7. Sean

Gabby and Savannah walked out of the office together, and he noticed that Gabby looked as though she was walking a bit lighter, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. He didn't know what his future held regarding Gabby, but if he could help her in some way to heal, it would make it all worth it.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

He stood and smiled down at Gabby, who gave him a shy smile in return.

"It went great," Savannah answered. "I'm so glad you brought Gabby to me. It was wonderful getting to know her, and I think we will have a great time during future sessions. I'd like to see her at least once a week, but twice a week would be better in the beginning if that's possible."

"Sure, twice a week works. We will just need to book it outside of her work schedule."

They got several more appointments scheduled, and when they were leaving the office, Sean held out his hand for Gabby to hold. She didn't hesitate to slip her hand in his, and he gave it a light squeeze before leading her out to his car.

"Did you like Savannah?" he asked as he drove.

"Yeah. She was really nice and easy to talk to. Thank you for taking me to her and for scheduling everything. I don't know how to do any of that kind of stuff."

Daddy will take care of everything for you, baby girl.

That's what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to freak her out.

"I'm happy to help with anything you need. If there's something you don't know how to do or are unsure of, just come to me, and I'll help, okay?"

"Okay."

The following day, Sean sat in his home office and worked while Gabby was at the club working. He liked knowing that while she was at work, Zane or Jace was at the club to keep an eye on her. He had let both the men know about her panic attacks and what signs to watch out for if she had one. Even though both men were sterner than Sean, they could be tender when needed.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Savannah."

"Hey, thanks again for getting Gabby squeezed into your schedule."

"Of course. That's actually why I'm calling. I wanted to talk with you about Gabby. You know that I cannot share anything specific that we talked about, but I wanted to bounce an idea off of you that might help her."

If it was something that would help his sweet girl, he was all ears.

"Actually, I have two ideas," Savannah said.

"I'm listening."

"Have you ever heard of emotional support animals? There are tons of videos on YouTube about them. Dogs can be certified emotional support animals in Washington, which means that they can be used in almost the same way as a service dog and are allowed into most places as well."

"I've heard of them, but I don't know anything about them."

He was slightly confused. Was Savannah suggesting he get Gabby a dog or was this related to Gabby's stuffed animal being a dog?

"Gabby loves dogs. She has never had a dog but has always wanted one. Emotional support dogs can recognize symptoms of an oncoming panic attack and alert their handler. There has been research that proves that people who have animals experience less anxiety and fewer attacks, and if they do experience a panic episode, having an animal near them lessens the time of that episode by nearly half."

Sean sighed, "Are you suggesting I get Gabby a dog?"

Savannah laughed, "Took you long enough to figure that out, huh?"

Fuck. Really? A dog?

"Savannah, I don't even know how long Gabby is going to stay with me. I don't want to get her a dog and have her potentially not be able to take it with her if she decides to move out."

"Well, I guess you better figure out how to become her Daddy so she never leaves, which brings me to my second suggestion."

"Let's have it," he said dryly.

He could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke.

"You should offer to Daddy her. She needs it, and I think she could thrive from someone giving her some gentle care with boundaries and structure."

"What the hell do you think I've been doing with her since she's been here? I've been doing what I can to make her feel Little and safe, but she is as scared as a bunny. I'm trying to move slow."

"I think what you've been doing is great, but there is a difference between having a friend who is nice to you and a Daddy who takes care of you. Someone who would take care of all her most basic needs and who would set rules for her and give her the care that I don't think she's ever experienced in her lifetime."

"Anything else in your bag of tricks that you'd like to suggest?"

Savannah giggled, "I've already emailed you a list of breeders who specialize in breeding emotional support dogs in the state, and I included different websites so you can do your own research about them. See ya on Thursday!"

Oh, if Savannah weren't a Mommy, he would have probably threatened to put her over his knee for being such a sneaky little brat.

Sean opened his email and spent the next hour reading the information that Savannah sent about the dogs and all the training they would go through before the breeders would send them to homes. Apparently, to become an emotional support animal, there didn't have to be any specialized training. However, the breeders that Savannah had sent him did enough training with the dogs that they could become certified medical service dogs as well.

Tapping his fingers on his desk, Sean rolled the thought around in his mind. If he knew Gabby was his and that she would live with him permanently, he wouldn't give it a second thought. But he had no way of knowing if she would stay with him, and while he would give it his best effort to be the man and Daddy she seemed to need, he wouldn't force her.

