Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Perry
I had made a very firm decision that morning.
I was going to be Big.
Not a tiny bit Big. Not halfway Big with dinosaur socks hidden under my jeans.
Properly Big. The kind of Big where I’d have coffee instead of hot chocolate at breakfast. Button-up shirt instead of soft t-shirt.
And absolutely no stuffed penguin tucked into Daddy—I mean Tyrell’s—back pocket.
Okay... maybe he could still come with. You know. .. just in case I really needed it.
Because we were about to ambush a date.
Which, honestly, sounded way more dramatic than it was, but Tyrell kept raising one eyebrow at me every time I said it, and Master Lee had gone very quiet in that thoughtful way of his that made me want to either behave very well or cause absolute chaos.
So. Big Perry it was.
We were already seated when I checked my phone again, pretending I wasn’t checking the time.
“She’s not late,” Tyrell said calmly, without even looking up from his menu.
“I know she’s not late,” I shot back, maybe a little too fast. “I’m just… verifying the time.”
Master Lee hid a smile behind his coffee cup.
Which was rude, honestly. I was trying very hard to be dignified. And dare I mention it again… Big.
It had been Master Lee’s idea to meet in the Ranch’s café for breakfast. It had been my idea to crash it. Tyrell had just… approved the chaos, which was honestly more terrifying than if he’d objected.
When we’d all realized the night before that we were circling the same woman it became clear that something had to be done. It’s not like we wanted to try to hide from her that we knew each other, or at the very least knew of each other.
It’s not like any of us were mad at her for making time for all of us. We barely knew one another.
But I wanted to know more about her. So much more.
Which was another reason for Big Perry. The only time I’d spent with her was while regressed.
And as much as I’d adored spending that time with her, I wanted more from a relationship with her than just having her play games with me.
I loved my Daddy. Beyond measure. But I—and Daddy—had so much love to give that it was beyond time for us to share that love with someone else.
Maybe Hope.
And maybe even Master Lee.
I knew Tyrell had a crush on him. We hid nothing from each other, ever. And while I thought he’d make a fantastic second Daddy, and was so not opposed to the idea, what I really wanted was a Hope.
The Hope.
Luckily for me, Tyrell felt the same. And so did Master Lee.
So, instead of pretending we didn’t know, or getting weird about it, we’d done the most ridiculous yet sensible thing possible.
We’d decided to talk to her together.
“I still can’t believe you agreed to this,” I muttered, glancing at Master Lee.
He set his cup down carefully. “I’d rather be honest now than sorry later.”
Tyrell nodded once, calm as ever. “And she deserves to know who’s interested in her before anyone gets attached.”
I picked at the edge of my napkin, suddenly less sure about the plan.
Because that was the thing.
I already liked her.
Not just because she gave super-duper cool hugs, or because she listened when I talked, or because she looked at Tyrell like she saw just how awesome he was.
I liked her because she was gentle. And brave for trying new things. Even if she was clearly in over her head.
Which meant this breakfast might make her run screaming.
“Hey,” Tyrell said quietly, nudging my knee under the table. “Breathe.”
“I am breathing,” I huffed.
Then I looked up.
Hope was walking toward us.
And suddenly being Big felt a lot harder than I’d planned.
Hope slowed when she spotted us.
First she smiled, automatic and warm, clearly expecting to see just Master Lee. Then her eyes slid past him. To Tyrell. To me.
She stopped dead.
Oh no.
Oh no, she was going to bolt. I knew that look. That was the same look I got when Tyrell told me we were going out to meet new people.
Master Lee rose smoothly before panic could fully bloom on her face. “Good morning, Hope. Please don’t be alarmed. We… may have surprised you, and that’s on me.”
She blinked. “I—hi. I mean… hi.” Her gaze flicked between us again, a little dazed. “All of you know one another?”
I couldn’t help it.
I beamed at her.
“Hi, Hope!” I waved way too enthusiastically for a Very Big Adult Man in a button-up shirt. “You look super pretty. Sorry we ambushed you. It was my idea.”
Tyrell made a soft sound under his breath. “Perry.”
“What?” I hissed back. “Honesty is good.”
Hope’s mouth twitched as if she were trying not to laugh even while she looked overwhelmed. That helped. A lot.
Master Lee gestured to the empty chair. “Would you like to sit? We promise this isn’t an interrogation, an attack or an ambush,” he added before looking at me pointedly. “Just… a conversation we felt you deserved before things got more complicated.”
She hesitated for half a heartbeat, then sat, smoothing her skirt like she needed something to do with her hands.
“I don’t understand,” she admitted quietly.
Tyrell leaned forward, calm and steady in that way that made everything feel less scary. “We realized yesterday that all three of us have spent time with you this week. And that we’re all interested in you.”
Her cheeks went pink. Bright pink.
I melted a little inside. She really would make the best little sister in the whole world, and it was becoming harder and harder to control myself. Not to mention her blushing made other parts of me hard too for some reason.
“And,” Master Lee added gently, “we didn’t want you to feel like anyone was hiding something. Or competing behind your back.”
I nodded vigorously. “Also, because I really, really like you, and I didn’t want to pretend: I didn’t want Daddy and I… to pretend we didn’t know Master Lee, because that would be weird, and you deserve honesty, and also breakfast is better with friends.”
Tyrell covered his mouth like he was hiding a smile. “Breathe, baby.”
“I am breathing,” I muttered. Again.
Hope laughed then, soft and startled, hand flying to her lips like she couldn’t quite believe she was doing it.
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Okay… this is a lot. But… thank you. For telling me.” She looked straight at Master Lee. “I was going to tell you about them today. Well, them... and you already know I went on a date with Master Troy last night. But then there’s also Master Archie.”
Wait. What?
There were more guys?
I mean, realistically, I could see things working out between all of us, if it were the four of us. But two more guys? Who I didn’t know? My heart sank, and Tyrell must have sensed my shift in mood because he grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.
I didn’t look at him right away. I kept my eyes on the table like maybe if I stared hard enough, two extra men would disappear.
Master Lee didn’t react immediately. I caught his nod in my peripheral vision. “Thank you for telling us,” he said evenly. “That can’t have been easy.”
Hope’s shoulders dropped a fraction at his tone.
Tyrell squeezed my hand again before releasing it, but this time he kept his fingers resting against my thigh.
“Are you interested in them?” Tyrell asked gently.
Hope hesitated. “Yes. I mean—I think so. There’s so much to figure out. I didn’t expect to connect with anyone, let alone… this many people.”
I swallowed.
Because that made sense. She wasn’t collecting us like trophies. On purpose.
She was just overwhelmed. Kind of like I was feeling right then.
Master Lee leaned back slightly in his chair. “Hope, this event was designed for exploration. No one here should expect exclusivity without a conversation.”
He glanced at me then. Not long. Just enough. It wasn’t a warning. Somehow it felt more like reassurance. We knew what we had signed up for.
Tyrell shifted closer to me, shoulder brushing mine. “You don’t owe any of us any promises of forever and fidelity,” he added. “Not yet.”
Those words landed softly.
Not yet.
Hope looked between the three of us, clearly bracing for disappointment. “If this is too much, I understand.”
I finally lifted my head.
“Hey,” I said, and my voice came out steadier than I felt. “You don’t get disqualified for being pretty and popular.”
Her lips twitched despite the tension.
Hope exhaled shakily. “This was not how I envisioned this morning going, but I have to say, I’m not mad at it.” She shrugged her pretty shoulders. “So how do you guys know each other?”