27. Sean

Fuck.

The day had been perfect. Absolutely perfect. Gabby had agreed to marry him, was excited to have her first sleepover, and then bam, everything went to shit.

Sean and Ian had been in the kitchen making dinner for the girls when Maddie came running in with tears streaming down her face, crying that Gabby was upset and had run out of the house. When Ian tried to calm her down enough for her to explain what was going on, she said it had to do with Gabby finding out that Sean had approached her at The Playground the first time they met.

It only took a second for Sean to realize that Gabby was thinking that something must have happened between them, or she thought Sean had been interested in Maddie. While it was true that he had approached Maddie and had even read her a story, it was completely innocent.

When he had seen her in the club the first time, he could tell that she was nervous and a little unsure, and he knew he had never seen her there before, so assuming it was her first time, he had approached her gently, trying to make her feel more comfortable. There hadn't even been enough time spent together that night for him to figure out if he was interested in Maddie for anything more. When Ian came stomping into the club like a crazy person, he didn't think twice about Maddie belonging to Ian, because there was nothing there.

Once he had loaded Gabby into the car, he had gone back into Ian's house to get their belongings. He had seen Maddie in Ian's lap, crying and apologizing, telling Ian she didn't mean to upset Gabby and she didn't think about what she was saying or that it might have been hurtful. Sean knew that Maddie hadn't purposely tried to hurt Gabby and he wasn't upset with her. He felt terrible leaving with Gabby while Maddie was so upset, but his baby girl's needs came first. He knew Ian would take care of his own baby girl.

The moment they got home she had locked herself into the nursery, and now he was pacing the hallway upstairs trying to figure out what to do. He'd promised her that the nursery was her room and only hers so he couldn't just barrel in there and demand she talk to him. He had to respect her space and her room, so instead he knocked lightly, only to be ignored.

"Baby girl, open up and talk to me, please."

No answer.

There wasn't an answer the other five times he knocked either, and finally, he sat down in the hallway next to the bedroom door, resting his back against the wall. He would have to wait her out.

"Gabby, you need to know that you are the person I want and love. Maddie is only a friend and has always only been a friend to me. I love you, and I'm right here when you're ready to talk."

Still no answer.

He sat outside of her room all night, listening to her crying on and off, and he was barely able to keep himself from bursting in there to hold her. The only thing that stopped him was that she had told him that when she was growing up that she never had a space for herself or privacy, so he had told her that her nursery was her own private place, and he wouldn't break a promise to her.

Ian texted him several times throughout the night, checking on Gabby to make sure she was okay and letting Sean know how upset Madison was that she hurt Gabby. He reassured Ian that everything would be fine and that it would all get worked out, but deep in his chest, he was aching and wondering if Gabby would be able to get past this. She hadn't been able to trust many people in her life, and he was one of those people.

He didn't understand how she could ever think that she would be a second choice or something he settled for. She was everything and more, and he would prove it to her until his dying day. Someone who had been through the years of abuse and neglect that she had would probably struggle at times for the rest of her life, and it wouldn't always be easy to deal with on his end, but he wouldn't go anywhere or falter. She was his, and he was hers.

In the dim hours of the early morning, the bedroom door finally opened, and Sean looked up to see his baby girl with bloodshot, swollen eyes, and a red nose. Not wanting to frighten her, he didn't immediately get up, so she looked down at him, frowning.

"What if you find someone better than me? What if someone else shows you interest that is more sophisticated or wealthy or smart? And what if I can't get past all the stuff that I've been through, and I'm always a freak like this?"

Reaching up his hand to grab hers, Sean tugged her gently until she came down to sit in his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her and turned her so he could cradle her in his arms and look into her eyes while he spoke.

"There is no one better than you. Not for me. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't care who shows interest in me, the only person who has my attention is you. You are everything I have ever hoped and prayed for in a woman and a little girl.

"And baby, what have I said before about saying bad things about yourself? You are not a freak. You are not any of the bad things you think you are. You are smart and funny and beautiful. You're stronger than most women and men, even if you don't realize it.

"I asked you to marry me because you are it for me. I can't pretend that I don't have a past, and if you ever go to The Playground with me during open hours, you might come across some Littles that I have actually played with, but Maddie is not one of them, and no one from my past matters to me. You matter to me."

Tears ran down the side of her face as he spoke, but she listened to every word, and when he stopped talking, she let out a deep sob and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. He held her tightly, rocking her back and forth as he kissed her cheek, neck, and shoulder while she clung to him for dear life.

"I love you, Gabby girl. You're my everything and always will be."

"I love you too, Daddy. So much," she said through sniffles.

They held each other for a long time until Gabby pulled away, and her eyes went wide.

"Uh, Daddy…"

"What, baby girl?"

She had an amused look on her face which made him smile.

"Olly just peed on the carpet."

He burst out laughing and hugged her tighter.

"We are terrible puppy parents for not getting him outside sooner. But, as I told you before, everything is cleanable and fixable."

The puppy barked at that, and they both started laughing as he trotted over to them and nuzzled into their embrace.

"Come on, baby, why don't you let the dog outside so he doesn't do more than just pee on the carpet, and I'll get this cleaned up, and then we'll crawl into bed together and sleep. I don't think either of us got a wink last night."

She nodded and took Olly downstairs while Sean found some carpet cleaner and cleaned up the wet spot. By the time he was done washing his hands, Gabby and the furball were back upstairs, and she was getting him settled into his bed on the floor before she crawled up into their bed.

Stripping down to his boxer briefs, he climbed into bed with her and wrapped himself around her body, soaking in every moment he could with her close to him.

"Do you think Maddie is mad at me?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Sean brushed the hair from her face.

"No, baby. She's not mad at all. She feels terrible that she hurt your feelings and didn't mean to make it sound like it was something more than it was."

"She texted me a bunch of times apologizing and explaining that too. I just don't want her to think I'm crazy or something."

Giving her a stern look, Sean raised an eyebrow at her.

"That's two. I would suggest you stop calling yourself names or implying that there is something wrong with you because you're perfect just the way you are, and you're going to have a really sore bottom if you keep it up. Are we clear?"

The smile on her face told him that she understood loud and clear as she nuzzled in tighter to him.

"Yes, Daddy. Thank you for being so sweet to me but also giving me boundaries. You make me feel more secure than I've ever felt before."

Ignoring his cock bobbing to attention, Sean leaned down and kissed her gently, whispering promises of always giving her what she needed. When he pulled back to look at her, she was grinning.

"What are you smiling about, little girl?"

Her hand wrapped around his cock, and she giggled.

"Why do you have a flashlight in your underwear, Daddy?"

He snorted and shook his head.

"You're a naughty little thing, aren't you?"

Gabby nodded, "Only for you, Daddy."

"Only for you, little girl."