Page 144 of Broken Daddy

As much as she hated keeping anything from him, she knew that no one could ever know.

“Another rule, while you’re recovering you’re not to get out of bed on your own. Understand? Can’t believe the nurse let you do that.”

“She didn’tletme do anything,” she told him before yawning. Her eyelids were just so darn heavy. “I can do what I want.”

Strange. She hadn’t been able to sleep before. She’d been completely wired, but now that Hayes was here she felt very sleepy.

Weird, right? It wasn’t like he was boring or anything. It was more that she could rest because she felt so safe with him around.

As though nothing was going to get to her because he was here, watching over her.

There was a beat of silence and she probably should have taken heed of that instead of just basking in this feeling of being able to do anything because someone else was looking out for her wellbeing for once.

“Do you mean that you just got up on your own, without asking for help? Did the nurse tell you to ask for help, little girl?”

Oh heck.

That ‘little girl’ did things to her that it really shouldn’t.

She was in trouble here.

“I’m gonna go to sleep now.”

“I just bet you are. We’ll save our chat for later. About things that you are and aren’t allowed to do. And the consequences for breaking the rules.”

She really was mostly asleep by then, so she told herself that she must have imagined those words.

30

“You’ve got to eat, baby,” Hayes coaxed her.

“You haven’t eaten,” she informed him, staring down at the food on offer for breakfast the next day.

It looked disgusting and she didn’t consider herself a fussy person. But it looked like reconstituted eggs with overcooked bacon.

“I’m pretty sure that this bacon could plug the hole in my sneaker.” She held it up, wrinkling her nose.

“Then I’ll go get you something else. What do you feel like?”

Instantly, she felt terrible. Complaining wasn’t really her. She wasn’t going to ask him to go out and get something else for her.

“No, no, it’s fine,” she told him hastily. “I’ll eat it.”

Even if her stomach turned just looking at it.

“No, you’re not. You’re right, it’s disgusting. You’re not going to get better eating stuff like this. What do you like? Pancakes? Sausages and eggs? You should really have protein to help you recover.”

“This is protein,” she said, poking at the eggs. Were they eggs if they came out of a box? Box eggs? Yuck. She hid that thought, though. She shouldn’t be ungrateful. Someone else prepared this food for her that she didn’t have to pay for . . . well, that wasn’t true. She’d probably be paying this bill off for the rest of her life.. She couldn’t let Hayes pay for this no matter what he thought. “I think.”

“Okay, we need to talk.” He pushed the tray to one side and took the fork away from her, setting it down on the plate.

“Hey, that’s my breakfast!”

“That isnotyour breakfast. And you need to listen to me.” He sat on the bed, facing her.

Once again, he’d helped her to the toilet. Which basically involved him doing everything except actually peeing for her.

Hayes grasped hold of her chin gently, tilting her head back so he could stare down at her. “You deserve everything you desire. I know you won’t agree with me because that’s just who you are. I want to give you whatever you want as long as that doesn’t clash with my need to keep you safe and healthy. So if my baby wants some damn decent food then that’s what she gets. Got me?”