CHAPTER THREE
Georgia
I didn't sleep much that night, and any sleep I did get was tormented by nightmares of racing vehicles barreling towards me and collapsing to the ground, this time smashing my head open and feeling warm sticky blood start to run out into the sidewalk. I was terrified to go home that night, especially after it was discovered that the motorist had been involved in several other hit-and-run accidents and was allegedly driving a stolen vehicle. Even though the officers assured me that they would do everything in their power to catch the culprit, I was still terrified and didn't want to go home alone that night.
The only thing that made me feel better was the fact that the next day, a Sunday, I was going to meet up with Officer Nathan Porter, the man who had saved my life. I found out through the other officers that he also worked at the sheriff station and that even though he was new, he already had a reputation for being a little high-strung, which I didn't mind because the man had saved my life, but when he asked me out on t
Most people would have assumed he was taking advantage of the situation and expecting a date as a reward for saving my life, but when I saw the look in his eyes when he asked the question, I realized he wasn't looking for a hero's welcome at all. Instead, he looked like a parent looking after a tiny child, which was everything I was looking for in a man.
When they found out that I had accepted to go out on a date with him, even though it was only for one date, they thought it was the worst thing I could have possibly done and that I was in shock and shouldn't have been making choices like that. However, I had no regrets when I went home that night, especially since Officer Porter was the one who drove me home. When I told him I was too terrified to get behind the wheel after what had happened, he didn't hesitate for a second to drive me home.
The constant buzzing of my phone woke me up at ten o'clock in the morning, and I realized it was Nathan attempting to call me. He had texted me several times throughout the night, checking in to see if I was okay and promising to call me first thing in the morning, so when I picked up my phone, I wasn't surprised to see that I had several more text messages from Nathan.
I couldn't figure out why no one seemed to like him. He was, in my perspective, one of the loveliest Daddies at the gathering, and he was the only one who genuinely paid attention to me aside from the accident. Of course, the other Littles didn't seem to mind all the attention I was getting and even began acting bratty when they weren't getting the attention they desired. It was at that point that I decided I was done with those types of gatherings and never wanted to go again. However, if it was just time alone with Nathan, I would gladly make an exception for him.
He was on his way and would be there soon, according to the text, so I had plenty of time to put on some clean clothes and brush my hair and teeth before he arrived. Unfortunately, I missed the cut off for a shower, but I had been wise enough to take a shower the night before when I got home, wanting to wash the trauma from that day off before I went to bed. Even though it didn't work and I was still troubled by nightmares all night, I wasn't going to complain about a shower I took the night before; after all, it saved me lots of time for getting dressed the next morning when I awoke late.
I had just finished putting on my favorite sweater and rushing to the bathroom to brush my hair into a ponytail when I heard a knock on the door. I knew it was Nathan because he had walked me to the door the night before, and I cursed as I looked down at my phone, realizing how long it had taken me to get ready. When I heard him knock again, I dropped the brush and dashed over to the front door to answer it.
If I thought he was attractive in uniform, I was definitely blind. He was far more attractive this way than he had been in uniform. He didn't appear to notice and even held up a bouquet of roses as he smiled politely at me.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked, handing me the roses. "I'm sorry if I rushed you, but I left the car running so it would be nice and warm when we got out there." As I accepted the roses and shook my head, an uncomfortable flush crept up my cheeks.
"I still need a few minutes to finish getting dressed," I admitted, politely smiling. "You are welcome to come inside and wait. I shouldn't stay here for long." He didn't waste any time, and I felt much better knowing that he seemed entirely at ease in my home, despite the fact that I had plush animals and puzzles all over the place.
"Looks like you weren't expecting company for a while," he commented as he took in the mess around him. "I'd almost believe you had pals over yesterday if I didn't know any better." I shook my head, wincing at the filth.
"I'm sorry about everything," I apologized as I hurriedly placed the roses in a vase before returning to the bathroom. "I couldn't sleep very well last night, so I ended up completing some puzzles to tire myself out. I guess I forgot to put them away before you arrived this morning." Much to my surprise, he chuckled as he sat in the living room, looking at all the plush animals I had set out last night to help me with the puzzles.
"And the stuffed animals?" he inquired as he took a glance around. "Did they come for peace of mind as well?" I thought about it for a bit before shaking my head.
"No," I answered as I hurriedly brushed my hair into a ponytail to save myself the hassle of having to arrange my hair. "They were there because I became tired with the riddles and wanted to have some fun."