Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76603 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Rolling my eyes, I followed his directions and got in position to color. “Yes. I just asked for help. Good boys ask for help.”
We were back to being the spotlight entertainment for the playroom, but I wasn’t going to change how I acted with Dessie just because we were under a microscope—no matter how much I wanted to. I was his Daddy and he had to see that I liked bringing him to hang out with his friends.
Or both he and Austin would worry.
“No.” Dessie seemed convinced that I’d lost good boy status, but I wasn’t going to agree with his assessment.
“Yes. I said I was a good boy.” I shrugged as he tried to glare at me. “That means I’m a good boy. That’s how it works.”
His barely restrained giggles said he remembered that conversation, but it took him a second before he could control himself enough to sigh. “Works.”
“Yep.” Ha. I’d won. “But if you’re a cute monkey and tell me I’m a good boy, I’ll let you pick out my picture.”
Oh, he liked that.
I got pats on the cheek and he even took his binkie out for long enough to kiss my cheek and give me a big smile. “Good boy, Daddy.”
I wasn’t sure if it was about the coloring in general or if it was an I get to control Daddy thing, but it had him wiggling and diving into the coloring pages as soon as he could shove his binkie back in his mouth. I ignored the stares until I was coloring a train that seemed like it was supposed to be blue since that was the color he’d given me.
Hoping that they’d go back to finding something else interesting wasn’t working, so once Dessie was focused on his picture, I looked up and glanced between the nosy Daddies. “Well?”
That was all it took.
Jarrett glanced between us and frowned again. “He’s different with you.”
Somehow I’d found another caretaker worrier.
Great. Well, at least I could see how he’d gotten put in charge of the playroom.
“I’m fine. He’s fine.” That clearly wasn’t enough, so I pulled out the big guns. “Austin approves and is stalking both of us on a daily basis.”
That shut both of them up and had them slowly nodding.
I wasn’t stupid enough to think it was my reassurance that made things better. Austin’s approval and possibly the implied threat I’d tattle on them was a much better way to work toward peace.
Mostly.
Charlie’s Daddy leaned down and whispered softly in his ear and whatever he said had the little giggling. He was doing his best not to look at me, so I knew it was about me, but that wasn’t unexpected.
After a few seconds, Charlie leaned back in his Daddy’s arms and did his best to whisper his reply. But unfortunately for them, Charlie’s lips were facing me. “He’s one of Austin’s special friends, Daddy.”
Ansel, the nosy Daddy, seemed to know what that meant. “Okay.”
Charlie got a kiss and snuggled back against his Daddy, but he wasn’t quite as little as he had been before. I didn’t think that was because of his Daddy’s question but more out of his own curiosity. As one of the men Austin trusted to do background checks, and the cutest little hacker ever, he’d be the closest to knowing any of my secrets.
Nothing in his expression said he knew what the big one was, though.
However, it was clearly making him think too hard.
That seemed to be a cardinal sin in the world of littles, but I wasn’t sure how to handle it. On one hand, Austin trusted him implicitly, but on the other, he had a Daddy he might not feel comfortable keeping a secret from.
As I went through everything I knew about both of them, mentally reviewing my files and sorting out important bits, the sound of someone coughing by the playroom stuck out in my head. I shoved the rest of what I’d been working on to the back of my mind as they made another grating, whiny breath and Dessie went completely still.
That fucker.
Dessie’s hand clenched around his crayon, nearly snapping it in two, before he dropped it on the table and turned to bury his head against my chest.
Fuck it all.
“Go get Austin, please.” My voice was calm but Charlie’s eyes widened as the rest of the room went still.
He knew something.
“Austin!” The little who’d barely talked at all had the range of a police siren because I could hear Austin start cursing from downstairs and it seemed like all hell had broken loose.
“Thank you.” Glad I hadn’t needed to be the one to do it—because I wasn’t sure Daddies should shriek—I gave Charlie a smile as Gideon stood and lost all his littleness in a single second. “Dessie’s going to be fine but we’re going to clear something up very quickly.”