Page 1 of Mariah

Chapter 1

Mariah

“And this is my new crib, and my changing table, and my dresser and my toy shelf.” Margo led her around the room, giving her a tour of Margo’s Daddy Knox’s new suite.

“It’s beautiful,” Mariah breathed, only slightly jealous. She had a beautiful room upstairs in the penthouse with her friend and roommate Jade and it was perfect for her. What she didn’t have that Margo did was a Daddy of her very own.

“Does this mean you are gonna stop living in the penthouse with us and start living down here with Knox?” Mariah asked. She was happy for Margo, and she knew Little girls should live with their Daddies but Margo and Knox had been taking it slow while Knox worked on renovating this suite for the two of them. They’d been Daddy and Little girl for two months now, and during those two months, Margo had continued to live in the penthouse with their House Daddy, Baze, his Little and wife, Luna, who was also their best friend, and her and five other Littles. The idea that this could be the end of Margo living with them churned her stomach and made her feel like crying.

Margo shook her head. “We talked about it, but I’m still not ready and Knox is working long hours. I’m gonna do about half my time in the penthouse and half down here. It will be a lot easier now that I have my own space and my own things, and I won’t have to pack a suitcase just to stay overnight.” She giggled. “And Daddy won’t have to lay a towel on the floor just to change my diapers, so that will be nice.”

“Very much an upgrade,” Mariah agreed, spontaneously launching herself at Margo as she threw her arms around her friend’s waist in a tackle hug. Margo stumbled from the force and they fell onto the bed with Mariah’s arms still wrapped around Margo’s waist.

“Hey, what the heck!” Margo exclaimed as she disentangled herself. “I mean, thank you for the hug, but what was that for?”

“I’m just… really happy for you,” Mariah told her, “but I’m also really glad you’re not leaving us just yet.”

“Even when I do, I’ll only be going down one floor,” Margo reminded her.

“Yeah…” Mariah traced a circle on the bedspread with her finger. “It’s just… it’s dumb. Like we all want Daddies of our own right? That’s the dream? But when we get it… then everything and our family gets smaller.”

“No. That’s not true.” Margo shook her head emphatically. “The family we live with might get smaller, but our family gets bigger. It’s like… before Baze, it was just the seven of us. Then he found us and we added him to our family. And now Knox is our family too. And when you and Tessa and Ellie and Jade and Jilly get Daddies, our family will get even huger!”

“I guess that’s true.” Mariah sighed. “Ignore me. I’m just in a mood.”

“What’s this now? What’s huge and why are you in a mood?” Knox came in from the living area, and sat down on the bed next to Margo, pulling her into his lap and planting a kiss on the top of her head. “Were you showing Mariah all your new things?”

“Yes, Daddy, and we were just talking.”

“I think I caught the tail end of it. Just enough to be thoroughly confused.”

Mariah felt bad for confusing him even though she knew she shouldn’t. It wasn’t her fault he’d been in the other room. Margo filled him in before she could.

“Daddy, Mariah and I were just talking about how when all of us find Daddies, we won’t all live together anymore. Mariah was saying our family was gonna get smaller and I was telling her it’s just gonna get bigger and bigger. Even if we don’t all live together, we’re still family.”

“I hope that’s true,” Knox agreed. “ I certainly think of you, Baze, Luna and all the others as my family.” He smiled at Mariah. “And I hope you know you’ll always be welcome here. Maybe we’ll have to plan a sleepover soon.”

Mariah smiled. She liked Knox a lot. He was warm and kind, and always gave her good advice. “Thanks,” she answered genuinely. “I told Margo to just ignore me. I’m in a mood apparently.”

“Anything you want to talk about?” Knox asked.

“I think Margo just about covered it. I think I always go a little stir crazy when the weather starts to warm up again. And… I miss working. I get why Baze doesn’t want us to do what we were doing before—walking the strip in skimpy costumes and posing for pictures with tourists—but I need more in my day than puzzles and coloring and naps and chores.”

“Have you told Baze that?” Knox asked her.

Mariah bugged out her eyes and shook her head, gnawing on her bottom lip. “I can’t! I don’t want him to think I’m ungrateful or don’t appreciate all he does for us. I’m just… used to having lots of work to do. I grew up on a farm. But then I came to Vegas. So it’s my fault anyway and I just need to get over myself. Maybe I need a hobby or something.”

“A hobby might help,” Margo’s Daddy agreed. “But you shouldn’t settle for a hobby if it’s a job that you want. Baze will understand, and he won’t think you are ungrateful. Trust me. And trust him. Just make sure you are honest and respectful when you talk to him.” Knox smiled. “You know, I think I finally talked him into hiring a cook so we didn’t have to stop what we were doing three times a day and spend an hour cooking and serving. You said you liked working in the kitchen, so maybe start there. See if the new chef will need any help.”

“But it’s rude to ask Baze to give me a job and pay me when he already does so much for me,” Mariah countered, worrying her lip. Everything Knox was saying made sense, and she wanted him to be right, but she was also concerned about hurting Baze’s feelings.

“Mariah… I hear what you are saying, but the truth is that Baze is gonna have to hire and pay someone. It might as well be someone he knows he can trust. It might as well be you.”

This time her smile was genuine and she felt a thousand times lighter. “I guess that’s true. Thanks, Knox.” She stood up. “I’ll get going so you guys can have some alone time.”

“Don’t rush out on my account. You’re welcome to stay and hang out as long as you like. I think we were just gonna turn on a movie and have some popcorn. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

“Thanks, but”—Mariah grinned—“I’m gonna go talk to Baze. I want to get it done before I lose my nerve.” She waved her fingers as she walked to the door. “Wish me luck!”