Page 14 of Soothing Little Sylmen

“Would you like to get another round of books, sweet boy, or would you like to do something else? It’s a bit early to eat, but we could go find a snack and then maybe play somewhere else.”

The question was innocent, yet I also knew he was guiding me a bit. The suggestions were in my power. I could pick whatever I wanted, whatever I was most comfortable with. And what I wanted was more time with him.

I did the sign for Daddy, then pointed to myself, then to him, and laced my fingers together. It was a bit like a game of charades. It wasn’t something I typically did. Not unless it was with someone new. Everyone at Anders Ranch expected me to pull out my phone to communicate. The last time I had done this was with Robin, when I’d asked him to play games on his phone that night.

Speaking of which, I thought about my game and how I needed to tend to things before I forgot. I held up a finger, then pulled out my cell phone and opened the app. Daddy watched closely, smiling from what I could see from the corner of my eye, as I harvested the vegetables and proceeded to feed my animals. It took all of two minutes to do, yet I was even more relieved once it was over.

When I put my phone away, I found Daddy looking at me like I was the most precious person in his world. Like no one else mattered. He tapped his finger to my nose.

“Boop. You are adorable, sweet boy. And that game looks like it is good for you.”

I nodded quickly.

“Excellent,” he said. “Then let’s get you a snack and we will find out what comes next.”

He eased me into a standing position, then rose to his full height. I went to reach for the books, but he stopped me with a hand to the back of my neck. It was a very dominant position, one that had me freezing, then dropping completely into a relaxed, settled pose.

“I’ll take care of this, sweet boy. You don’t need to worry about it.”

When he gathered them all up, I stood to the side watching him load them onto the cart. It seemed only fair since Amelia had tricked us into coming. Besides, I’d found them all in the same section.

Part of me almost wanted to go find some more to take with us. Maybe I could convince him to come to my guest room—we could have a book to read each night while I stayed, which reminded me I had no clue how long he would be here. So many details we hadn’t discussed. Things that were vital but didn’t seem to matter as much just yet.

Daddy wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to his side. He walked us through the halls, and I finally felt like I knew where we were headed. When we found the snacks, he got me some Goldfish crackers and a juice box. I wiggled happily once we were outside, seated in one of the lawn chairs.

Looking out at the land, I basked in what Mother Nature had to offer. Even though I lived on a ranch, this type of view never got old.

Daddy watched me silently, his hand resting on my knee, ready to step in if I needed him. I really hoped I did.

Sure enough, I found myself unable to open my juice box. My Little brain didn’t want to deal with the whole peg-in-the-hole situation. After stabbing it a few times and bending the straw, Daddy intervened.

“Let me help, sweet boy,” he said, reaching over slowly.

I pouted as he got it in on the first try. How dare he—that’s really hard. He shook his head at me, then held the drink up to my lips.

“Take a sip. Easy. Don’t go too fast.”

It was like he knew exactly what I had planned to do. Instead of gulping it down, I took small sips, letting the coolness of the juice coat my tongue and throat.

“Good boy,” he said, drawing it away and placing it in the little pocket of the chair. “What would you like to do after this? My schedule is wide open. I’m all yours.”

I nibbled on my Goldfish crackers as I tried to think of what I wanted most. The Ranch offered so much—it was a never-ending treasure trove of places and experiences. And while I had originally not made any assumptions about how this would go, finding someone who turned out to be really compatible and wanted to spend all their time with me was like the gold rush of experiences.

I pulled out my phone and typed up some ideas. When I handed it over, Daddy looked down at it with an intensity that a list of playtime activities did not require. I’d put down four different things: more time with books, playing with other Littles in the toy room, a scene alone, or building a blanket fort in my room.

It took Daddy a minute to look over everything. Not because he couldn’t read it all, but I think he really had to decide what he liked best. When he looked up, it wasn’t with a decision in mind.

“I think we should do a couple of these,” he said. “Why don’t we go back to the library and get a couple of books we can have checked out for tonight? Then we can drop them off in your room and go play with some of the Littles. We could get dinner together, and then afterward I can go back and create the fort for you. We could read inside the fort until you’re tired, and then I’ll go back to my room.”

Everything about that sounded amazing, all up until he got to the part where he left. But would it be too presumptuous to suggest he stay? Was I being too needy, too much?

He watched my expression carefully, like he had been doing since we met.

“Or,” he said slowly, drawing the word out, “if you want—and only if you want—I could stay.”

I lit up at the suggestion, too happy to be concerned with whether or not I was being eager. Daddy chuckled, boisterously and loudly. I did a little happy wiggle and threw my hands up. Goldfish went flying, which startled me into releasing a squeak. Daddy laughed harder and I joined in, my shoulders shaking as I huffed out breaths with my silent laughter.

“I am so thankful I found you,” he said once he was able to speak clearly again. “Let’s find you a different snack—one that won’t go everywhere this time. Then we can get your books and get started on our plan. Deal?”