Chapter 18

Maya's phone buzzed several times on the kitchen table throughout the day and evening, but Deke ignored it. He managed to get Maya to take another bottle a few hours after the first, and she'd gone right back to sleep and slept through the night.

Deke barely slept. He kept getting up to check on her. He'd paced, worried, watched her sleep, and finally headed to the kitchen at dawn to make himself a cup of coffee. He was surprised when her phone buzzed again at this early hour.

Deciding to take a look and make sure the incoming message wasn't something urgent, he picked up the phone. All the blood drained from his face as he stared at the screen.

He didn't have to know her passcode or open the device to see the current incoming message.

Shy and Introverted, this is Outgoing and Adventurous, also known as Jefferson, from the dating app. Apparently we're a pretty good match. I was surprised to see you have your phone number listed in your profile. Most people don't reveal that information up front. I'd love to get together. I'm hoping you're available. Call or text me any time.

Deke sat there staring at the message until it disappeared as the phone went dark. What the hell? Maya had an open profile on a dating app? Why wouldn't she tell him that? It didn't seem like her at all. And how could she be so irresponsible that she had her phone number listed?

He tried to control his frustration. Maya was his Little girl. No one else's. Rationally, he knew that. There was no chance she wasn't as in love with him as he was her. He was certain. But why did she have a dating app on her phone at all? And how was it possible she hadn't canceled her membership in the weeks he'd known her? It made no sense.

"Daddy?" Her voice coming from the nursery made him shove his chair back and head in her direction. He paused for a moment halfway across the room to collect himself. He didn't want to rush into the nursery shouting accusations at his Little girl. There had to be a logical explanation.

Still palming her phone, he took a deep breath and continued. When he stepped into the nursery, he found her sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Her cheeks had more color and she was certainly more lucid.

Don't start accusing her.

"Hey, Precious Girl." He set her phone on the changing table before approaching her to lower the side of the crib. "Feeling better?" His voice cracked. He had questions. A lot of them.

She frowned. "I think so. Oh, God. The restaurant." She groaned.

"It's okay. I spoke to Mateo. They made do without you last night."

He brushed her messy hair back from her forehead and looked into her eyes. Yes, she looked much better.

"What's wrong? Why are you frowning?"

Apparently he wasn't hiding his frustration well enough. He decided he might as well tell her. "Messages were coming into your phone, so I looked at one. I didn't mean to pry. I was just worried someone needed something urgent."

She furrowed her brow. "That's okay, Daddy. I don't have any secrets from you. I should have given you my passcode just in case you ever need to get in it."

That confused him further. He licked his lips. "Precious, why do you have a membership to a dating app?"

She gasped, eyes going wide. "I don't."

He frowned. "Maya, you must have at one point. Why didn't you cancel it?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. I've never had a membership to any dating app. That's crazy. I'm not outgoing enough for something like that. My mother used to nag me all the time to get one so I could meet a nice man, but I always ignored her. I would never go out with a stranger I met on an app." She shuddered.

Deke stared at her as the pieces fell into place. "Your mom…"

Maya frowned again. "You… You think my mom might have opened an account in my name?"

"I would bet money on it, but what I don't understand is why she would do so now. We've been together for a few weeks. We're in a solid relationship. Your mother knows that. She likes me. Or at least she says she does. I can't imagine why she would open an account for you now."

"There's no way she would do that. She does like you. She's over the moon about you. She tells me every chance she gets. She hasn't stopped grinning since we started dating."

Deke lifted Maya out of the crib and carried her to the changing table. He had to pick up the phone before he could lay her on her back.

"Let me see that," she said, holding out her hand.

He handed her the phone and proceeded to unzip her jammies. She had to shift it back and forth between her hands a few times so he could get her arms out of the sleeves, but as he tugged them down her body, she tapped the screen several times and groaned.

"What's wrong, Little one?"

"That wasn't the only message. There are several messages from different men."

"What?" Deke's voice rose. He felt unreasonably incensed. There was no reason to be frustrated with Maya. She'd said she hadn't opened the app, and he believed her. So what the hell was going on?

"Look." She held out the phone for him.

Deke took it and read through the last several messages. His ears burned as he soaked in some of the things people had typed. Who said those kinds of things in a text to a woman they hadn't even met yet?

He set the phone down and removed Maya's diaper before cleaning her up.

"Can I have panties now, Daddy?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Sure, Little one." He didn't meet her gaze. He simply whisked away the jammies from under her, leaving her naked.

She pulled her legs together and grabbed his wrist. "Daddy…"

He drew in a breath and met her gaze.

"I didn't do it."

"I know, Little one." He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I'm just frustrated. I don't like the thought of people messaging those kinds of things to my Little girl. And I hate that the entire world can see your phone number."

"How about if I get dressed and we go to the restaurant as soon as it opens to see if my mom knows anything about this."

Deke smiled at her and lifted her fingers to his lips to kiss them. "Since when are you the voice of reason instead of me?"

She giggled. "Since the jealous monster took you over and gobbled you up. It's cute, though. I like the fact that you're so aggravated that men are texting me. I feel special and loved."

Deke lifted her off the table and into his arms, hugging her close. "You are special and loved. I love you so much. Do you have any idea how panicked I've been while you slept? I even called a doctor friend of mine because I was scared."

She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just so tired. It's like I was drugged or something."

Deke suddenly winced as he remembered the melatonin he'd given her. Could it have affected her so much that she couldn't wake up? "Have you ever taken melatonin before, Little one?"

She shook her head. "What is it?"

"It's what Daddy gave you after your nightmare to help you sleep."

"Oh, right. I remember you said that. What's it for?"

"Sleeping." He chuckled. "I bet you're super sensitive to it."

She giggled. "Well, I certainly slept."

He blew out a long breath. "I'm so sorry, Little one. I've never heard of anyone sleeping so long after taking it. That must be rare."

"Don't feel too bad. I'm sorry I worried you, but I definitely needed the sleep, and I also didn't have a single bad dream."

He lowered her to her feet. "Are you stable enough to stand while Daddy gets you some clothes?"

"I think so." She held on to his hand while she assessed her balance.

It was adorable watching her, but he still felt bad about giving her the melatonin. He'd never do that again.

When she took a tentative step without wobbling, she finally released him.

Deke hurried to grab her some panties, leggings, a bra, and a T-shirt. As soon as he had her dressed he shot off a text to Hunter to ask him what he thought about the melatonin. It was worrying him.

While he was putting Maya's shoes on, his phone rang. It was Hunter.

"Hi, thanks for calling. Sorry to bother you again."

"No problem. I'm glad you texted. I was wondering how Maya was doing. As for your question, yes, it's possible she reacted stronger to melatonin than most people. It's rare, but it can happen."

"I feel so bad about giving it to her." He pulled her against him as he spoke.

"Don't beat yourself up. Melatonin is safe and effective. She'll be fine. Is she up and awake now?"

"Yes. She's almost back to normal."

"I'm sure that was it then. Don't worry. Just don't give it to her again."

"Okay." Deke still felt bad.

"You're a wonderful Daddy, Deke. You did nothing wrong," Hunter said. "You couldn't have known. Think of it this way, she got some much-needed sleep."

Deke tried to smile. "Thank you." As soon as he ended the call, he lifted Maya off the floor and hugged her close. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Daddy."