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The more her mind whirled, the darker her spirits became, and she found herself suffering in a loop of panic that wouldn’t cease. Breathing fast, she found a bench to sit on and pretended to be engrossed by her phone, not wanting anyone to approach her. If anyone thought she looked sad or worried or scared and tried to help her, she would probably burst into tears just like she had on her first night here when Master Derek had found her crying.
Chad. Why wasn’t she enough for him?
Tears burned in her eyes. What if Stephen eventually discovered the defect in her personality that had turned Chad off? What if he fell for another Little and turned his back on her? She shouldn’t care because she was leaving soon. She should want him to be happy with someone else since she couldn’t stay.
Oh God. Oh no. A few tears hit her phone, and she leaned down and let her hair obscure her face. Thankfully, no one passed by her close enough to notice her crying. She blinked fast, did some deep breathing, and strived to settle her worries.
Finally, she calmed down enough to stop the flow of tears. She entered the nearby elevator when no one else was on it and sighed with relief when she reached the safety of her room. She curled up in bed and tried to turn off her mind.
So much for her trip to the gym and the pool. She only hoped she’d manage to calm down enough to enjoy her date with Stephen later.Daddy. She sighed and burrowed her head deeper in the pillow.
Chapter 16
Stephen finished placing the large Christmas tree next to the living room window and stood back to inspect his handiwork. After disposing of his gloves, he checked the time and was relieved to find he had less than an hour until his date night with Kaylee started. Several boxes of lights, tinsel, and ornaments sat on the floor nearby, and he hoped she would enjoy helping him decorate the tree. He’d hinted he would have a big surprise for her tonight, and he smiled to himself as he recalled the excitement that had filled her eyes as she tried to guess what it was.
Tired and sweaty from his exertions hauling the tree into his apartment, he rushed to take a quick shower. As he got ready, he considered whether Kaylee might be open to discussing a future together. Would she think him a lovestruck fool if he told her he didn’t want to say good-bye to her in three weeks?
Seven days. They’d only known one another for seven days.
He groaned as he stuck his head under the water spray and washed his hair. Dammit. How could he make her understand how much he adored her? How fervently he believed they were a perfect match? He could easily imagine spending the rest of his life with her and God how he hoped to make it happen.
If he admitted he loved her (and he very much did), would she look at him like he was crazy? Would she think he was a walking red flag?
Only one way to find out, he decided, and hurried to finish getting ready.
They met near the lobby elevators at five, and his heart skipped a beat. She was beautiful as always. This evening she was wearing a light purple dress with sparkly, pink tights. He immediately wrapped her in his arms, breathing in the familiar lavender scent of her. He picked her up and playfully spun her in a circle as she giggled, then set her down and gave her another hug.
“Daddy, what’s gotten into you?” Her eyes shone brightly, though he thought something looked off about her. As he inspected her more closely, he realized she’d been crying recently. Her eyes were slightly red-rimmed, and it was obvious she’d tried to cover up the evidence with too much makeup. His protective instincts rose to the surface, but he didn’t want to question her while they were in public.
“I’m just happy to see my sweet Little girl,” he finally replied, then kissed her nose. Her answering smile warmed his heart.
“Well, I’mwaiting.” She shot him an impatient look. “What’s this big, humongous surprise you’ve been blabbering about?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t blabber.”
“Oh, I think you blabber sometimes. You also yammer and blather and jabber. Especially when you’re being all bossy and explaining why you’re right and why I need to listen to you and blabber yammer blah blah.”
“One of us is blabbering right now, young lady, but it’s not me.” He playfully tugged on one of her braids.
She gave him an impish yet challenging look, as though daring him to scold her in the middle of the semi-crowded area off the lobby. Guests were headed to and from the restaurants and other areas of the resort, and workers kept bustling in and out with holiday decorations.
Seeing the resort looking more festive made Stephen anxious to reveal his big surprise, so he grasped Kaylee’s hand and tugged her to the elevators. He took her down to the tunnels and they used a cart to reach his apartment building. She held on to his arm and said, “Weee,” a few times even though he didn’t drive fast, and her exuberance made him hopeful that whatever had caused her to cry was now resolved, though he fully intended to question her later. If something was bothering her, he wanted to help in any way he could, even if the problem was completely unconnected to their relationship.
He used his keycard to open the door and ushered her inside. As soon as she rounded the corner in the hallway and spotted the tree, she stopped in her tracks and her mouth dropped open. He held his breath, awaiting her reaction. When she didn’t utter a word and the light in her eyes dimmed, he grasped her hand and turned her to face him.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
She blinked fast. “Nothing.”
He guided her into the living room and settled on the couch with her on his lap. He tilted her face upward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. A minute ago, she’d been all smiles and impish behavior. What had happened in such a short period of time to change her demeanor? He didn’t understand how the appearance of the tree would upset her. Unless she thought it was a ridiculous surprise. His spirits plunged at the prospect. He’d rushed to town after his shift had ended earlier than expected to find the perfect tree, wanting to get it set up in time for their date night.
“Talk to me, Kaylee.” He nodded at her encouragingly.
“I am talking to you.”
“You know what I mean. Tell me why you were crying earlier and why you suddenly shut down when you saw the Christmas tree.”
“I wasn’t crying earlier, Stephen,” she said, using his name for the first time in days. What the hell was happening with her? What was happening between them? “And I didn’t shut down when I saw the tree. It’s a very nice tree and it looks great in your apartment.”
