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A happy sigh escaped, and she nestled into him as his skin was revealed. Then he took out her pacifier and replaced it with the nipple of the bottle before brushing his fingers over her cheek.
“Drink your bottle for Daddy. And then you can have a nap. We’ll be there before you know it. Daddy has you. Daddy always has you.”
74
The closer they got to her hometown, the more tense Faith grew. She was dressed in her adult clothes again, which was a shame in his opinion. But she hadn’t wanted to turn up to her family farm wearing a butterfly onesie.
Reaching up, she touched the new hair clip he’d bought her. She’d said she didn’t need a good luck charm anymore, but he wanted her to have one anyway.
The possessive caveman in him liked that she had one that he’d given her. He liked providing for her. Giving her whatever she needed.
So he didn’t like that she was stressed about this. Not one bit.
Reuben tightened his hands on the steering wheel. He’d make sure that no one upset her. Or they’d answer to him. Family or not.
“This is an awfully nice rental car.”
He grinned. It was. It was the best he could buy. He had an impression to make.
“You doing all right, baby?” he asked. “We don’t have to go.”
“No, they’re expecting us. And I need to do this. I’m just nervous.”
As they passed the welcome to Public, Missouri sign, he had to grin. Someone had blacked out the L in public, so it read, Welcome to Pubic, Missouri.
He drove through the quaint town. It had a wide main street and cute shops on either side. Everything was well-maintained, which made him think that the graffiti on the town sign was new.
“We should check into the motel,” Faith said.
He glanced over to find she had her fingers tightly interlaced.
“We’ll go there after, baby. You need to get this out of the way.”
She nodded stiffly and gave him directions. Reaching over, he grabbed hold of her hands in his.
“You need to breathe, baby. Remember, you’re not alone. I’m here to look after you, support you.”
“You’re right. I’m not sure why I’m so tense. My family are good people.”
“That’s good.” It was. But he wanted to know why they hadn’t come after her.
They drove up a long driveway to a gorgeous old farmhouse.
“Why are all these cars here?” she asked, looking around. “Is something going on?”
He hummed and got out. Coming around the front of the car, he opened her door and undid her belt. She never forgot to wait for him to help her in and out of the car anymore.
Helping her down, he led her up to the door. She seemed reluctant to move forward. When they got to the front door, she seemed to think about knocking, but then she opened the door. They stepped in, but everything was quiet.
He glanced around. The house was clean and tidy, though obviously old and worn.
“They must be outside.” She walked forward, and he was content to follow. When they stepped out onto the back porch, it was obvious what was going on.
There was a huge banner with ‘Welcome home, Faith!’ written on it. Tables were groaning with food and drinks and vases of camellias. Suddenly, at least thirty people popped up to yell, “Surprise.”
Unfortunately, Faith got a fright. Probably because of everything that had happened recently. Screaming, she turned and jumped into his arms. He held her tight, one arm under her ass, the other around her back.
Cradling her to him, he spoke to her quietly, soothingly, while her entire family looked on in shock as she cried.
