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“I understand,” Trinity replied. “We all need to find our person who gets us. Daddies and their little girls have a special bond.”
Before Emilee could respond, Trinity’s expression shifted, a hint of concern creeping in. “Speaking of Daddies, I heard your Daddy telling mine about that incident with Officer Mills at The Rusty Crab.”
Emilee felt her heart drop, the memory flooding back, bringing with it a sudden chill. She shifted in her seat, the weight of his threat still heavy in her chest. “Yeah, he... he cornered me.”
Trinity’s brows furrowed. “I heard it was pretty intense. Delilah worked that night and overheard some of it. He was saying some nasty things, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Emilee said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He said I should keep my mouth shut about... about my accident. That no one would believe me because of my past.” Her hands trembled as she remembered his cold smile, the way he leaned in close. “He even threatened Arrow, said he’d make sure it was the last time I talked.”
Trinity’s eyes widened, a mix of sympathy and anger flashing across her face. “That’s awful! You don’t deserve to be treatedlike that. He thinks he can intimidate you? How dare he. Does he know you are Arrow’s girlfriend? I mean, how could he be that stupid?”
“It felt like a nightmare,” Emilee admitted, the tremor in her voice betraying her composure. “I just... I didn’t know how to react. I thought he would hurt me, and all I could think about was how scared I was. I thought no one would believe me.” She didn’t want to talk about all this. She wanted to go get her backpack from her car and pull out the coloring books and special muffin crayons Arrow made her. The pucks were beautiful, and all the colors melded together made it even more fun to color with. She could turn it one way and have blue and turn it another and have red. Daddy bought her another box of crayons, too. A bigger box with more colors in it and a brand-new coloring book with all of her fairytale characters. She’d rather eat her dinner and color than talk about Mills.
Trinity reached across the table, her hand covering Emilee’s. “You’re not alone in this. You’ve got Arrow, and you’ve got me. We’ll make sure he knows he can’t just bully people like that.”
Emilee felt the warmth of Trinity’s hand, grounding her. “I just want to be safe. I’ve worked hard to get where I am today. I might not have much, but I don’t want to go back to that feeling of being trapped.”
“You won’t,” Trinity assured her, squeezing her hand. “You have an entire community behind you now. The Watchmen take their loyalty seriously. If Mills tries anything again, they’ll back you up. Arrow will protect you.”
Emilee gave Trinity a small smile. “I really hope so. I want to feel normal, to be happy without looking over my shoulder.”
“You’re on the right path. Just keep talking about what you’re feeling. And remember, it’s okay to lean on others. That’s what family is for.”
Emilee nodded, although she doubted she would ever get comfortable enough with another woman to lean on them, not after Catie. “Thanks, Trinity. I really appreciate you being here.”
“Always,” Trinity replied, her smile bright and reassuring. “Now, let’s dig into this dinner! I’m starving, and Uncle Tater said I have to eat all these green beans before I get dessert. I do not like green beans one bit… maybe we can come up with a plan to get around that rule together.”
Emilee laughed, the tension easing just a bit as they talked about their favorite foods and the latest gossip in the club. As they shared stories, Emilee felt a sense of friendship grow between them. It was nice to have a friend again.
“Look, Daddy! I colored you a pretty picture!” Emilee held the paper up. Arrow and Lucky stood at the head of the table beside her and Trinity. After they’d finished eating, Emilee went to the car and grabbed her coloring supplies. The girls sat next to each other talking and coloring as the men finished their meeting. She pointed out the princess in the yellow gown and the beast wearing a suit next to her. “This is me and this is you!”
“I’m a beast, am I?” He teased with a grin. “It takes a beast to tame my little girl.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her forehead.
“Did you color me a picture, too?” Lucky asked Trinity.
“Mine's not a princess, mine’s a frog.” Trinity held it up for Lucky.
“A frog with a crown on his head?” Lucky asked, feigning ignorance.
“Uh-huh,” Trinity said.
“Girls!” Tater approached with a frown on his face. “You have some explaining to do.” Both the daddies looked from the girls to Tater and back. Their meeting had ended a few minutes before.
“Uh oh,” Emilee muttered under her breath. It was all Trinity’s idea, but she wouldn’t throw her friend under the bus.
“Uh oh?” Arrow parroted. “What exactly does uh oh mean, Kitten?”
Trinity nudged her and leaned in. Whispering so only Emilee could hear, she muttered, “I think we should run. Wanna play a game of tag?” Emilee nodded her agreement.
“What are you two whispering about?” Lucky crossed his arms over his muscular chest and narrowed his gaze onto Trinity.
“Tater?” Arrow turned to the brooding man. “What did they do?”
“Tag!” Trinity yelled, and both girls pushed off the table and took off running. “Follow me!” Trinity ordered. Emilee took off after the older woman, impressed by how fast she could run. This was fun. Different from the stressors and chaos of her life, being a little and playing with her new friend was delightful. She giggled as she heard the men take off after them.
Clover, Irish’s dog, came bounding after the girls, wagging her tail and barking furiously. Emilee heard footsteps behind her and the shouts of, “stop!”
“You aren’t it, Daddy! Stop chasing me!” Trinity said and laughter from the other members of The Watchmen quickly followed.
