My Own Daddy (Daddy 1)

“Watching you and Larkin last night got me thinking. It seems like a lot more work than I anticipated taking care of a little.”

“What do you mean?” Darian asked.

“She seems to be…”

Darian said, “What?”

“Needy, I guess,” Kaleb commented.

She leaned forward, wanting to catch what her daddy had to say.

“Yes, she can be…”

She bit back a gasp as her stomach dropped, and a buzzing sound filled her head. It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. He wasn’t happy with her. She knew she’d disappoint him, eventually. She just didn’t think it would happen this soon. She heard their voices drone on but didn’t pay attention to any of the words.

She wanted to run away but knew she would have to be a big girl. If she didn’t explain why she was leaving, she was afraid he’d follow her.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of facing all the men, but it was the least she could do. She wanted to make Darian proud of her for acting like a grown-up. Something she knew would never really happen, but she could pretend for a bit.

She stepped into the room and froze when all the voices died away, and four sets of eyes turned to her. Twisting her hands in front of her, she looked at something over Darian’s shoulder. She knew she’d lose it if she looked into his beloved eyes.

She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, dad—Darian, I wanted to tell you I will be going to visit Brylee…” Her voice shook.

Darian narrowed his eyes, leaned forward in his chair, and set his elbows on his knees. “What are you saying, sweetheart?”

“I … I’ve overstayed my welcome, and I know it’s time for me to move on.”

“Why?”

Larkin bit the inside of her mouth until she tasted the coppery flavor of blood. She glanced around the room quickly, and her stomach dropped again as the four sets of eyes trained on her. She needed to get this out before she lost it. She knew her acting would fail before too long because a cry of pain worked its way up her throat. “I … I already told you…”

“Tell me again,” Darian demanded.

She sucked in a quick breath at the harsh tone of his voice. “I know I’m hard to deal with, and I drive you nuts. The last thing I want is to make your life harder.”

“Larkin…”

“No, I know I’ve got a lot to learn, but I really think I can eventually be a grown-up if I try hard enough. I’m going to stay with my friend—”

“Did you listen to our conversation?” he interrupted. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

She thought about lying but knew he would catch it. “Uh, I … yes.”

“What did you hear?” Darian’s tone brook no argument.

“I … I heard you guys say … that I’m needy…” She looked over at Kaleb. “Don’t give up on your dream, sir. I bet there are lots of littles out there that aren’t needy like me. I’m not normal. I know that. I’ve always been reta—”

“Larkin, stop,” Darian barked. “I want you to go to our room right now. I’ll be up to talk in a bit.”

She looked over at him and sighed. He seemed so angry. At that moment, she knew she was making the right choice to leave before he hated her. “I just don’t want you to end up hatin—”

“Larkin,” Darian snapped and stood to stare down at her. “Go to your room. Now!”

Larkin looked down but not before the men saw her start to crumble. “Yes, sir.” She spun and raced from the room.

****

Darian sat back down and ran a hand down his face.