An hour later, Patrick signed off, happy they’d gotten a good start of a new wardrobe for her.
“I’ve got a little work to do. Would you like to go to your room and check things out, or stay in here with me, or wander around the house or grounds?”
“I think I’d like to go upstairs.”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “All right. I’ll come and get you when lunch is ready.”
She nodded and jumped off his lap. He watched her walk out of the room and had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from calling out to her to come back. He was starting to understand what his friends, who had littles of their own, meant about being possessive bordering on obsession.
He thought Eve was doing well so far. She hadn’t any breakdowns and seemed to be comfortable with him. The only thing he wished was for her to call him daddy, but he’d just gotten her the day before and knew it would take time. Eventually, he had to explain what it would mean to be his little. That their relationship would eventually become sexual, and he just hoped that she wanted him as much as he wanted her, and she’d be able to handle having sex. Her father had done so much damage she might find it reprehensible at the thought of having sex with him.
Also, there was the possibility she didn’t or wouldn’t feel that way about him, but he’d cross that road if they came to it. At the moment, he would just enjoy having her with him.
Only time would tell.
Chapter Nine
He was about ready to find Eve when his phone rang.
“Hello.”
“It’s Darian. I got a call from your detective. He said Reverend Sherman was trying to pull Trisha, Eve’s mom, out of her apartment and was ranting and raving, yelling at her to give him his daughter back. Good thing the detective you had following him was there. He was able to intervene. He called me right away when he couldn’t get you on the phone, and I had him take Eve’s mom to a hotel.”
Patrick cursed. “Shit, that must have been when I was outside with Eve. I’m glad I gave him your number.” He sat back and rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip as he thought. “Should we get them together today?”
“I think I should go to Trisha and tell her what’s going on. I want to get her into a condo in one of our buildings and maybe give her a job at the Stanton building. I’ll ask what she can do. If we think she needs more training, we’ll get it for her. What do you think?”
“I like the idea. The condos have great security, and she’ll make more working for us then the restaurants she’s at now.”
“I agree,” Darian said. “Why don’t you talk with Eve today? Let her get used to the idea, and then we’ll get them together tomorrow. Does that sound okay?”
“I agree. It will give them both time to settle a bit before we unite them again. I’d also like to spend some alone time with Eve so we can bond more and get to know each other better.”
“Good idea. I’ll keep the girls at home today. Eve has had a lot of upheaval in her life, and it’s only going to get worse. She’s going to need stability and learn to trust you. It will make everything a lot easier for her. I’ll talk to Trish. Call me later after you talk to Eve, and we’ll discuss how they both take the news.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later. Thank you, Darian.”
“No problem.”
Patrick sat back in his chair. He steepled his fingers together with his elbows on the arms of his chair.
“Patrick, is everything okay?”
He looked up to see Eve standing, seeming unsure at the door. He waved her over and was pleased when she came right to him, so he pulled her into his lap and cuddled her against his chest.
“Everything is great, honey. I think you’ll be really pleased with the information I’m going to give you. But you’ll also be shocked. Just remember, I’m here, and nothing bad will happen to you.”
“Okay,” Eve said nervously and nodded.
“Baby, your father lied about your mother being dead.”
She tilted her head back and stared up at him in confusion. “What?”
Patrick rubbed Eve’s back. “She wasn’t in an accident. She tried to take you away one night, and he caught her. He kicked her out and warned her if she tried to get close to you, he’d kill you both.”
****
Eve looked away as image after image raced through her mind. She looked back at Patrick. She’d had snippets of trying to run with her mother but had always thought she’d been dreaming and not remembering a real event.