Daddy's Perfect Princess (The Shape of Love Book 1)

by Stella Moore

  Mindy shrugged. “We had a fight. I screwed up and hurt him pretty badly. He went back to his place.”

  “Did he say he wanted to break up?”

  “Not in so many words, but it was pretty obvious.”

  Gail rolled her eyes. “How can someone so smart be so clueless? Honey, you better go to that man tonight and talk this out. You’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t.”

  Gail’s words played over in Mindy’s head the rest of the morning, and as she left for lunch. She’d been too preoccupied that morning to pack something, so she decided to hit up the deli down the street. She was in the middle of deciding between the chicken salad or a Rueben when a voice behind her had her stomach dropping to her knees.

  “Mindy?”

  Forcing a smile she didn’t remotely feel, she turned around. “Todd. What a surprise.” She couldn’t quite bring herself to add the “pleasant” to her sentence.

  He smiled, and she saw a bit of the man she’d thought she’d been in love with. The charming sophisticate who made her feel like the center of the universe when he smiled at her that way. “I had a meeting on this side of town. Let me buy you lunch?”

  Fox’s face, his eyes filled with hurt and betrayal, flashed in her mind. “I don’t think so, but thank you.”

  Todd’s smile didn’t falter. “Nothing untoward, just two friends having lunch together.”

  She bit back a sigh. “Okay. Just lunch.”

  “Great.” He stepped up to stand beside her. “What are you having?”

  Thoughts of the delicious Reuben she’d nearly decided on fluttered away like papers caught in a spring breeze. “The grilled chicken salad. With the house vinaigrette.”

  He beamed at her. “Excellent choice. I think I’ll have the same.”

  That surprised her. They’d had a standing lunch date here once a week when they’d been dating and he’d always ordered the club sandwich. Without fail. Maybe people changed, after all.

  Todd placed their orders and they carried the little plastic number for their order to an empty table.

  “So, how is work?” Todd asked when they were seated.

  “Good. Predictable,” she added with a laugh. “You?”

  “Work is great.” He paused, and took a deep breath like he was preparing himself for something unpleasant. “Listen, Mindy.”

  Her heart jumped into her throat. Oh, no. She should have known better. Before she could protest, or cut him off, he pressed on.

  “I messed up.” The sincerity in his eyes caught her off guard. “I wanted you to be the best possible version of yourself, and I can see now I went about it the wrong way. Whatever this Fox guy is doing, it works. And not just the fact that you’ve lost some weight, but when I saw you at dinner a few weeks ago, you were so happy. And I realized I hadn’t seen you smile or laugh like that in months. I just wanted to tell you, I really did love you. Even if I was an asshole about it.”

  If he had told her he was running off to join the circus as a trapeze artist, she wouldn’t have been more shocked than she was right then. “Oh. Well. Thank you. That actually means a lot to me.”

  “I’ve wanted to tell you that for a while now, but I never had the nerve. Seeing you today felt like fate. So with that out of the way, how are things with Fox?”

  Fate. Todd had never talked like that when they’d been dating. It took her a moment to get past the shock of it to answer his question. “We broke up last night.” Despite Gail’s protests to the contrary, Mindy wasn’t going to delude herself into thinking things weren’t over between them.

  Todd laid a hand over hers and squeezed. “Whatever he did, he’s an idiot. Take it from someone who’s been there, letting you go is the biggest mistake he could make.”

  She wasn’t entirely certain her heart could stand much more shock. “You mean that?”

  “I do. And I know this is crazy, but what if we got back together? I know you just broke up with Fox, but we were together for a year. And I think we’ve both learned a lot in our time apart. What do you say? Give me a second chance?”

  Chapter 25

  Fox glowered at the empty bottle in his hand. It wasn’t even noon and he’d just finished his fourth beer. Not to mention the drinking he’d done last night.

  He shouldn’t have left. Even through the haze of alcohol, that much was clear. Yeah, she’d hurt him. And she’d risked her health for the sake of losing a couple extra pounds. But he should have stayed and worked it out, then made sure she never so much as looked at another diet pill ever again.

  But he’d left. A dozen times he’d started to go to her. And a dozen times he’d convinced himself she wouldn’t want to see him. Fuck, he needed advice. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he dialed the one person he could always count on.

  “Hey, son!” His mom’s bright, happy voice was like salt in a wound.

  “Mom. I fucked up. With Mindy.”

  “How?”

  He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to get his thoughts straight through the haze of alcohol. “She was taking some diet pills she got off the internet. Took too much and that’s why she passed out. I lost it when I found out. She mentioned her asshole ex-boyfriend and I stormed out.”

  “Oh. Why would you do that?”

  That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it? “I was pissed.”

  “And hurt, I imagine.”

  He snorted out a laugh. “You could say that.”

  “Why were you so mad?”

  That threw him for a loop. Wasn’t it obvious? “What? She could have seriously hurt herself. What if she’d passed out behind the wheel? She could’ve killed herself. And why? To prove something to her ex-boyfriend? Whose opinion obviously matters more than mine,” he added bitterly.

  There was a long, tense silence on the other end. “Fox, do you remember how I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant with your sister?”

