He's My Daddy Now

Chapter 8

*Jim*

My alarm doesn’t wake her. She doesn’t even budge. I don’t know how much sleep she got, so I pull the blanket over her and kiss her forehead. I throw some clothes on and get ready to work, but I grab her phone and plug it in first.

-I’m heading out to work. I hope you’re here when I get back, but if not, I understand. Have a good day, Amelia.

I make breakfast, leave her a plate in the microwave, and head out. Things are running smoothly, and I’m about to head back when one of the guys tells me that part of the fence is broken. I turn back and see Emmy’s car at the house, so I go with him to find and repair the hole.

“She’s been here a bit,” Mike comments, fishing for more information.

“And?” I challenge him. “It’s not any business of yours.”

He holds his hands up defensively. “I’m just sayin’- you look happy.”

I look happy? I wasn’t aware I looked unhappy before, but she certainly makes me feel happy. She’s sweet, and though she’s young and still finding her way, she seems like she’s stable. I don’t care about her job or if she’s in school, I just care that she’s happy.

We finish, and I pull my phone out as I climb into the truck.

-Thanks for breakfast. I’ve got to go home and get things ready for school.

-And thanks for charging my phone.

I smile at her messages. I wasn’t even sure she’d notice I had plugged in it. Last night had been wonderful, outside under the stars, her skin against mine as the chilly air wrapped around us. It was heaven. But tonight, I’ll sleep alone, and that saddens me. It’s too soon for me to ask her to come back, but her warm body beside mine is comforting.

I take a deep breath. I’m in too deep, too quick. She’s young, and I don’t even know what she wants or what this is to her. But last night, I called her mine, and she said she was. f**k.

-I’ll miss you tonight, Darlin.

I send it before I can think about it and drive back up to the house. I stomp inside and find that she cleaned up the kitchen again. The house never felt empty until she was here, and not that she’s not, I swear you could hear a pin drop.

It’s quite some time before she messages me again, though I’m up to my ears in paperwork when she does. It takes me a moment to find the damn phone in all of it.

-I’ll miss you, too.

That’s it? I turn back to my paperwork, writing the checks I need to and arranging all the financials for the week. I can’t get lost in this girl because I highly doubt she’s lost in me. Still, she was upset and came to me. She didn’t go to some boy she’d dated before, nor did she go to a friend. She came here, to me, and let me hold her.

-----------------------

The siren wakes me. I’d hoped the tornadoes would miss us, but it doesn’t seem too likely. Thankfully, the cattle were in a close field, and we brought them all into the barn last night as a precaution.

The guys who live here meet me out back as we rush through the rain and down into the storm shelter. There are eight of us, and it’s a tight fit, but it’s safe.

“She ain’t here tonight?” Josh asks.

“No,” I say, pinning him with a glare that makes it clear he’d better not bring her up again. It’s not anyone’s business.

The storm shelter is thick, making it hard to know when it’s safe to emerge because the radio won’t work through the walls. We stay down here for a couple of hours. I’m able to catch a little sleep, but it’s hard in the tight quarters, and the sound of hail that continues to pelt the metal door is just so loud.

“It’s a big storm,” I comment. “There’s no chance we don’t have any damage from this.”

It’s terrifying being down here, not knowing if the cattle are safe or the barn. Is my house still standing? Is Emmy somewhere safe? s**t. I didn’t even see if it got near the city.

I pull out my phone to send a text, but there’s no reception. I already knew there wouldn’t be, but I had to try.

More hail. More wind. It’s nearly three hours later before it sounds safe enough to emerge, though I doubt there were tornadoes the entire time. It’s dark, and everything is soaking wet from the rain, which is good for the grass if the cattle are still there.

I walk to the house and find that it looks just fine. There’s some debris on the lawn, but the building seems intact. I change clothes, pull on my boots and rain jacket, and return outside, this time with a flashlight.

We walk down to the barn and find most of the roof gone. “f*****g hell,” I mutter, taking it in. The damage seems immense in the dark. I’m sure it will be worse in the morning.

“I’m gonna go make sure all the storms have passed,” a hand tells me and I nod, walking toward the barn.

“Stay out here until I know it’s safe to enter,” I tell them, walking inside. I can hear the cattle. They’re angry, but the sound means they’re alive. Carefully, shining my light around, I inspect the building the best I can at night. It seems that only the roof came off, but the rest of the building is stable.

I open the door, allowing the cattle to move into a pen before letting the guys enter. We move as much debris as possible out of the way, but it isn’t easy to see, and I’m sure we’ve missed plenty.

