Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Beau held Palmer’s hand as he led them down the hall.
Palmer was quiet, but he felt like it was in a contented way.
He understood how she felt. His own heart was so full, it almost felt heavy in his chest. He reached the entrance to the indoor playground and smiled to himself when Palmer still looked confused.
Part of him was sad that she’d never explored the Ranch, but the other part of him was delighted they’d get to have so many firsts together.
He couldn’t wait to take her to the zoo in a few days.
His Little girl gasped when she finally saw the room.
He’d admit it was more spectacular than he’d imagined.
It was a huge area with half the space covered in a floor to ceiling play structure.
The play structure itself had tunnels, slides, bridges made of rope, and ball pits.
Its massive frame took up half the room.
The other half of the room was an arcade.
Original games like Pacman were available to play as well as new games.
Tickets could be earned and traded in for fun prizes.
The floor of the area was covered with colorful foam mats and Beau was thankful for the extra protection for his Little one.
He smiled and nodded at the room monitor as he led Palmer in.
“Daddy, look!” Palmer exclaimed, spinning in a circle so she could take everything in.
“I know, pretty baby. It’s amazing isn’t it?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Where would you like to start first, babygirl?”
“Can you climb with me?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Let’s put our shoes in the shoe cubby,” Beau said, pointing to the brightly colored plastic cubbies.
“Yes, Sir.” Palmer held his hand tightly as he walked them to the area. Beau settled her on a bench and untied her pink shoes. He slid his own sneakers off and put them each into a cubby.
“Nu, Daddy,” Palmer said, sliding from the bench.
“No?”
She took her shoes from their own cubby and placed them inside of his. “They needa be together.” She frowned. “They might get scared.”
Beau’s heart warmed at her sweet admission.
“You’re right, baby. That was so silly of Daddy. Thank you for helping me remember they needed to be together so nobody gets scared,” he said, nodding.
Palmer smiled at him. There was a tiny fleck of gratitude in her gaze. She would learn over time that Beau would never embarrass her for her needs.
She gave the cubby one final look of scrutiny before adjusting her pink shoe to touch his gray one a bit more. “I think they will feel secure now.”
“I think you’re right,” Beau agreed.
“Let’s go, Daddy!” Palmer said, slipping her hand back into his.
He chuckled, letting her pull him along. They reached the entrance to one of the tunnels and Palmer dropped to her knees before climbing inside. Beau did the same after making a mental note to take some ibuprofen for his back once he was done.
Keeping up with his Little one in the tunnel was a workout. She was so lithe and fast and he was 6 foot 4 inches of incoordination. His only saving grace was that every few feet, Palmer would turn back to make sure he was still there.
“You made it, Daddy!” Palmer said once they’d reached the top of a slide.
“I did!” he said, trying not to sound as out of breath as he felt.
Thankfully, his sweet Little girl didn’t seem to notice. “It’s twisty!”
Beau crawled closer and looked down. The bright blue plastic did indeed look twisty.
“Are you ready, Daddy?”
Beau chuckled, leaning one arm on the padding, trying to catch his breath. Maybe he should take up jogging. “Absolutely.”
Palmer was in position before he could even blink. “Let’s go, slowpoke Daddy!” she said, patting behind her on the slide.
Beau sat and slid down the slide with her. Her giggles and shouts of glee bounced off the brightly colored tunnel. Several twists and turns later, they landed in one of the ball pits. Palmer waded through them and pulled herself up to wait for Beau on the colored mats.
She giggled when Beau finally made his way to her, sweating and out of breath.
“Do you need to take a break, Daddy?”
“Yes, please,” he croaked out.
“And maybe some water,” Palmer said, holding her hand out to help him climb from the pit.
“Lots of water,” he agreed.
The soft creaking of the new glider filled the room as Beau pushed it with his foot.
Palmer was tucked warmly in his lap, her back resting against his front as he read a book to her. Her fingers sleepily rubbed her baby’s face.