  “Not really. You’ve always been thin.”

  She laughed, but it wasn’t the happy sound he was used to. “No, honey. I haven’t. There just aren’t a lot of pictures of me from then, because I hated them. I hated the way I looked, period. Your father tried to tell me I was beautiful, but I didn’t believe him.”

  He was starting to see where this was headed. “Why not?”

  “Because that wasn’t something I could get from an outside source. I had to figure it out on my own. And it took me a really long time, even after I lost the weight, to be happy with who I was.”

  Guilt coated his stomach, making him feel slightly queasy. “I guess I haven’t been too understanding on that front.”

  “You’re a great guy, Fox. And it’s easy to see you practically worship her. And I think the feeling is mutual. But you can’t fix her just by telling her she’s pretty. And honestly, she doesn’t need you to fix her. She needs you to love her.”

  “What?” Mindy stared at Todd in shock, unable to fully process what he’d just said.

  “Give me a second chance. We were good together, Mindy. We have so much in common and we want the same future. Let’s give it another shot.”

  This was what she’d wanted. What she’d envisioned from the moment she’d walked into Fox’s gym. And now that it was here, she waited for the rush of victory.

  Only, it didn’t come. She just felt empty. Looking across the table at the man who’d been her entire world for over a year, she felt nothing. No sadness, or anger, or even the smug satisfaction she’d hoped for.

  “No.”

  Todd blinked, and she could tell he hadn’t been expecting that answer. “No? Just like that?”

  “Yes, Todd. Just like that. Because you don’t want me.”

  He frowned. “Of course I do. I just said I did, didn’t I?”

  Mindy smiled, finally feeling a tinge of sadness. “No, Todd. You want the woman I tried to be to make you happy. What type of movies do I like?”

  “What kind of question is that? You’re not really a movie
person.”

  “See, that’s the kind of thing I’m talking about. I love movies. Specifically, movies with lots of explosions and buff men running around half-naked.”

  He was looking at her as if she’d just admitted to chopping up people and serving them as chili at the church potluck. “You’ve never told me that.”

  Mindy shrugged. “I know. You have very strong opinions, and I was afraid if I disagreed with you, that you would break up with me. And to be honest, your version of trying to help me be my best self or whatever was pretty toxic. I deserve better. And as much as it pains me to admit it, you deserve someone who really fits you and not someone who just puts on a show for you.”

  “I don’t know how to answer that.”

  Rising from her chair, she grabbed her purse and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Just work on being the best version of yourself. The rest will figure itself out.”

  Without even a backward glance, she strode out of the restaurant and headed back to work.

  It took several hours, a shower, and a pot of coffee before Fox felt like he could face her. With the pity party out of the way, he was a man on a mission.

  Parking the Jeep in front of her house—their house if he had anything to do with it—he hopped out and jogged up the front walk. He was halfway there when she walked out the front door, looking fresh as a daisy and twice as pretty. She looked up, her eyes going wide when she saw him. “Fox?”

  He’d stopped several feet short of the front door just to stare at her. Had it really been less than a day? It seemed like weeks since he’d seen her. “Hey. I, uh, wanted to talk.”

  Her face was closed off, and for the first time he couldn’t easily read her emotions. But she nodded and gestured for him to follow her into the house.

  He followed her into the living room, where she turned by the cute little blue-green couch to face him. “Before you say anything, I have something to tell you. I want your word you’ll let me finish before you jump in.”

  His stomach twisted itself into a knot, but he nodded for her to continue.

  She took a deep breath and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “I had lunch with Todd today. He was very sweet, and admitted that he made mistakes with our relationship. He asked me to give him a second chance.”

  No fucking way. Fox opened his mouth to say exactly that, but she held up a hand to fend him off. “You promised, Fox.”

  Though it cost him, dearly, he swallowed the rage and nodded again.

  “When he asked me, it was so tempting to say yes. He was everything I ever wanted in a man. Or thought I wanted. But he has one glaring flaw.” The corners of her lips tilted up, just a bit. “He’s not you.”

  “Mindy—”

  She cut him off again. “Not finished. He’s not you,” she repeated, her eyes filling with tears. “I love you, Fox. Deeply, desperately, impossibly love you. But I’m not going to beg you. I was prepared this morning to do whatever it took to get you back. Because I fucked up, big time. I didn’t realize how much I could hurt you. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you how I was feeling, and about the pills. But I think I needed this. Not this,” she gestured to the space between them, “fight or break up or whatever it was. The talk with Todd. It gave me the closure I needed on a lot of levels. I never meant to hurt you, Fox. But it wasn’t fair to me for you to expect me to just get over a man I was committed to for a year, not to mention a lifetime of hurt and insecurities, because you threw me a couple compliments. So yeah, I was an idiot, and I hurt you. But I had stuff I needed to work out. I hope you can understand that, and I hope you can forgive me. But I’m not going to beg.”

  “Are you finished now, little girl?”

  The little flicker of hope in her eyes nearly did him in. But she’d said her piece. Now it was his turn.

  “Yes, I’m done.”

  “Good. I’m not crazy about the idea of you having lunch with your idiot ex. But if you got what you needed out of it, then we’re good. And now it’s my turn to apologize.”