“Looks like we’ve lost two cattle,” Mike tells me.

I sigh in frustration. “It’s not as bad as it could have been, but still a hell of a loss. You’re sure the rest are accounted for?”

“Yeah, the rest are here. The other two can’t be butchered from it.”

Damn. Even worse news.

“We’ll just have to deal with it when the suns up,” I tell the guys, dismissing them back to bed. “We’ve been up a while. Sleep in tomorrow.”

I return to the house and sit on the porch, pulling my muddy boots off, when headlights come flying down the drive. I’m shocked when the car stops in front of the house, and Emmy climbs out.

“Thank God!” she exclaims. “I was so worried.”

I realize now that I left my phone inside when I changed clothes. I was so consumed with checking on the ranch and dealing with the damage that I forgot to check on her.

“s**t, Emmy,” I say as she approaches me. “I’m sorry.”

She throws her arms around me, holding me tightly. “I was so worried. When you didn’t answer, I thought… It… I… I didn’t know.”

“I knew the farm had suffered some damage, and when I went to check it, I left my phone inside. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Is everyone alright?” she asks, her blue eyes sparkling.

“Yeah, Darlin,” I smile. “Everyone’s fine. Barns f****d, and we lost two cows, but it could have been much worse.”

She nods, releasing me. “I should go. I just needed to make sure you’re alright.”

“You’re not leaving,” I tell her firmly and take her hand. “It’s late. Stay with me. Please.”

“I don’t want to be in the way,” she says softly.

“You could never be in the way.” How could she ever possibly think she’s in the way?

I tug on her arm gently and pull her to my chest, holding her against me gently. She’s become too important to me too quickly, but it just feels right. She leans her head on my chest, and I’m sure of her. So incredibly sure of her. It doesn’t make sense, but this girl is mine.

I lead her inside and up the stairs to my bedroom, her lips finding mine as soon as we enter. Her arms wrap around my neck as I hold her against me, enjoying the feel of her, the warmth of her.

I tug the oversized sweatshirt over her head, noting that it’s got the logo of the school she just dropped out of on it. All thoughts of her school or shirt are gone, though, as my hands find her soft skin.

“You’re not wearing a bra?” I ask, leaning my head down to take the most perfect n****e into my mouth.

She moans, shaking her head. “I was asleep. The storm woke me.”

That would explain the too-short, too-stretchy shorts that are just barely covering her ass and the hideous Crocs on her feet—my sweet girl.

She kicks her shoes off and reaches down to push her shorts off, letting me help her before she lays back on the bed. She’s laid out before me. Beautiful. Perfect. Mine.

I climb over her, kissing her as I go, but I can’t take my time tonight. No. I need to be inside her right now. I need to feel her around me. I need her arms around my neck and her body writhing underneath me.

“Amelia,” I breathe out as I slide my c**k inside her. She’s so tight, so warm.

Her arms are around my neck, and her legs are around my waist, holding me tightly as I slowly pull out and push back in. God. She’s so tight, but her body stretches around me, welcoming me in. Welcoming me home. I move so slowly, savoring every bit of her.

“More,” she breathes beneath me.

“Not a chance, Darlin,” I say, kissing her neck. “You drove all this way. I’m takin my time with you. Took a tornado to get you back here where you belong.”

“I’d have come back,” she tells me, moving an arm so she can touch my face. “I just have to get ready for school.”

“I know. I just wish you didn’t have to.”

I move so slowly, savoring the feel of her stretching around my c**k. “Jim,” she whines, but I refuse to move more quickly. I am, however, shocked as she reaches a hand between us and begins to gently rub her clit.

I groan, barely able to keep my composure. “Emmy,” I breathe out, but she arches her back, pressing her t**s against me, and I almost come right there. f**k. “You are perfect.”

She moans, moving her finger just a little faster, clenching around me so tightly that I can barely move. She’s going to make me c*m right now if she gets any tighter around me, which is exactly what she does.

“f**k,” I moan into her ear, barely able to hold my orgasm off any longer, but thankfully, she finds her release, letting me paint the inside of her walls through the aftershocks of her own release.

I stay inside her, holding myself above her as I catch my breath, waiting until I’m no longer hard until I leave her warmth. I lay beside her, pulling her close and tucking us in.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I say softly into her hair. She doesn’t respond but wiggles close into me, and that’s all the response I need.

I lay beside her, holding her to me as she falls asleep. I push her hair back from her face to see her beautiful face, her eyelashes across her cheeks, and her lips slightly parted.

“I’m fallin in love with you, Amelia,” I say softly to her sleeping form. “I don’t know how or why, but I am.”