Daddy’s Timid Girl by Jess Winters

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Henry

After we had breakfast, we went downstairs. Chloe’s parents were already up and drinking coffee at the table, before they went to work. I had been putting off going back to work for as long as possible, myself, because I wanted to spend as much time with Chloe as I could. But, it wasn’t avoidable anymore. I had to go back to work.

Chloe was in the living room, on her laptop, researching classes for next semester. She wasn’t sure whether she was going to take online classes so she could stay with me, or go back to campus. As much as I wanted her here with me at all times, I hoped she would go back. I didn’t want her to miss out on the experiences of living at college, just because she was with me. She should be free to do everything she wanted to do and to take every opportunity presented to her.

It was hard not to steal glances at my Little, as she was curled up on the couch. She was biting her lip in concentration, while she worked. She was adorable. I wanted to kiss her on her forehead, right on the little furrow on her brow. But, her parents could see us from the dining room. I noticed that her father kept a sharp eye on me, whenever I was in the same room as his daughter.

Jonathan came into the living room, a concerned look on his face. I got up from my seat in the living room. “What’s wrong?”

“Eugene is here,” he whispered. He kept his voice low so Chloe wouldn’t hear.

I clenched my jaw and nodded. “Thank you. Please don’t let Chloe see him.” I moved past my butler to go outside, just in time to see my nephew stumbling out of his car. His flushed face was twisted in a look of rage.

Eugene was a lot more disheveled than when I had last seen him. He usually kept his hair in a buzz cut, but now it was standing straight up in awkward spikes. His polo shirt was crumpled and stained and I didn’t have to get close to him to know he reeked of alcohol.

He pointed a finger at me. “You,” he snarled. “You kidnapped my wife.”

“She’s not your wife and she never will be,” I said. I stopped several feet away from him. If I got any closer, the urge to punch him would be too strong. “Go home.”

“I’m not leaving without her!” he roared. He stumbled closer to me and got up in my face. “That bitch is mine.”

My lip curled. “Don’t ever call her that again,” I growled. “You don’t get to think about her or address her at all.”

He sneered. “Why the fuck do you care, anyway? You don’t even want a wife. She’s fucking perfect. All I need is to get those ideas about school and a job out of her head and get her to stop wearing those slutty clothes—”

Something inside me snapped. I grabbed his throat. His face turned even redder and he brought his hands up to try and move mine, but they were weak. He was weak.

“Listen to me, you stupid fucking piece of shit. Chloe doesn’t belong to you, or me, or anyone else. If she wants a career, then she gets a career. She also gets to wear whatever the fuck she wants to wear and she gets to be with whomever she wants. If she wanted you, she would have walked down that aisle with you. She didn’t, because she doesn’t. You threatened her fucking parents and you tortured her and—”

I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Stop it before you do something you regret,” a quiet voice said.

I looked over to see Chloe’s dad standing next to me, his mouth set in a firm line. Shit. He had seen me getting violent. He would never trust me, now. I pried my hand off Eugene’s neck.

“Go,” I growled.

Eugene’s entire body was shaking, but he still tried to give me a sneer as he backed away, got into his car, and sped off my property.

I looked around wildly. “Chloe—”

“She’s inside with her mother and Jonathan. She figured out Eugene was here, but she didn’t see.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and ran a hand through my hair. “Thank God.” I was still feeling restless and on edge, but at least I wasn’t lashing out at someone. I glanced over at the man next to me. His face was unreadable.

“Thank you,” I said. “For stopping me.”

“It looked as if you were about to kill him.”

“I wanted to. I’m glad you stopped me. Chloe never would have forgiven herself if someone was hurt over her.”

“You’re in love with my daughter, aren’t you?”

I looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction, but I couldn’t. This guy would probably clean up in a poker game. “Yes, Sir.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m your employee and a squatter in your home, but suddenly you’re calling me ‘sir’?”

“You’re a guest, not a squatter. And when it comes to talking about your daughter, then yes, I call you sir.” I looked away. “I know what it looks like, but I didn’t do any of this to take advantage of her. I just didn’t want her to get trapped in a loveless marriage. But, it’s hard not to fall in love with someone as beautiful and kind as she is, not to mention smart…”

I cleared my throat. I sounded like a lovesick fool and it probably wasn’t helping my case.

Chloe’s father gave a small smirk. “I have to admit, I thought you were just like Eugene at first. After all, with her living with you and me and my wife employed at my company, I know that’s a lot of power for you. But, I looked over the contracts you gave us, with a lawyer. It turns out you had a special contract drawn up just for us and not only do we get paid a lot more at your company, but it we would have to practically commit murder to get fired on company grounds. No loopholes to threaten Chloe with.”

“I didn’t want to even give myself the option,” I said. “I don’t think I would have done it, but you’ve seen the family I come from.”

“You’ve more than proven that you’re not like your family.” He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I’m not wild about the age difference, but I think Chloe is a little smitten with you, too. If you want to ask her out, you have my blessing.”

I smiled at him. “You have no idea how much that means to me, Sir.”

He rolled his eyes. “Just don’t call me ‘sir’. You’re my boss. It’s weird.”

I chuckled.