Chapter 39
39
W hen Cate woke up, her tummy was grumbling.
Loudly.
“Someone has a hungry tummy,” her mattress said.
Wait.
Sitting up, she stared down at Ethan in shock. “Yourenotmybed.”
He tugged the pacifier from her mouth with a smile. “What did you say, baby?”
“You’re not my bed.” She shook her head. Wait. Of course he wasn’t. “I fell asleep on you?”
That was surprising.
Then she shifted forward as her bottom throbbed and rubbed up against something firm.
Whoa.
“Just ignore that. Seems he likes having you tucked up against him,” he told her. “How are you feeling? Other than hungry?”
“My butt hurts.” She glared at him.
“It’s supposed to hurt.” He tapped her lips. “And you might want to put that glare away before Daddy decides he didn’t spank you enough and puts you back over his lap.”
“What? Daddy! You can’t do that!”
“Sure, I can. I’m the Daddy.”
That was just mean.
“I can’t believe you spanked me. And I cried on you. Then I napped on you. I never nap.”
Her tummy grumbled.
“Little girls need naps. Helps keep the tantrums at bay.” He tapped her nose as he stood. He took her with him, sliding her around so she sat on his hip.
Whoa. This was a strange way to be carried. Although she liked it better than being over his shoulder.
He walked to the kitchen and set her down on her favorite stool.
“I think that Daddy might need to get his girl something she can sit in safely.”
“But I can sit on this stool safely. I do it all the time.”
“Daddy.”
What?
Oh yes.
“I sit on it all the time, Daddy ,” she said.
“When you’re Big. But Little girls need to be strapped in so they’re safe.”
Was he talking about a high chair?
“I am not a baby. I am a big girl.”
“Maybe not a baby. But certainly not a big girl either.” He moved around the kitchen, preparing some lunch.
“I am a big girl.” It was surprising how much she liked the idea of being young enough to need a high chair though.
Although perhaps it shouldn’t be, considering how attached she was to her pacifier.
“Hmm. And definitely some special plates. And a sippy cup. Perhaps even a bottle.”
“Daddy! Only babies use bottles!”
“Toddlers have bot-bots too.”
Bot-bots? Why did that sound so . . . so adorable? And why did she want it so badly?
“I don’t need a bot-bot.”
“And some Little clothes. Onesies and warm outfits. Hats, socks, gloves, scarves.”
“I’m not going to Antarctica, Daddy.”
“I have to keep my girl warm. Have I mentioned what a good girl you are?”
There he went again. Making her feel special and noticed and Little. Cate needed the reassurance. The safety. Needed him taking charge.
“I should help.”
“Little girls don’t help in the kitchen. You’d get your butt spanked for that.”
That was mean.
“Speaking of bottoms. Mine is sore. I need a cushion.” She went to get down off the stool.
“Freeze.”
She froze. Wow. That voice of his was potent.
“You could command armies with that voice, Daddy.”
“Thank you, baby. Now, what is the rule about when I put you somewhere?”
“I’m to stay where you put me,” she muttered. “But that’s for Big Cate.”
“No, all the rules are for Little and Big Cate. Sometimes Little Cate might have some extra ones, though.”
Well. That was rude.
“But I want to get down.”
“Then you ask Daddy politely if you can get down.”
“Daddy, can I get down?” she asked.
“No.”
She gasped. Why was he being so mean? “That is not nice.”
“You may not get down because we’re going to have lunch. Also, you don’t get a cushion for your stool.”
“But my bottom hurts!” Maybe he didn’t understand that. Perhaps he’d never had his bottom spanked. “Have you ever been spanked, Daddy?”
“Sure. I got spanked plenty as a kid.”
“Then you know that sitting on a spanked bottom isn’t very comfortable.”
“Sure do. I also know that having to sit on a freshly spanked butt is part of the punishment.”
Well.
That was just dumb. And it didn’t seem at all fair.
“But after a punishment isn’t everything supposed to be forgiven?”
“It is. Did you read that in your books?”
“Yes. So, then, shouldn’t I get a cushion for my poor abused butt?”
“Nice try, not happening.” He set a plate down with carrot sticks, apple slices, and cheese and crackers. A small container with ranch sauce in it was placed by the plate.
“Also need to get you a bib,” he muttered. “But for now, we’ll have to make do with this.” He pulled a cloth napkin out of one of the drawers and then tucked it into the front of her top.
She probably looked ridiculous. But that wasn’t what was worrying her right then. Cate stared down at the plate and chewed her lip, her tummy upset and anxious.
Ethan had gone to all this trouble to make her lunch and she . . . she was going to seem so ungrateful.
“Hey, what is it? What’s wrong? Do you not like anything on your plate?” he asked.
“I like it all!” she cried.
“Okay,” he said in a low, quiet voice. “Then what is it, Catie-pie?”
“You’re going to think I’m naughty.”
“Hey, I don’t think you’re naughty. You can do naughty things. But that doesn’t make you naughty. And I like you when you’re a bit sassy. Means that you trust me if you can be yourself. And I know you haven’t done anything that bad. So tell me.”
