CHAPTER THREE
Lena
I swallow hard and manage to say, “They’re next door.”
Waylon shakes his head. “I’m not here to see Michael and Josie. I’m here to see you.”
“Me?” The thought is both terrifying and thrilling. I can’t believe he’s right here in front of me after all the fantasizing I’ve done. The situation overcomes me that it takes me a moment to realize he’s already nodded in response.
“Please come in!” I embarrassingly squeak out. I step aside and stumble. It’s humiliating and the most glorious thing in the world because he instantly steps forward and catches me before I fall.
The feel of his hands steadying me has to be the most beautiful, perfect feeling I have ever experienced!
I take a deep breath and say softly, “Thank you.”
“Are you okay, little girl?” he asks.
Little girl!
I swallow hard and say, “Yes.” I desperately want to call him Daddy, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate. “Yes, thank you,” I say. “You kept me from falling like more of an idiot than I already am.”
“Don’t put yourself down, little girl,” he says sharply.
“Yes, Daddy!” I reply immediately, responding to the sternness in his voice automatically. I separate from him and look down as I say, “I’m sorry. I mean, you’re right, Waylon. I shouldn’t do that.”
“You can call me Daddy if you’d like,” he says. “I’m here because I understand you don’t have a Daddy right now. I don’t have a little girl, and I thought maybe both of us could use a date.”
“Oh God, yes!” I say too enthusiastically. I blush and add, “I mean, I only get to be a little girl at playdates and… Yes, please…” I add a coy, “Daddy.”
He smiles and says, “Okay. Then from now until our date is over, you’re my little girl, and I’m your Daddy. Let’s go.”
“Like this?” I ask. I’m wearing a pair of tight denim shorts, sneakers, and a t-shirt. I have my hair in a ponytail with a pink scrunchie keeping it in place. I’m not dressed for anything other than hanging around the house. “I look frumpy.”
“I just said not to put yourself down!” he says. “Little girl, you don’t want to do that again.”
I swallow hard, equal parts fear and arousal filling me. “Yes, Daddy,” I say.
He smiles. “You look beautiful, Lena. We’re not going anywhere today that you’d need to look fancy for.”
“Where are we going?” I say, failing to hide the excitement that fills my voice.
His smile widens. “You’ll see.”
A minute later, I’m sitting next to him as he pulls out of my driveway and accelerates smoothly toward the main road. I try not to stare but find it impossible to take my eyes off of him. He’s like a god sent to torment me with his rock-hard, sexy body and stern but somehow gentle demeanor. He notices me staring and smiles at me. I blush and turn away, but a moment later, I am staring at him again.
“How long have you been in town?” he asks.
“I moved here about two-and-a-half years ago,” I say. “I’ve known Rollie for a while. We went to the same elementary school growing up. I lived in Atlanta for a few years, but when things didn’t work out there, Rollie offered to help me move out here. She’s my best friend, and I need to have someone close to me right now, so I agreed.”
I can’t believe I’m telling him all of this. What’s even more shocking is I don’t feel embarrassed by any of it. Even though I’ve only just met Waylon somehow, I know he won’t use the things I tell him against me. I smile gratefully up at him. “What about you? What made you decide to move here?”
“Well, I grew up here,” he says. “I’ve lived here all of my life up until five years ago.”
“What happened five years ago?” I ask.
“Well, I met someone,” he says. “And I fell in love. She wanted to live by the ocean, so we moved to Santa Cruz, California.”
Even though this mystery woman is no longer in Waylon’s life, I can’t avoid feeling a little jealous of her for having Waylon before me. “What happened?” I ask.