Page 58 of Melt For Us, Daddy (Big Daddy Energy #4)

Cordelia

I f she’d ever been more terrified in her life, she couldn’t remember.

From the moment she’d gotten the call from Braden, telling her that Harlan had shown up at the club and he was taking Jacob to the doctor, her heart hadn’t stopped its frantic beating against her ribcage.

And now, as she yanked open the doors of the office where he’d told her to meet them, it felt like her heart might actually jump right out of her chest.

Please let him be okay. Please let my baby boy be okay.

“Jacob Redding,” she blurted out the moment she stepped up to the front desk. “I’m his—” She barely caught herself before saying she was his Daddy. “I need to see him.”

She’d prepared herself for a fight, but the nurse behind the desk immediately jumped to her feet. “I’ll buzz you right in, ma’am.”

It felt like eternity, those few seconds it took for the buzzer to sound so she could open the door.

“Follow me.”

A million questions burned on her tongue, all demanding answers. But she held them back, waited until the nurse stopped in front of one of the closed exam room doors and knocked.

“Come in!” a feminine voice called from the other side.

Pushing the door open, the nurse stepped aside and Cordelia’s knees nearly went weak with relief at the sight of her baby boy sitting on the edge of an exam table.

“Jacob.” The image of him blurred and she had to blink back the tears as she hurried over to him.

Barely sparing a glance for the woman standing beside the table, Cordelia cupped his face in her hands, her heart twisting at the bruise already forming on his cheek. “Oh, baby. What happened to your face?”

“His father,” Braden answered, rising from a chair in the corner of the room. “From what Jacob says, he backhanded him twice and then tried to strangle him. Dr. Winters is checking him over, making sure we don’t need to take him to the hospital.”

She couldn't breathe. Couldn’t even think as she tried to process Braden’s words. “He tried to kill you.”

The words were quiet, and yet full of the deadly rage churning in her stomach.

Pale gray eyes locked on her as Jacob lifted his hand to cover hers. “I’m okay. Really. See? I’m right here, and I feel fine.” His voice was rough, a stark testament of what he’d endured.

“He tried to kill you.” Shifting her gaze to the right, she snarled at Braden. “Why the hell didn’t you take him to the hospital?”

“Holden suggested we bring him here, to Dr. Winters.” Braden raised a brow. “Apparently she has experience with this sort of thing.”

For the first time, Cordelia looked over at the woman who’d been silently standing by. “You must be Dr. Winters.”

“I am.” The doctor flashed a bright smile.

“And you'll be happy to know there’s no sign of concussion and the x-ray showed no broken bones, no damage to his windpipe. I can write him a script for some low-grade pain meds, but mostly I’d just recommend icing the cheek down ten to twenty minutes at a time.

But other than the bruising and the pain, he should be fine. ”

“Thank god.” Again, relief flooded her, so overwhelming it nearly drove her to her knees. “Now, who’s going to tell me what the fuck happened?”

Jacob and Braden shared a look, and it didn’t take years of being a Domme to know they were trying to figure out who was going to bite the bullet and tell her.

Fine. She preferred to be the one calling the shots anyway.

“Dr. Winters, may we have the room?”

“Ah… sure. I should probably add here that I wouldn’t recommend Jacob engage in any impact play for a couple days. So depending on how this conversation goes, you may need to find an alternate form of discipline.”

The silence that enveloped the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. And for several long moments, all Cordelia could do was stare at the pretty doctor. “Excuse me?”

Mischief sparkled in Dr. Winters’ bright eyes. “You’re friends of Holden’s, and I recognized Braden’s name when he called about bringing Jacob in. I’ll apologize if I was off base, but I don’t think I was.”

“You… weren’t.”

“Then as I said. No impact play for at least forty-eight hours. Just to be on the safe side. I’ll go write Jacob that script for the pain meds and let you have your talk in private.”

Ponytail bouncing behind her, Dr. Winters strode from the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

“Um. Am I in trouble?”

Jacob’s soft, worried question pulled Cordelia’s attention back to him and she raised an eyebrow. “Should you be?”

“Well I didn’t think so, but now I’m not sure.”

“I suppose that depends on exactly what happened.” Now that her worry had mostly been appeased, the anger she’d shoved down was bubbling up again.