“I c-can’t eat it.”
“Why not?”
“Because the food is all touching each other.”
He blinked down at her, then stared at the plate. This was it. The moment he decided she was too much. She knew it was.
It was inevitable. Who would want to be with someone like her? She was too much.
Cate could feel her heart starting to shatter.
Reaching under her sleeve, she started to flick her hair tie against her wrist.
Ethan, thankfully, was focused on the plate.
“Well, of course it is! Silly Daddy. I will get a new plate for you soon. I think we need to get one of those divider plates for you so Daddy doesn’t forget next time.”
Wait. What?
She moved her hand away from the hair tie.
He wasn’t mad? He was going to make another plate of food because she couldn’t stand her food touching. Even though it made no real sense since she ate other food that was mixed up. Like lasagna and burgers. But if there were separate foods, like mashed potatoes and peas, for instance, they couldn’t touch.
It made no sense in her mind so how could he be so understanding?
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said as he placed two plates in front of her. One had the cheese and crackers spaced apart. The other had apples and carrots. Again, with a gap between them.
“We’ve talked about saying sorry when something isn’t your fault.”
She sniffled.
“Hey, what’s wrong? I’m not mad. What is it?”
“I just . . . I thought you were going to be upset with me.”
“Hey, no. Of course I’m not upset with you.” He walked around the island and picked her up in his arms. He had her tightly pressed against his chest as he rocked her back and forth. “I could never be upset with you over something like that. Lots of people don’t like their food mingling. They say it’s unnatural.”
She had to smile.
“Each type of food needs to stay in its own lane,” he lectured in a deep voice. “I mean, who do carrots think they are? Trying to mosey up to their clear superiors . . . the apple.”
A giggle escaped, and he kissed the top of her head. “That’s better. I don’t want you to ever worry about me being upset with you. If I am, I will explain why, and we’ll talk about it, okay? I won’t just shut you out.”
Cate breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay, Daddy.”
“Now, is ranch okay touching carrots?” he asked as he set her down.
“Of course!”
“Whew!” He placed his hand over his chest and stumbled back as though he’d been shot. “Because if you said no, well, we really were going to have a problem, young lady.”
Her Daddy was so silly.
“You’re a Silly Billy, Daddy.”
“Wait. Who is this Billy? Do I know him? Where is he?” He looked around.
“Daddy!” She smacked her hand against her forehead. “Obviously, Billy is make-believe.”
“Hey, careful. We don’t want to hurt that big brain of yours.” He grabbed hold of her hand, rubbing away the very slight sting.
His words were teasing, but she thought he looked serious.
“I can’t hurt my brains with a small slap like that!”
“Well, let’s not risk it. I don’t like it when you hurt yourself.”
Shit. He didn’t know, did he?
No, there was no way for him to know. The scar on her wrist was so faint, thanks to the plastic surgeon, that you’d have to look hard to see it.
Cate breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Eat up, baby,” he told her, reaching over to pick up a piece of carrot. He dipped it into the ranch and held it up to her mouth.
She took a bite. Yummy. Then another one.
Wow. She was really hungry. She grabbed a piece of apple and hummed happily, her feet kicking back and forth.
Then she noticed that Ethan wasn’t eating. He was just staring at her with a smile on his face.
“This is good, Daddy. Aren’t you going to eat any?” He had her old plate in front of him.
“Hmm? Oh yes. Daddy was just enjoying how happy you looked.”
She did feel happy. And surprisingly light.
Seemed a spanking and some Daddy time was what she’d needed to get past being overstimulated and overwhelmed.
“What are we gonna do this afternoon, Daddy?” she asked. They were having a late lunch.
“Hmm. Well, Daddy might need to do some shopping.”
Oh. She’d thought they might do something together. But wait . . . did that mean he was going to leave her?
You’ll be fine.
“You’re going shopping? Where?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll do it all online. I don’t think we should leave the house at the moment. Unfortunately, the traffic cam footage Brody accessed wasn’t any help since the car was stolen.”
“Does that mean I can’t ever go out again?” she asked. “Because I’ve got another meeting on Wednesday.”
“No, we can figure it out. The stalker might leave you alone with Rhodes back in the city.”
“But he took those photos of us together when Rhodes was in the city.”
He stared at her. “Fuck. You’re right. We’re going to need to step up security.”
Cate chewed her lip. That sounded really expensive. “I’m going to talk to Jordan. See if I can do my meetings online.”
“Do you think he’d go for that? It would help.”
“I think so.”
“That would be great, baby.” He stood and grabbed a clean cloth, running it under the water before returning to her side and wiping her face and hands.
“Now, while Daddy does some shopping, he thought that his girl might like to hang out in her fort.”
She loved the way he cleaned her up. It felt so sweet and caring.
Wait. What?
“A fort? But I don’ts have one of those, Daddy.”
“Hmm. That’s why we’re going to build one.”