  She blinked in surprise. “It is?”

  “Yeah. Because you’re right. I didn’t pay attention to your needs. I thought I could make your issues with your weight go away by telling you how sexy you are, and by showing you,” he added, with a quick grin that made her blush. “But I get now that it’s not that simple. I’m sorry I wasn’t more understanding. Forgive me?”

  She grinned, and the guilt began to dissipate, though he knew it would linger for a while. “Yes, Daddy.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. So, here’s where we go from here. Tonight, you are getting your bottom thoroughly blistered for the pills.”

  Her grin turned to a pout, and he wanted to scoop her up and kiss it all away. But she needed this. They needed this, if they were going to really move forward. So he continued with his lecture, momentarily ignoring the need to comfort her.

  “And from now on, when you start to feel like you’re not pretty enough or thin enough or whatever it is, you’ll come to me. And I will do my best to help you work through it, and not just brush you off. Deal?”

  Her lips tilted up in a ghost of a smile. “Deal.”

  He held his arms open and she raced to him, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I know I messed up.”

  “Yeah, you did. And you also used a naughty word a few minutes ago, didn’t you?”

  Her cheeks flushed bright pink and she looked up at him through her lashes. “I don’t remember.”

  He raised an eyebrow and her blush deepened. “Hmm. I think you do remember.”

  “Maybe I do. But we were kind of broken up, so I don’t think it counts.”

  Her words sliced straight through him. “Broken up? What the hell are you talking about, little girl?”

  She frowned, and he saw real confusion in her eyes. She wasn’t playing coy, which helped ease his anger a bit. “You left.”

  And that would haunt him, long past tonight. “I did. I shouldn’t have, princess. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I know you were upset. We both were.”

  “Still. I should have stayed.” He dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I’ll let it slide this time. But if it happens again, you’re getting a spanking on top of your mouth getting washed out. Understood?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  Cupping the back of her head, he pulled her to him, laying his lips gently over hers. The taste of her was intoxicating, drawing him in until he was drowning in her.

  “I love you, Melinda Rose.”

  “I love you, too, Fox Washburn.”

  He kissed her again, then pulled away and turned her toward the bedroom. “Now, I want you to go take all your clothes off and put your nose in the corner.” He sent her off with a heavy swat to her bottom. She gave a little yelp, and pouted at him over her shoulder before she sauntered off to the bedroom. For once, he was ready to skip the punishment part altogether and get straight to the making up. But his girl needed him, so he’d wait.

  Chapter 26

  Mindy resisted the urge to skip into the bedroom. She had her daddy back. Not only that, but he had admitted to screwing up, which had been a shock, but one that had warmed her from the inside out.

  The spanking she had coming was probably going to make every other one seem like a game. But that was okay. If she was being honest with herself, she needed it to hurt. Needed the cleansing that would come with getting her backside tanned good and proper by her daddy.

  Stripping out of the pretty sundress she’d donned in anticipation of going to his place to make up, she eyed the single empty corner in her bedroom. She’d read so many stories over the years that she’d expected to hate it. But, though she’d never admit this to Fox, she loved it. Loved the opportunity to get in the right headspace before a punishment. Loved how it made her feel even more like a little girl. She even loved the humiliation of it, standing there with her bottom exposed to her daddy as she waited for him to
spank her.

  Or all of her exposed, as the case was tonight. Once she was naked, she walked to the corner and stood with her hands laced behind her head. She focused her gaze on the pale green of her walls, and her mind on why she was standing there in the first place. It wasn’t difficult to get her mind right when she’d known for weeks what would happen if she got caught. She already knew she deserved whatever Fox decided to give her.

  And still, when she heard Fox enter the room, her stomach tightened and her heart rate kicked up. Accepting that she needed to be punished didn’t make it easy.

  “Come here, Mindy.”

  Blowing out a breath, she turned. Leaving her hands behind her head, she walked to where he was seated on the bed.

  She expected anger. Disappointment. But her heart did a slow roll at the depth of love she saw in his eyes instead. Putting his hands on her hips, he pulled her between his strong, muscular thighs.

  “I love you.” His voice was rough, and she realized with a start that he was fighting tears. “Losing you would destroy me. Do you know that?”

  He hadn’t even laid a hand on her, and she was ready to weep. “I do. I’m sorry, Daddy.”

  “I know, princess. But I can’t—won’t—take chances with you. You’re not going to forget this any time soon.”

  He didn’t wait for a response, but simply guided her over his knee. His hand rested hot and heavy on her bare bottom, and she was intimately aware of how naked she was.

  From the first swat, she knew he was going to keep his promise. Her bottom was instantly on fire, thousands of stinging needles tattooing her skin with his displeasure. The second fell immediately after, giving her no time to think or absorb the pain from the first. He continued on as he began, each swat building on the pain of its predecessors, not so much warming her up as setting her aflame.

  “Daddy, it hurts!” Mindy threw her arm back in a desperate attempt to shield even a small part of herself from his chastisement. But he easily pinned her arm in place, humiliating and frustrating her as he continued his relentless assault on her flesh.