Daddy's Princess {Book One}

Chapter Sixteen: Not All Is Well

I sit Grace on the kitchen counter and just hold her against me for a little while. I pat her soft hair down with one hand, and gently rub her leg with the other. She's like glass right now. I'm afraid too much of anything could cause her to fracture.
"Are you alright, baby? You have Daddy a bit worried." I pull her face up gently, brushing hair behind her ears.
      "If you think I'm mad at you, sweetpea, I'm not. Scout's Honor, Daddy is not angry at all." She smiles a tiny smile; progress.
      "Do you want french toast, baby doll? Would that make my little princess feel better? Daddy will make it just the way you like."
      She looks up with a little excitement in her eyes, nodding.
I grip her thigh gently. I wish I could fix everything with one solution. I wish I knew how to take every problem away in the blink of an eye. That would be the best solution for everyone; for Grace, for me, and even for Leia.
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Daddy taking care of me feels so nice after the morning I've had. I'm overstimulated, and I just want to go back to sleep. Lei is confusing me, and I'm beginning to get upset. She's supposed to be my best friend. Best friends don't treat each other the way she has been treating me. Daddy walked away from me to make my french toast, and I'm sitting here wanting him to press me into him again. I need Daddy to make it all better.
      I climb off the countertop gently and walk across the kitchen to where Daddy is. I just wanna be pressed into him. I wrap my arms firmly around his hips and press my face into his back. It makes me feel safe.
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      Her soft breathing is warm against my back. Tiny hands grab the front of my shirt, and immediately I feel fulfilled. To know that I'm where she feels safest, it makes me so incredibly relieved. I turn around to grab her firmly, having finished my cooking. She whimpers lowly, and in that moment I realize just how scared and upset she really is. It kills me to see her like this. To see her so confused and hurt. I want her to feel safe and happy in our home.
      "Babydoll, it's okay. Don't be sad, okay? Daddy is right here to protect you. Do you feel unsafe, princess?"
      She nods her head slightly, a little hesitantly at first.
      "Do you want Daddy to be the big meanie and have Leia stay somewhere else? You won't have to say anything if you can't handle it right now."
      Another soft nodding of her head.
      "Alright, angel. You go sit on the couch with your breakfast and watch a show. Daddy will take care of everything." I kiss her gently all over her face, rubbing my stubble on her cheeks to make her giggle and blush. She makes the cutest little laughs, takes her plate from me, and disappears into the living room.
      I make my way upstairs toward the guest room, where I can assume Leia is hiding. The door is open, and I see her sitting on the bed, scrolling through her phone.
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      David stands in the doorway. I pretend I don't notice him. He clears his throat.
      "Leia. You and I need to have a chat quickly."
      I don't look up from my phone, "There isn't anything for me to say."
      "You can stop acting like a spoiled brat, or you can leave my house."
      I shoot him a glance, what the fuck is that supposed to mean?
      "Choose wisely, because Grace is ridiculously upset and has requested that I ask you to leave. I don't want to do that, I think Grace will regret that decision after she cools down, but right now she does not want to see you."
      "Bullshit."
      "You don't have to believe me, Leia, I just want you to know that, because of your attitude, you are currently unwelcome in this home. So please, for Grace's sake, shape up or get out."
      He walks away without another word, leaving me there in the room completely alone.