years. I figured out how to run on my own but now I don't know how to live without him.
Uncle Bash won't tell me anything and he's hovering too much. He only threatened to punish me once when I didn't eat my dinner. He won't do it again because I safeworded him.
I can't be Little without Daddy. Being Big isn't working either.
Daddy, please come get me.
"I got this for you," a quiet voice murmurs beside me. How did I not notice someone sitting beside me on Uncle Bash’s porch? "Tina?"
I feel my brows pull together more than I actually feel the confusion.
When I turn to the boy next to me, I'm struck by how bright his green eyes are up close.
Zeek has been nothing but kind and respectful since I got here last week.
All I want to do is continue looking at him.
His dark-brown waves flopped over his forehead give him a boyish look but the shadows the strands create offer a different vibe I don't understand yet.
He lifts a teddy bear up blocking my view of his face. My breath comes to a halt, and a spark of vulnerability and an inkling of sparkles flare in my veins.
"For me?" I whisper, reaching forward hesitantly. My fingers sink into the soft fur, making the Little girl inside of me peek out from the fort she's been hiding in since I left Daddy.
When I tug the bear down, I see Zeek blushing so red I'm surprised he's not sweating too. "For you," he whispers.
Then to my astonishment he clears his throat and sits up a bit straighter. Watching him shed his Little and become a man with a slight dominant edge in the set of his jaw is amazing. How'd he do that?
"I wanted to see you smile."
I'm smiling?
The grin that tugs his mouth up makes me blush this time. "Come to the fire tonight? I'd love to hang out. We can play or we can just sit. Big or Little, Tina, I want to see you again. Please?"
For the first time since Daddy told me to run, I find that I don't want to lock myself in Uncle Bash’s guest room for forever. "Okay," I whisper and drop my chin onto the bears head and look out at all the Littles playing in the park.
"Okay," Zeek whispers and leans back on his hands.
Looks like he's staying. I find I don't mind it but now I desperately want a hug.
Daddy, where are you?