Warrior Daddy (Montana Daddies 6)

“Then best you go find her, cuz,” Everly told him. “Because that girl looked like a fast runner.”

Shit! He turned and raced off. She might have run again. But eventually, she was going to have to learn that the only place she had to run to was his arms.

He’d keep her safe. Always.

* * *

Gigi sobbed as she ran, with no idea where she was going. Eventually, she came across a park. She stumbled along until she found a bench to sit on. In the distance she could see a playground and hear children laughing. But even the sound of their joy couldn’t lighten the heaviness weighing her down.

He knew. And now that he knew there could be no way he would want her. She hadn’t even had the chance to tell him the truth.

Because you ran before you could tell him. Why didn’t you stay and fight? With a groan, she buried her face in her hands. The heat of the sun beat down on her, making a sheen of sweat break out along the back of her neck.

She took a deep breath then another, trying to bring her sobs under control. Her head thumped painfully, a headache building in her temples.

She’d lost him.

You could try to explain. Maybe he’ll understand.

But then there was the whole issue of Penny leaving her the house. Did he think she had manipulated the older woman? Why had Penny left her the house? She wasn’t family. Sure, she couldn’t have loved the older woman more if she was family, but that house belonged to Macca. Not her. Would Macca think the same as his father?

“I try to always have the opposite opinion of my father,” a dry voice commented from behind her.

With a gasp, she turned, looking to find him standing there with his hands in his pockets. She couldn’t read the expression on his face. Was he angry? Upset? Disappointed?

“H-how did you find me?”

“Well, funnily enough people notice a really upset little girl running through the streets and they’re only too eager to point out which direction she took when her daddy tries to find her.”

She blushed red at the idea of him telling people he was a daddy searching for his little girl.

“You didn’t. . .?” she whispered.

A grin slipped over his face then disappeared just as quick. “No, I didn’t. But I ought to give you a spanking right here for running off on me. You never run away from Daddy.” He came and sat next to her on the bench, but far enough away that he didn’t touch her. Whenever he was near her, he always touched her.

Except for these past few days. Because he’d been pulling away. What if it wasn’t due to the funeral but because he didn’t want her anymore?

You knew this was just temporary.

“I didn’t know if you were still my daddy,” she told him, staring down at her lap.

“Look at me, Gigi. Now, please.” He may have added on a please, but his words were pure command. She glanced up at him nervously. Her stomach fluttered.

“I would like to always be your daddy. If you would like that too.”

There was a formality to the words that was so unlike him and he looked almost. . .nervous? Had she ever seen him nervous or unsure before? She didn’t think so. Was he worried that she might say no?

“But what about what your dad said?” she whispered.

“I have learned not to believe the vile that man spills.”

“What if some of it is true?”

He raised an eyebrow. She clenched her hands tight. “I used to be a stripper,” she blurted out. “When I left home, I moved into my boyfriend’s flat. He shared it with three other people and I had to pay my way. Jeff couldn’t cover my share even if he’d wanted to. So I got a job at a strip bar as a cleaner. It was a pretty gross job, but not many people would take a chance on a seventeen-year-old with no work experience. But when I turned eighteen, the owner offered me another job. Stripping.” She licked her dry lips. “It was a lot more money, and Jeff, he liked the idea of that, I guess. He pointed out how we could get a better apartment, maybe save for a car and that it would only be for a short while.”

She stared out into the distance, lost in her memories. “I was really naïve. I thought Jeff had my best interests at heart. So I said yes. In the beginning it was awful. I was so self-conscious. But some of the other girls helped me. And the money was a lot better than what I’d been earning cleaning. Unfortunately, Jeff insisted on coming with me. Said that he was protecting me. Without my knowledge, he racked up a huge tab under my name at the bar.”

“Jesus, why the fuck did the owner let him do that?”