AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was hard to remember manners in the middle of the coolest art project ever, but with Michelle hovering over her, Allie didn’t have much choice. “Right. It’s very nice to meet you. And thank you for finding these ornaments for my… for Nick’s beard.”
She’d been right on the verge of calling him Daddy, probably because she was so deep in her Little space just then. But it still didn’t feel like quite the right time, so she’d held back. Again.
Maybe there was something wrong with her. She didn’t call Michelle Mommy, like some of the other Littles she’d met over the past few days. Was there just something broken in her, that was keeping her from using those titles?
Pushing aside the yucky thoughts, she dug into the box with Eloise and pulled out a handful of small, shiny ball-shaped ornaments. Nick sat perfectly still as they hung the ornaments from his beard one by one, until his whole face looked like one big, red, misshapen Christmas tree.
Best. Day.Ever.
Michelle
Michelle had gone back to work on her Christmas card while Allie and her new friend decorated Nick’s beard. It was, she had to admit, pretty hilarious. And seeing Allie having so much fun with other Littles warmed her heart.
It was a shame they’d never been able to find any other ageplayers back in Bozeman, because it was obvious Allie would flourish in such an environment. Maybe if they started being a bit tighter with their budget, they could afford these trips to Rawhide on a more regular basis.
Then there was Nick, so patiently sitting as the girls hung baubles from his face and added so much glitter she had a feeling he was still going to be washing it out of his beard come next Christmas. If she’d sat down and written out a description of Allie’s perfect Daddy, she wasn’t sure she would have been able to come up with anybody better than Nick.
Yet, somehow, he was perfect for Michelle, too. If she hadn’t had that scene with him the other day, she never would have thought he’d have been able to give her the kind of rough treatment she sometimes craved, based on how he was with Allie. How was it that one man could so perfectly suit two completely different women?
Maybe it’s an act, an insidious little voice spoke up in the back of her head.Maybe he’s just playing the doting Daddy to get in with you. Or maybe it’s Allie he really wants, and he’s going to cut you out of the picture soon.
“Eloise, it’s time to go, sweet girl.” A deep voice, firm but tinged with amusement broke through Michelle’s thoughts.
“Not yet, Daddy,” Eloise replied just as firmly.
“Eloise…” the same voice repeated, her name infused with more warning now.
The pretty Little huffed and shot him a glare. “I said, ‘No,’ Daddy!”
Pausing with another bauble in mid-air, Allie looked from Eloise to her Daddies, her eyes wide with surprise. Most likely, she was considering how much trouble she would be in if she’d so summarily dismissed Michelle that way.
“Well, Tiago, seems our Little girl is in the mood to get her cute little bottom warmed,” another deep voice said.
To Michelle’s continued surprise, Eloise just looked up at them and grinned. “Maybe.”
“We can certainly help you with that, sweet girl. Come on.” One of the men bent down and effortlessly lifted Eloise up into his arms.
From her perch on her Daddy’s hip, Eloise waved, her brilliantly blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “Bye, Allie! Bye, Michelle! Thank you for letting me play with you!”
“Bye, Eloise!” Allie called, waving frantically as her friend disappeared out of the door. “She was so much fun. I wish I could play with her and Sadie and all the Littles all the time.”
An ache formed in Michelle’s chest. “Maybe we can come visit more often, babygirl, now that you’ve made so many friends here.”
“Really?” Some of the light in Allie’s eyes dimmed. “But it’s so far. And there’s no way we can afford to stay here all the time.”
“We’ll figure it out. Promise.”
“Aren’t you girls overlooking the obvious?”
As one, they turned to Nick, who was watching them with an amused smile. “What are we overlooking, Christmas Tree Man?” The fact that the nickname fit him even more now than before had her fighting back a wave of giggles.
“I only live about twenty minutes from the Ranch. There’s no reason Allie can’t come play with her friends for a few hours whenever you come to visit.”
He said it so simply, as if planning their whole lives around this crazy long-distance relationship wasn’t, well, crazy, while Michelle was still trying to wrap her mind around just the next few days. “Right. Of course.”
It made sense that they would come and visit him as regularly as possible, and vice versa. But what about their families? They made several trips a year back to their hometown, which usually took a whole weekend since “home” was almost as far away as the Ranch, just in the complete opposite direction. Because of course it was since nothing could ever be easy or simple.
“Michelle, look at me, please.”
