Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Finn watched as Hadley reverently observed all the Little furniture. His heart hurt because never once had he considered she might want her own items like this in her home. He wondered if she never ordered any because of him. She certainly had the financial ability to order whatever her heart desired.
He observed as she explored the furniture in the bedroom. She trailed her finger along the crib in awe. Finn knew before they left, he would be ordering her replicas of the things in their suite. He smiled as she struggled to climb into the rocking chair. Just as he was about to step in and help, she made it into the chair and immediately began to rock. It made such a sweet picture and he stood there watching her rock for far longer than he should have.
He made himself go check out the rest of the room and was pleased to see it was already equipped with blackout curtains. That would help Hadley sleep for sure.
A knock on the door stopped his examination as he went to open it. It was an older man with his bags.
“Hello, you must be Moses.”
Hadley rushed from the nursery and almost crashed into him.
“Peeps, no more running, baby.”
She flushed but nodded up at him.
“This is Moses,” Finn introduced, hoping he was right.
Moses nodded. He waved at Hadley, and Hadley waved back. Finn smiled at the interaction. The man wheeled their suitcases inside before heading back to the door.
Finn watched as Hadley flipped through her cards until she found the one she was looking for. She waited until Moses was looking at her before she showed him her card.
Thank you.
Moses’ grin grew. He held out his hand for Hadley’s cards and Finn’s stomach tightened. She didn’t like for other people to hold them. Finn imagined it was a bit invasive for people to ask to touch her only way to communicate, but much to his surprise, she handed them to him with no issues.
Moses flipped through them and then stopped. He tapped You’re welcome before handing them back to Hadley.
Finn’s stomach relaxed as he witnessed the adorable interaction. Moses waved bye to Hadley again and she enthusiastically waved back.
Good.
Finn studied her body language for a minute to see what she was referring to. “Yes, you did great, Peeps.”
She beamed under his praise and it hurt him so damn badly. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must be to have to weigh all of your social interactions in your head or to be worried you’d mess them up to begin with.
Hadley’s parents had done her a disservice in life. They’d loved her but because of their fear of her being made fun of in the media, they’d forced her to stay in the background. She could never talk until they’d practiced it first. She never went on interviews where her mother couldn’t screen the questions too. She was fed a list of rules to help her blend in. Things like “Don’t be too loud. Cover your mouth when you giggle. Only answer yes or no questions. Don’t give the interviewers any more than a yes or no answer. Don’t flap”. Finn knew they hadn’t meant to cause her so much grief later in life, but their actions had played a huge part in why Hadley didn’t talk.
Reaching out, he pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. “Hadley, this is a safe place, okay? You can say whatever you want, do whatever you want and they’re not going to judge you, okay? I really want you to just be yourself these next two weeks. Give your brain a break, yeah?”
Hadley frowned but nodded. Finn knew by her body language his words had frustrated her. Deciding to give her time to process, he kissed the top of her head.
“Do you want to take a little rest?”
She frowned up at him, her face twisted enough to look like she’d bit into a lemon.
He laughed. “I’ll take that as a no.”
She shook her head.
“Okay, well, what would you like to do? We can go swimming in the indoor pool, we can walk around and check out the Ranch, we can go get something to eat.” Finn suggested.
At his suggestion to get something to eat, Hadley perked up and rubbed her belly.
“Are you hungry, Peeps?”
Hadley nodded again and rubbed her belly again.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m not doing a very good job today, am I? Let’s go get something to eat.” He had only stopped a few times on the final stretch of the trip, not wanting the weather to get worse and have them end up stranded somewhere. He had very little experience driving in snow and didn’t want to push his luck too much.
Restroom.
“Okay, go potty, baby.” Really, Hadley wore diapers. Restroom was code for she was going to change herself.
She came out of the bathroom and held out her hand and Finn took it, his heart swelling at how much trust she put in him. He knew, even though he would never be her Daddy, he was lucky to experience these tender moments with her.
“On the way back down, we can let Erika know we’re ready for our meeting with Master Derek too.”