“You had a big day today,” Beau murmured softly.
Palmer nodded, her pacifier bobbing in her mouth. “Mhm.” After a pause, she pulled the soother out. “I’m glad you gotted to meet Hadley and Mister Finn even if it was just on video.”
“Me too, pretty baby. I’m glad they led you to Rawhide and to me.
” Beau said, vulnerably. When he’d met the sweet couple Palmer kept in contact with, he immediately knew they were special.
They’d looked after his Little girl and that meant so much to him.
He wished Palmer had trusted them a bit more, especially when he found out she’d hitchhiked a few hundred miles instead of asking them for help getting to the Ranch, but he also understood how hard it was to ask for help when you’d been taught you were a burden.
“I’m glad you call them once a week, I think you’re very special to them. ”
“I love thems,” Palmer said, “and they loves me.”
Beau stood with her, holding her body tightly and carrying her to the bathroom. “Let’s get you clean and then you can go to bed, pretty baby.” He gently set her on the toilet lid before turning on the faucet and starting her bath.
Palmer clapped when he pulled out a large bottle of bubbles.
“I thought you might like these,” he said, winking at her. When he’d seen the large rainbow bottle, he knew he had to purchase it for his bright baby. He poured some in, probably far too much and tested the water, making sure it was a good temp for her.
She slid from the toilet and peered over into the tub, smiling around the pacifier.
Beau, being mindful of what she said about jumping in with both feet, began to undress her. Her skin flushed deeper as he removed each piece of clothing, but he kept their conversation going, hoping to keep her from overthinking.
“You are such a beautiful Little girl,” he said once she was completely naked. “Daddy’s so lucky.”
Her face was the reddest he’d ever seen it, but he understood.
She was in a vulnerable state and he found her trust in him beautiful.
He’d never take it for granted. He lifted her by the hips and settled her into the bath.
She giggled and scooped the bubbles into her hands, holding them high above her head before letting them fall back into the water.
Her ample breasts were on full display and Beau longed to explore them.
He wouldn’t, of course, there were much more important things they needed to accomplish first. The patient Daddy was prepared to wait as long as Palmer needed.
Beau knelt beside the tub, smiling as he watched her play.
The picture laid out before him was a perfect example of why he loved helping people feel safe enough to be themselves.
Being able to offer someone a space where they could just let go and enjoy some carefree time was something he valued deeply.
He would always be thankful for places like Rawhide, where people were taught the beauty of a genuine dynamic.
“Daddy?” Palmer asked, pulling her pacifier out.
“Yes, baby?”
“Do you want to have a bath with me?”
Beau smiled again. “I would love to get in with you. Do you think you can scoot forward and make some room?”
“Yes, Sir!” She started sliding forward in the large bath, sending bubbles over the side. “I’m sorry, Daddy.” Fear flickered in her deep green eyes.
Placing a towel against the tub, Beau sent her an easy smile. “It will be okay. Daddy will clean it all up when we’re done. It was just an accident.”
He stood and started stripping off his clothes.
His cock was hard and while he hoped that didn’t scare her, he knew this was just a part of their dynamic right now.
He would always be aroused around her and his goal was never to hide it, but to help her be comfortable with it.
Once he was nude, he stepped into the tub and settled into the water with her.
She turned, sitting criss-cross-applesauce, so she could face him.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi, baby.” He chuckled. Ducking his hands into the soapy mix, he lifted some of the suds and blew them in her direction.
“Snow!” she squealed.
“Well, if it’s snowing, we need to build a soapy snowman.”
“Yes!” she agreed, going to work stacking piles of foam onto each other. She stuck her tongue out in concentration as she patted the piles of bubbles together.
Beau knew, watching her in the sweet moment, that he was falling head over heels in love with Palmer. He was a goner. His life was never going to be the same because it was going to revolve around the sweetest Little girl. And he was absolutely thrilled with the realization.