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It was the perfect reaction, one I had to copy. I jumped up and ran over to a chuckling Reese.
“My turn to do the same!” I snuck in and hugged his middle. “You’re the sadistiest Sadist that ever sadisted. Our community is clearly called House Mclean, but thank you for the kind gift—and the invitation for payback.”
“Payback for the win,” Noa agreed.
Reese laughed under his breath and kissed the top of my head. “It’s really good to have you back, Corey.”
Wait, almost the same comment—again. I looked up at him. “What do you mean by that, Sir?”
He offered a one-shouldered shrug and reached for his soda on the table. “You’ve been different this year. You’ve only let your brat out to play during events.”
Oh.
I supposed it made sense that they’d noticed something was off with my relationship.
I glanced out over the terrace. Everyone was in chat mode and inspecting their aftercare kits with humor and playful fights about the name. And in a weird way, I heard myself. I heard how loud I’d been today. How much space I’d taken up—and it suddenly made me self-conscious, despite what Colt and Reese had said. Despite what Sloan and Greer had assured me.
They liked the brat. They thought I had a good handle on when it was okay to be bratty.
And yet, I wondered if anyone here today had found me overbearing.
I swallowed hard and plastered a smile on my face for Reese. “Greer, Sloan, and Archie are helping me a great deal.”
“I’m glad,” he murmured. “Just make sure to listen to them.”
“I will, Sir.” I nodded.
“Time to wake up, Corey.”
“I’m up, I’m up.” I wrenched myself out of the light slumber and rubbed my eyes. “Are we picking up Kyla now?”
Sloan chuckled softly and unbuckled my seat belt. “We did that over an hour ago. We’re home.”
Oh crap. I slept the whole time?!
Ugh. I felt all disoriented. We’d just left the munch, dammit. But no, there was a car seat for babies on the other side of the middle seat, and when I turned to Sloan, I spotted Greer and Archie walking up toward the house.
Greer was holding the baby and a diaper bag.
Sloan extended a hand.
He was holding my overnight bag too.
I yawned really big and thanked him for helping me out, and my shoes hit the gravel with a crunchy thud. “Do we have any plans today, Sir?”
“Plans to take it easy in our most comfortable clothes.”
I loved that plan.
I blinked sleepily and smiled, satisfied, and walked up to the house hand in hand with Sloan. “I wanna say hi to the baby and change into jammies.”
“Are they green and have a bunch of frogs on them?”
I laughed. “No, but almost! They’re green and have a bunch of Baby Yodas all over.”
He grinned to himself and ushered me up the porch steps. “I bet you’re cute as fuck in them.”
He was correct. I was a real cutie pie.
As soon as we entered the house, we heard Greer holler from the kitchen, “Family meeting in the dining room in five minutes!”
Okeydokey. “I’ll go change,” I said, patting Buddy’s and Beast’s heads. “Can I come find you when your meeting is over, pretty please?”
“Your attendance is required, sweet boy.” He gestured for me to go to his room and shrugged out of his jacket. His shoes were next, and I kicked mine off too. “Come on, I’ll help you get changed. Then we’ll go to this super-serious meeting together.”
I giggled at the way he said super-serious, like he was poking fun at Greer. “Does Greer like meetings?”
“He likes family meetings.”
Once inside the bedroom, I noticed a shift between Sloan and me the second he asked me to take off my clothes. It wasn’t the command so much as it was his comfort. His comfort in being a Daddy Dom around me, to tell me what to do, and—I hoped—to take liberties.
I could not obey faster. I tore off all my clothes, bottoms included, and enjoyed his eyes on me. He’d taken a seat on the edge of the bed, and he asked if he could open my bag.
“Of course, Sir.”
The pajamas were right at the top, and he grinned when he saw them. “Very cute. Come here.”
I stepped between his knees and scratched my butt cheek. “Are we gonna play together?”
“Yes.”
Such a short, simple answer, and yet it had the biggest impact. Because there was no room for misinterpreting or wondering what he really meant. We were going to play.
“I’m done doubting myself, I’m done thinking I can’t do two things at once, and I’m done pretending staying away from you is the only good option.” He peered up at me and held the jammie bottoms for me to step into. Meanwhile, his words set me on fucking fire. Sloan was determined, and determination was something I could latch on to. Determination was solid. “I’m gonna show you how a real Daddy takes care of his little boy.”