He had also been thinking about what Savannah had said about being Gabby's Daddy. He loved the idea of her being his Little, but she was just barely starting to get comfortable around him. She also didn't fully trust him yet and it could take a long time for that to happen, if ever.

What had he gotten himself into? A dog? Was he actually considering this?

Checking his watch, Sean realized he needed to pick up Gabby from work. Shutting down his computer, Sean grabbed his keys and headed towards the club. He thought about bringing up the topic to Gabby of being her Daddy. If she agreed to be his little girl, he couldn't do it halfway. He would need to really be her Daddy and give her not only the care and comfort but the rules and discipline that came along with it.

When Sean walked into the club, he stopped by Zane's office.

"Hey, man. Glad you came by. I just wanted to thank you again for helping with Gabby."

Sean went into his office and sat in one of the chairs across from Zane's desk.

"Would you let a dog be inside of the club during the day?"

Zane froze and stared at him with a confused expression.

"You been drinkin' today, buddy?" Zane asked.

Sean laughed and shook his head.

"I'm considering getting Gabby an emotional support dog."

Again, Zane looked at him as though he had lost his mind.

"How many drinks have you had today? Should you be driving?"

Rolling his eyes, Sean sat back in his chair.

"I haven't had anything to drink, dumbass. I took Gabby to Savannah, and Savannah said that she thinks an emotional support dog would benefit Gabby greatly."

"And if Savannah told you to buy Gabby a car, would you be considering that too?"

Sean shrugged, "Probably."

Zane let out a bark of laughter, and Sean joined in with him.

"Oh, man, you have got it bad. I told you that you would like her. I take thank you's in the form of top-shelf whiskey and cash."

Good Lord, his friend was seriously the one who was crazy.

"I'll keep that in mind. So, dog, in the club, yes?"

Waving his hand, Zane nodded his head.

"For Gabby, sure. But not when the club is open, and if it pees on anything, you're paying to replace it."

He grinned over at Zane. The man had a soft spot for Gabby as well.

"Thanks. I'll send over a fancy-ass bottle of whiskey."

"Sean, on a serious note, whatever you're doing with Gabby, keep it up. She seems to be coming out of her shell little by little. She seems a lot happier."

He thought about Zane's words as he stood and left the office. He had noticed how much she had been opening up as well. She was talking more and she was no longer trembling with fear when he was around her. He hoped it meant that she was realizing that she could trust him and felt safe around him.

"Gabby girl, I want to talk to you about something. Can I come in?" he asked as he stood outside of the nursery.

Sean always made sure to ask to come into the nursery. He wanted her to know that it was her space and that he respected it. She looked up at him from where she was lying on a pile of pillows on the floor, reading a picture book, and nodded.

He walked in and sat near her but made sure to give her enough space so she didn't feel cornered when he talked to her about what was on his mind.

"How are you doing here, Gabby? Do you have everything you need? Are you happy here?"

Her eyes widened immediately at his questions.

Whoa, slow down. Idiot.

"Sorry, let me back up. I'm a little bit nervous, Gabby."

His admission seemed to intrigue her, and she smiled.

"Why would you be nervous?" she asked quietly.

"Because I want to ask you if you would like to be my little girl and let me be your Daddy."

Before he finished the last word, Gabby leaped into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, completely catching him off guard. He held her quietly as she buried her face in his t-shirt, and for a moment, he was worried that he'd upset her until she finally pulled her head away from his chest, and she was smiling shyly.

"You really want to be my Daddy?"

He nodded.

"More than anything, Gabby."

Gabby licked her lips and stared at him for several seconds before something flickered in her eyes, and her expression fell to sadness.

"What's wrong, baby girl?"

She began to wiggle off his lap, and while he wanted to stop her, he refrained and allowed her to scoot back over to the pillows.

"I… um… do you want sex in return?"

Sean felt as though the wind had been knocked from his lungs.

"What? Gabby, no. Sweetheart, look at me, please."

She slowly moved her gaze from the carpet to his.

"I don't want to be your Daddy in exchange for sex. I promise. I want to be your Daddy because I care about you, and I think you would benefit from having a caregiver who wants what's best for you. I love being a Daddy, and I get so much enjoyment out of it.

"If we decide that we want to have a physical relationship one day, then it will be something we both agree on. I hope at some point you decide that I am your forever Daddy. But the only thing I want from you while being my little girl is to be who you are."