Hadley nodded and pulled him out the door, down the hall, and to the elevator. He laughed at her excitement.
“Are you excited for food or excited to see more of the Ranch?”
Yes.
He laughed at her silliness and she stuck her tongue out at him.
They stepped into the elevator and waited for it to reach the main level. Once it did, they walked out and down to the front desk.
“Hi!” Erika chirped, meeting them with the same kind smile as earlier.
“Hello, we’re settled in and ready for our meeting with Master Derek. I think Hadley will surely perish if I don’t feed her soon, but perhaps after?”
“Perhaps we could kill two birds with one stone and join you? My Little one has just informed me she is starving,” a brown-haired man said as he approached Hadley and Finn.
“Hello, my name is Derek Hawkins. I believe you’ve met my Little one?”
Finn smiled and shook his outstretched hand. Sadie held Master Derek’s hand much like Hadley was holding Finn’s. The thought made Finn giddy for a second.
“We would love that, right, Hadley?”
She nodded back at the couple.
“Perfect. Where were you headed?”
Finn hesitated. “Actually, we were just looking for food. I don’t think we’d decided.”
“We can go to the cafeteria. It’s open and there’s something for everyone there,” Sadie suggested. “Do you like chocolate cake?”
Yes.
“Chef Connor is trying a new recipe and Hayleigh, his Little girl, said he was gonna put it out for supper.”
“Ah, that explains why you’re starving at 5:30.” Derek laughed.
“Well, Daddy. I am starving… just for cake.”
“Which you can have after some actual food,” he reminded. “Can you show our new friends how to get to the cafeteria?”
“Okay, Daddy.”
“Do you want to hold my hand and I can show you where to go?” she asked Hadley.
Hadley looked at Finn first. He gave her an encouraging nod and she took the other Little’s hand before they both rushed off.
“Walking feet, Peeps,” Finn corrected again. He’d never dabbled in physically disciplining Hadley, but his palm itched to smack the urge to run out of her.
“Ah, to have the energy of a Little one.” Derek chuckled as the two men walked behind the excited Little girls.
“I could be so much more productive.” Finn laughed. “What did you want to meet with us about?” he asked.
“I try to meet all my visitors at least once during their stay. I like to make sure they have everything they need.”
Finn already had so much respect for Rawhide before he visited and now, after meeting Derek, it had grown even more.
“That’s amazing. I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to make sure we’re comfortable.”
“Did you guys have everything you needed in your room?”
“We did. Hadley loved the nursery furniture so much that I was going to ask if anyone had a recommendation on where I could purchase some for her playroom at home.”
“Oh, yes. Stop by the giftshop and Becky can help you. We’re lucky enough to have Colton Reed living up on the ridge. He is an artist when it comes to all things wood and is responsible for the furniture in our suites as well as in the Dungeon. I’m sure he’d be more than happy to discuss whatever pieces you might be interested in. We have catalogs for guests to look through.”
“Perfect.”
“I noticed she will be going to preschool for a few days during your stay.”
“Yes, just to let her experience it.”
“I think she will love Miss Price and Nanny J. They’re great with our Littlest ones.”
“I spoke with Nanny J via email and she seemed very kind.”
“Great. Were you reaching out about Hadley’s needs?”
“Yes. I wanted to make sure she understood about Hadley being non-verbal and could accommodate her unique needs. She reassured me she could and promised to call if Hadley got anxious.”
“She’s wonderful about communication with caregivers, I’ve never had a complaint from a Top yet.”
“Oh, I’m not…” Finn stopped himself, making Derek chuckle.
“I’m not her permanent caregiver. She’s just my best friend and I…”
“You are madly, deeply, in love with her and she has no clue.”
Finn stopped walking and stared at the man. “I’d heard you had some magical matchmaking abilities, but you’re a pretty damn good people-reader too.”
Derek nodded. “You’re not the first pseudo-caregiver who’s come through my door with feelings for their Little charge. I will say, though, none of them have ever left the Ranch with their secrets. Actually, they’re all living their own happily ever afters now.” He chuckled as he gave Finn a shit-eating grin.