Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
“Yes.” Her smile made his heart soar. He wanted to see that smile every day for the rest of his life. He wanted to be the one to put it there, and he wanted to do so frequently.
After pushing back from the table, he eased her chair back and took her hand.
She looked up at him. “I should get my purse and tell my family I’m leaving.”
“I’ll walk you toward the back, Little one.”
“Oh.” Her eyes went wide as she glanced down at her clothes. “I’m not dressed for a date.” She grew flustered. She was adorable.
“You’re dressed fine, Precious Girl. We’re just going to get cupcakes. I don’t think Ellie or any of her staff need us to be formal,” he teased.
She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before releasing it. “Okay. I guess you’re right.”
He reluctantly released her to let her go into the kitchen. After an hour dining with her, he was already so attached that he never wanted to let her out of his sight.
That wasn’t realistic, of course. He had a full-time job, and so did she. He hoped he could convince her to spend as much time with him as possible when they weren’t at work. He was a patient man, and he would take baby steps to ease her into his life, but he also wished he could flash forward to the future.
Already he was picturing her in his home, in her nursery, and in his bed. He hoped she liked the nursery he’d been designing for her. He’d known he wanted to be her Daddy for weeks, and during that time, he’d filled the room with furniture, toys, dolls, and games. The only thing left was adding personal touches since he wasn’t sure what colors she liked or what her favorite stuffie might be. He would ask her while they ate cupcakes.
Breathlessly, she returned to his side. “Okay, I’m ready.” She had a small backpack on, and when he leaned around to see it better, he realized it was a lion, complete with brown fur and a fierce expression.
“I love this,” he said, patting the top of the lion’s head.
“Lions are my favorite animal because they’re everything I’m not,” she said.
He took her hand and led her out of the restaurant, offering a nod to Mateo as they exited. As soon as they were on the sidewalk, he asked, “What characteristics do lions have that you covet?”
“They are powerful, brave, courageous, and so strong. I wish I could be like that.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I bet you have those qualities inside you, Precious Girl.”
She shook her head. “I’m not ever brave or strong. I’m awkward and shy.”
“You’re being courageous right now, aren’t you?”
She shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Come. Let’s get cupcakes. I want you to tell me everything you love while we walk.”
“Like what?” she asked, skipping along beside him.
He remembered to slow his gait. “Sorry, Little one. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out with someone with short legs. Daddy needs to slow down. Tell me your favorite color.”
“You’ll think it’s weird.”
He glanced down at her. “Never. The things you like will never be weird to me. They make up who you are. I want to get to know you better tonight. Do you know why?”
She shook her head, her long braid flying behind her.
He squeezed her hand. “Because I’m already putting together a nursery for you in my home. I need to know what your favorite colors and toys are so I can finish decorating it.”
She gasped. “A nursery?”
“Yep. All Little girls need a special room where they can play and relax in their preferred age range. When you think about your Little, how old do you picture her?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought that hard about it. I never thought I’d meet a real-life Daddy.”
“Well, now you have. Don’t you worry. We’ll experiment with different ages. Some Little girls like to play in a range of ages. Sometimes you’ll want to be old enough to enjoy games and puzzles. Other times, I bet you’ll want Daddy to rock you and take care of all your needs.”
She didn’t respond, but he knew she was thinking hard about his words.
“You didn’t tell me your favorite color, Precious Girl.”
“Brown. All the shades. Like the colors of a lion.” She looked up at him with wide eyes. “I told you it was weird.”
“Nope. Not weird. Just perfect.”
Deke noticed that Maya focused on her feet as they took the next few steps. As he watched, she reached her arm across her body to pinch her side and gasped softly at the pain.
Moving closer, Deke smoothed his hand over her abused flesh. “No hurting yourself, Little girl,” he gently scolded her.
“I was just checking to see if this was a dream.”