Page 27 of Princess Josie

He smiles. “Okay, princess. We’ll explore whatever you want over the weekend then.”

I throw myself into his arms and hug him. “You are the bestest Daddy in the world.”

He bends his knees a bit so he can lift me off the floor.

I wrap my arms and legs around him as he carries me out of the room and across the hall to the last room. The master bedroom.

“Your bed is huge, Daddy.” I giggle.

“I’m a big guy, Little one. Do you think you’ll get lost in there?”

I shake my head, my pigtails swatting him in the cheeks. I know he doesn’t mind when I do that. “You won’t let me get lost. I know you won’t. Can I sleep with you tonight?”

He hesitates. “We’ll see, Baby girl.”

I stick out my bottom lip and pout. He has been vague about our sleeping arrangements every time we’ve talked about me staying over for the weekend. I want to be in his bed. I want him to have sex with me.

He sits me on one side of the bed and tips my head back, holding my gaze. “I need to show you a few things.”

“Okay.”

He points to the side of the bed near the headboard. There is a strange box attached to the bedframe. It has a keypad on top.

“What is it, Daddy?”

“It’s a gun safe.”

I shudder. “Oh.”

“Daddy is a detective, Baby girl. Remember?”

“Yes. Of course.” But I didn’t think about him having guns. Of course he has guns. Duh.

“I keep a weapon in here all the time. It can only be opened by either my thumbprint or my code. You can’t open it, Josie.”

I nod slowly, soaking in what he’s telling me.

“It’s for safety. I never intend to have to open that safe and grab that gun in the night, but it’s there just in case.”

“Okay,” I murmur.

“There are other gun safes in this house. I keep my official weapon that I carry when I work in a safe in my closet. There’s another safe in my office attached to my desk and one in the console of my truck. You can’t open any of them.”

That’s at least four guns.

“I don’t ever want you to touch the safes, understood?”

“Yes, Daddy.” I shudder. I don’t everwantto touch them.

“If for any reason you see a gun in the house when Daddy gets home from work before I put it away, you do not touch it. Don’t go near it.”

“Okay, Daddy. I won’t. I don’t like guns.”

“I didn’t think so. Down the road, if you ever want Daddy to teach you how to shoot and about gun safety, we can do that, but for now, you need to stay clear of all weapons.”

I give him a definitive nod. There is no fear of me touching a gun.

“Good girl. Shall we go to the kitchen and eat dinner?”