“It was my fault,” Braden said, raking a hand through his hair.

“We were wrapping things up for the day and I let him wait for me outside. I figured with Holden’s men around, nothing bad would happen in the fifteen minutes or so he was going to be out there.

But I should have been watching the cameras anyway. I’m so fucking sorry, Delia.”

She wanted to blame him. Wanted to weep and rage at the knowledge that Harlan Redding had gotten within a hundred feet of her boy.

But the fact was, this was exactly what they’d been hoping for. Why they’d dangled her baby out like bait, waiting for Harlan to bite. Even with all Holden’s promises that he’d be safe, she’d known in her gut how dangerous it was. And she’d agreed to it anyway.

So the guilt, the blame was all hers.

“I appreciate that, but it’s not your fault. I never should have let Holden use him as bait.” Cupping Jacob’s face again, she met those pale, trusting eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t keep you safe, baby. I’m so, so sorry I let him get close enough to hurt you.”

“It’s not your fault either, Cordelia. I wanted to do this, remember? And now it’s over. He’s in jail, and we’re going to make sure he stays there for the rest of his life.”

There was such conviction in his tone, she couldn’t help but grin even with the riot of emotions wreaking havoc inside her. “Fuck yeah, we are.”

A commotion in the hall interrupted their conversation. “I swear to god if you don’t let me in there right fucking now , I’m calling the cops!”

Braden’s eyebrows winged up toward his hairline. “I didn’t know Ivy’s voice could even get that loud.”

“That’s because she’s on her best behavior at the club.” Cordelia’s grin widened. “Usually.”

Glancing over at the door, Jacob smiled, then winced at the movement. “We should probably let her in before she tries to break the door down.”

The words had barely left his mouth before said door flew open and Ivy came barreling in, her eyes burning with determination. “Jacob! Oh my god, what did they do to you?”

“I’m okay, Ivy.”

“ Okay ? Your face is all banged up! What happened?” Whirling around, she jabbed a finger in Braden’s direction. “How did you let this happen?”

Sensing her babygirl was on the verge of a rather impressive meltdown, Cordelia laid a hand on the back of her neck. “Breathe, blossom. Our boy is safe, Harlan is in jail, and that’s all that matters.”

“But—”

“No, Ivy Mae. Not another word until you’ve taken at least three deep breaths.”

Wrinkling her nose, Ivy let out a small, annoyed huff and Cordelia had to fight not to let her amusement show. Her girl really was adorable when she was full of righteous anger.

After three slow breaths, Ivy peeked up at Cordelia through her lashes, a sheepish smile curving her lips. “Sorry. I was just… flustered.”

“No apologies needed, blossom. I was pretty flustered too when I first got here. But look, our boy is right here and he’s okay. He’s safe.” There would be time to tell her the truth of what happened, at home where she could have her meltdown and then fuss over their baby boy to her heart’s content.

“Poor baby.” Hoisting herself up onto the exam table, Ivy snuggled up against Jacob. “Can we take him home now?”

“He’s cleared on my end,” Dr. Winters said from the doorway, looking surprisingly unruffled given the eventful afternoon she’d had. “I sent the script over to the pharmacy Holden uses. Just ask Betty for the info on your way out.”

“Which pharmacy?” Frowning, Ivy pulled her phone from her purse. “Our insurance is pretty selective, so I’ll need to make sure it’s covered. If not, I can give you the name of the place we usually use.”

“It’s been taken care of.”

Cordelia narrowed her eyes at the doctor, then Braden, who held up his hands in the time-honored gesture of surrender. “Wasn’t me.”

“Holden,” Cordelia muttered, shaking her head. “That sonofabitch.”

“He probably feels guilty because our boy got hurt on his watch. As he should.” With a delicate sniff, Ivy snuggled up against Jacob again. “If he wants to pay for his treatment, I say we let him.”

“Fair enough.” Still, it rankled, and she wondered as she often did if she’d ever get used to having such wealthy friends who thought nothing of buying everyone brunch at expensive restaurants or paying a doctor’s bill.

But just then she had more important issues at hand. Like getting her boy home so they could pamper and spoil him the way he deserved.

“All right. Let’s go home.”