Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean, panda bear?”
“I mean you know me as the friendly cupcake seller, the badass bartender, the tattoo artist who stays up too late, and the silly Little girl, but really I’m just me. I’m introverted. It takes effort and energy to be all those other things.”
He stroked her cheek with his thumb, smiling.
She took a deep breath and continued. “I need a lot of downtime to refuel between all those other personas. I get overloaded when I spend too much time pretending to be outgoing.”
Milo lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Daddy knows that, panda bear. I figured that out pretty fast. I’m hoping you can let me be a part of your downtime. Your soft spot.”
She stared at him, eyes wide. “How did you know that, Daddy?”
“I told you, Daddies know things.” He grinned. “I bet you spend a lot of time alone in your apartment working on your art to rejuvenate.”
She nodded. He did understand.
“Do you think you could spend that time here with me instead? I’m a pretty good judge of when my Little girl needs time alone. I’ve learned to sense when you start to shut down. If you were here, I could provide you with quiet time in your nursery. This room could be your haven. Your soft place. You could do whatever you want in here. Play, color, rest…”
She grinned wide and threw her arms around him again. “I’d love that, Daddy.” She wiggled her bottom against his lap. “I wouldn’t even have to come out to go potty if I didn’t want to.”
He tipped her head back. “Exactly. We could also have a silent signal. If you have your pacifier in your mouth, I’ll know you don’t want to talk and leave you alone.”
She couldn’t stop smiling. He understood. He really did. “That’s a great idea, Daddy.”
“Would you like Daddy to leave you alone right now, panda bear? I know you’re exhausted, but you probably shouldn’t go to bed just yet or you’ll wake up too early in the morning.”
She bit her lip and drew in a breath. “Could you maybe stay with me this time? Sometimes I like to be alone, but right now I feel like sitting in your lap while I’m alone.” She giggled. “That sounded silly.”
He shook his head and chuckled. “That doesn’t sound silly. I’d be honored.” He reached toward the shelf of toys and grabbed a wrapped package, handing it to her. The wrapping paper was solid red. “Daddy got you a present. Maybe you could play with this, and I’ll just watch. How does that sound?”
She sat up straighter, laughing. “Depends on what it is. If it’s panda turds, maybe not.”
He chuckled deep, the vibrations shaking her entire body. “Open it.”
“It’s not my birthday,” she pointed out.
“Sometimes Daddy will get you gifts just because.”
She tore through the bright red wrapping paper, already feeling teary-eyed at the effort he went to wrapping the gift. When the box inside was finally revealed, she gasped. “Ponies!” She glanced up at him. “I love them, Daddy.”
He helped her open the box and dump out the three ponies with their matching accessories. “I don’t think these will poop in the house,” he teased.
“I’ll train them not to,” she promised as she spun around to face the new toys. She couldn’t think of anyplace she’d rather be to rejuvenate than sitting in her Daddy’s lap playing.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Can I see it again?” Riley asked her Daddy the next afternoon. They had just arrived at Blaze after spending several hours at the tattoo parlor.
She was nervous about what her Daddy was planning to do with ropes this afternoon, but she needed to trust him. No one else was in the club. It was a Sunday afternoon. Blaze wasn’t open on Sundays, and the owner had promised no one would come in while the place was reserved by Daddy.
Milo chuckled. “You’re stalling, panda bear,” he told her as he pulled his shirt off.
She circled him slowly. “I’m not stalling, Daddy. I just want to look at the design again.” She stepped closer and peered at the first day’s work. Tatiana got a lot of the outline done today. And it looked spectacular. Riley would never tire of staring at his chest. Even through the clear covering he had to protect it, she could easily see the intricate design work.
Daddy was untangling the red rope he’d pulled out of his bag, and he set it down to snag her around the waist and haul her against his non-tatted side. He kissed her briefly. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’m so proud of you.”
She squirmed in his arms. “By the way, I’m not going to accept that check you gave me. You can’t pay me for my artwork. You’re my Daddy. Anything I design for you is free.”