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Her friend wouldn’t have set this up if he thought she’d hate dating two guys, right?
God, this was going to give me an ulcer.
“Yes, she had fun with us the other night, so worst-case scenario, you just tell her about the things your students are getting up to.” That could keep anyone entertained as long as they didn’t have to live with the fallout.
Goats and mazes were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the crazy shit they’d suggested.
Part of it was Harper’s fault for oversharing about our life. The university he worked for was very open-minded when it came to most things, so no one cared he had a husband, but I wasn’t sure they needed to know about his passion for driving me insane.
My mostly fake confidence managed to last until we’d crossed the parking lot and she started getting out of her small four-door compact. She’d shown up and she looked curious at the very least. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?
As my fake confidence morphed into something more real, Harper squeezed my hand. “There she is.”
His fears seemed to have vanished as soon as he’d realized she’d shown up, but I had to admit, at least to myself, to being a bit more hesitant. “And she doesn’t look worried or upset.”
I was going to have to work on feeling encouraged, but for the moment he was too wrapped up in his excitement to realize I wasn’t quite at the same level. He’d notice eventually, but I knew I had at least a few minutes to get rid of my bad attitude before he tuned into it.
“She sees us. She’s smiling. See, nothing to worry about.” His cute delusions were one of the reasons I loved him so much, but they made me worry. “Yes, we’re just going to hang out, chat, and see what kind of chemistry we’ve got when she’s not little.”
People’s little side didn’t always match their grown-up one, but I was hoping that would not be the case here. Harper had liked her cheerful openness. So had I… but it was her cheeky impishness that made me want to get to know her more.
However, that impishness might not mean anything and I had to keep that in mind.
She might not want to explore anything else outside of being little. If she wasn’t at least open to exploring BDSM in other ways, it was going to be a lot more interesting.
But I wasn’t going to focus on that now.
I was going to try to be more charming and get to know the woman walking up to us who couldn’t seem to decide if she was excited or anxious. Her expression changed a thousand times before she’d crossed the parking lot, weaving her way through the cars in front of the building.
By the time she approached, we’d released hands, hoping to look less like a united front and a bit more like welcoming dates. I wasn’t sure it worked, judging by the way her gaze kept bouncing between us, but at least she kept getting closer.
That had to be a good sign.
“Try a smile that doesn’t look like you’re constipated.” Harper’s ridiculous and obviously teasing order had me rolling my eyes as Tabitha gave a quiet laugh, her eyes dancing with delight.
As I smacked the funny man’s stomach, I pretended we’d made a wonderful second first impression and tried giving Tabitha a relaxed smile. “Hello, it’s good to see you again. Names are hard sometimes, so I’m Gaylen and this not-so-funny man right here is Harper.”
That got a scoff from Harper and a brighter, slightly teasing smile from Tabitha. “Happy Daddy and Grumpy Poppy. I haven’t forgotten.”
Now it was my turn to groan as Harper nearly giggled, proving the happy part right. “And you’re the delightful Tabitha.”
“I think feisty or cheeky or kittenish would be a better description.” Shaking my head as Harper took dramatic offense at my response, I studied the cutie who seemed to find us just as funny as she had last weekend. “Delightful sounds like we’re describing a tea party.”
Giggles escaped from Tabitha as she gave Harper a very manufactured sad face. “I don’t mind being delightful, Daddy Harper.”
He just beamed but I shook my finger at both of them. “No little time. We have to get to know each other as grown-ups.”
That got matching pouts from both of them.
They already knew they were compatible as Daddy and little, so it was easy to see they would slide into that dynamic if given half a chance. She didn’t want to be stressed or nervous and he wanted her to be happy and relaxed.
Yep, it was going to take some effort to keep both of them in regular date mode.
Shaking my head again, I glanced toward the door. “Dinner and flirting and conversation, and then we’ll see about little time.”
Harper sighed as Tabitha couldn’t decide if she wanted to pout again or giggle. “Grumpy Poppy is very bossy if you haven’t already guessed.”
And she giggled.
