Chapter 10
“Do you want your sandwich in triangles or squares, little flower?”
“Squares, please,” she answered, hearing the sadness in her own voice.
They’d barely left the bed except to eat and shower, and while she was hardly tired of being with her mate, she really needed to get out, meet some of the other residents of Bratburg, and become a part of the unique community.
She also needed to make at least some kind of attempt to find something she could pass along to Ian to pacify the governor. Time was running out, and she hoped that before it did she could figure out how to keep her job while indulging her Little side and learning how to live with her mate.
The afternoon after their mating, Sailor had brought back a box of food, but still they’d been living on sandwiches for the past three days.
She hoped that now that they were mated and the bonds between them were growing, they might also return to the dining hall for an occasional meal.
Sandwiches were all right but eating them for three meals a day, every day, was getting boring.
“I thought you loved triangle sandwiches.”
She took a deep breath and released a sigh that came from her toes. “Triangles are fancy food, and I’m not feeling fancy today. I’m feeling as plain and sad as a piece of copy paper. Square sandwiches, please, Papa.”
She watched as he turned back to the counter and cut the sandwich.
He then reached up into the cupboard and pulled out a tiny umbrella that he’d found somewhere.
He opened the small umbrella and stuck it in one of the sandwiches.
Then he reached into the small refrigerator and added two of the fruit kabobs she’d put together when they’d prepped food for the week yesterday.
When he set the plate in front of her, she stared at it for a moment before looking up at him as her eyes filled with tears. “You cut my sandwich wrong. And put an umbrella on it.”
He grabbed a tissue from the box on the counter. Wiping her face dry, he held the tissue to her nose. “Blow.”
She wrinkled her nose at him but blew into the tissue anyway. “Gross,” she said as he wiped her nose before balling up the tissue. Without a word, he tossed it toward the trashcan across the room, missing by half a foot.
Watching him act as a Daddy did more to cheer her up than the fancy-cut lunch plate he’d set before her. Giggles burst forward, filling the silence of the apartment.
She wasn’t sure if she should run and hide or not when he turned to stare at her, so she tensed and waited.
She’d been walking on eggshells for the past two days, waiting for him to put the wall back between them.
When he began to chuckle as he picked up the tissue and placed it into the can, she took a deep breath and relaxed.
He returned to the counter to finish fixing his lunch before moving to the chair opposite hers. His plate had three sandwiches that were cut in rectangular halves, not in four triangles like hers.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she picked up the first triangle.
“You’re welcome,” he said, picking up a half sandwich. “Maybe now you’ll tell me why you’re too sad for triangles.”
She thought about it for three seconds, but knew she needed to put that conversation off as long as possible. Instead she looked out the window where the sun was shining, and everything looked so pretty.
“Papa, could we please go to the playground today?”
Sailor looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. “I think that’s a good idea. I also want to take you on a tour of the grounds and introduce you to everyone. I’ve been told the Littles are not happy with me for keeping you all to myself for so long. They can’t wait to meet you.”
Lily swallowed as a shiver of trepidation raced through her. Would they be able to tell that she was a new Little? Would they not want to be friends with her? What if they could tell that she’d come to Bratburg under false pretenses, even if her life had been threatened?
Sailor glanced at her then frowned. “What’s wrong, little flower?”
She looked up at him and blinked, trying to force back the tears that were once again filling her eyes. “What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t want to be my friend?”
The grumpy expression Sailor wore most of the time softened. He brushed a strand of hair from her face as he asked, “And what if they love you and want to be best friends with you forever?”
Lily blinked, and slowly the fear drained out of her toes. “Do you think they might?”
The corners of Sailor’s mouth tilted up until he was smiling. “I do think they will. And if they don’t, I’ll tell their Daddies to spank their butts every day until they do.”
She giggled at the threat. “You’re silly, Papa. You can’t make them like me, not like that. Friendship has to come from them.”
Sailor frowned then turned his attention back to his breakfast. “They’re going to love you. After all, you’re one of them.”
“Okay.” Lily shrugged to try and loosen her shoulders as she dropped her gaze to her plate.
All at once, having her sandwich cut into triangles wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Sailor liked holding Lily’s hand as they explored the clearing that housed Bratburg.
The physical connection sent a hum through him that made him feel lighter than he had in years.
He wasn’t sure, but he thought what he was feeling was happiness.
It had been so long since he’d experienced that emotion that he couldn’t be sure.
All he knew was that he liked whatever he was feeling and would do whatever necessary to keep the feeling going.
“Goaties!” Lily squealed as they approached the fenced in area just in front of the bar where they kept a few farm animals and some that the Littles considered pets.
Sailor tightened his grip when she tried to pull free so she could run to where the goats were grazing.
“Papa, let me go. I have to see the goaties.” Lily pulled on her arm.
“No,” Sailor said, going so far as to stop walking.
“But Papa,” Lily whined as she turned to look at him. Her bottom lip poked out in a perfect pout that tore at his heart. Blinking slowly, he took a breath and frowned down at his mate.
“Put that lip away; it won’t work on me,” he said though his heart told him differently.
Normally he would do anything to make her happy but letting her run toward the fence and scare the animals would only piss off Sullivan, and the last thing he needed was the centaur shifter who was in charge of the barn and all the animals to be mad at them.
“Before you can meet the goats, little miss, you need to come meet us.” Sullivan appeared in the open doorway of the barn.
Sailor could not hide his smile when Lily moved closer to his side, pressing tight against him, and then sliding half behind him.
“Lily?”
“Yes, Papa?”
“You okay?”
“Uh-huh,” she said, pressing her face into the back of his arm.
Pleased she looked to him for protection, Sailor walked around the fenced area and toward the barn. His mate kept pace with him, staying half behind him, as if hiding from Sullivan and Hollister who were now both standing in the open doorway.
When they reached the barn, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to stand beside him.
“Lily, this is Master Sullivan, who is in charge of the barn and all the animals, and his Little girl and mate, Hollister Rose, who works with him taking care of the animals. Sullivan, Hollister, this is Lily, my mate.”
“Your mate? You found your mate?” Hollister began bouncing with excitement, every bounce bringing her closer to them until she could wrap her arms around Lily. She hugged tightly, forcing Lily to happy-bounce with her. “Congratulations, Lily! Welcome to Bratburg.”
Sullivan nodded at him. “Congratulations, Sailor.”
Lily looked over her shoulder at him, looking wide-eyed and a bit panicked though she ended up giggling with Hollister by the time they settled.
“Can I introduce her to everyone, Papa?” Hollister looked over her shoulder at Sullivan.
Sullivan studied the two girls who were now holding hands like they’d been friends forever. “Go on. But you’ve only got about ten minutes before we need to leave to meet the other Littles at the playground before dinner.”
“Yes, Papa. Can Lily come with us?” Hollister asked as both girls turned to look at Sailor.
“We’ll see,” he said, refusing to commit himself to anything until he saw how comfortable Lily was with Hollister. And how well behaved she stayed while meeting the animals.