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Sadie noticed us first. “Daddy, you’re back early!” She leaped to her feet and ran into Derek’s waiting arms. My eyes caught and held Ronnie’s. Something had shifted for her. Seeming more at peace than I expected, and the usual startled look was absent.
“Why are you back so soon?” Sadie directed the question to Derek.
“Temperature dropping and we didn’t want to get stranded up on the mountain and miss the wedding. Hope we didn’t interrupt your plans.”
And there it was, hanging like ripened fruit from the vine. Who would take the bait first?
“I, for one, am exhausted. Sleeping in my bed sounds good to me,” Catherine spoke, and the rest moved into action. Derek smirked at me over Sadie’s head and gave me thetold you so look.
Ronnie wrapped her arms around my neck. Her little body shook in my hold. Whatever happened tonight, she’d been impacted by it. I scooped her up, and she snuggled into my chest.
“I’m so glad you came back,” she whispered. “I don’t think I would have slept at all.”
“It’s okay, kitten, I’ve got you.”
“Mmm. Wrapped in your powerful arms is exactly where I wish to be.”
At the back door, I tucked her into her winter coat and boots and surrounded her with the blanket that she’d taken with her for the sleepover. She rested her head on my shoulder and fell asleep, giving me time to think about what the men shared with me.
By the time we pulled up, my phone had dinged with a message from Gray.
“Harmony has told me what happened. It seems your Little has been busy, but that is her story to tell.”
“Thanks,” I replied and turned off my phone.
In the shower, after I’d tucked Veronica into bed, my thoughts strayed to all that had happened in the past five days. It had been a whirlwind and with the wedding and Valentines and new friends and the pressure she must be experiencing, I realized that she was doing remarkably well. But due to her actually changing or just being too busy to process all those big feelings she had, I couldn’t say.
Tomorrow night was the rehearsal dinner and the big event was the next day… more business. I accepted that what Derek said was true about our role in the dynamic. Veronica was having so much thrown at her at once, I decided that we would sleep in, and I would make her breakfast in bed. We’d talk and she’d explain and whatever her punishment was could wait forty-eight hours. Now was the time to nourish her and ensure she was at her best.
My decision restored the unbalanced feeling since Ronnie’s text message and the subsequent discussion that followed. I crawled into bed and said, “Sleep well, baby.” I kissed her forehead and tucked her back against my front, immediately passing out.
Chapter 11
Veronica
Mmm,the smell of freshly roasted coffee assaulted my senses. I cracked open one eye to see sunlight streaming through the partially open blinds.
“You’re awake.”
Jacob held a tray with two steaming mugs perched in the center.
“That smells really good.”
He set a mug on the nightstand beside me.
“Ooo, whip cream too, yummy! Thank you, Daddy.” I scooched up and fluffed the pillows behind my back.
“You’re welcome, kitten.”
He swept a few of my stray items aside to rest the tray on the nightstand. I’d been meaning to tidy up, but things had been so hectic, and I wasn’t sure where to put anything. I should ask but I kept forgetting to do that.
“Uh, sorry about that stuff, I keep meaning to move it, but…”
“But what?”
“I’m not sure where to put it, and uh, I keep forgetting to ask you,” I added lamely.
Jacob sat on the edge of the bed, sipping his homemade mocha, seemingly unconcerned. “We’ll figure all that out after the wedding. Until then, your things can stay where they are.”
