Chapter 7 #2
Later that evening, Sage waited for a good time to talk to Grady again about visiting the Wilder Elementary School to speak with the first-grade teacher.
Rose was progressing quickly, and Sage had no doubt that by the end of the summer, she’d be reading on more than a first-grade level.
She was excellent in math and knew all her addition and subtraction facts, too.
But Sage wanted to make sure there was nothing else she needed to cover.
Her main goal was to make sure she wasn’t held back and could progress to the second grade.
She found him on the front porch, swinging on the wide wooden porch swing. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
Kiwi, Sage’s stuffie, was in his hands. He was looking at it thoughtfully. Had she left Kiwi on the swing earlier? Usually, she kept her in the bedroom.
Grady gave her a warm smile. His smile was infectious and gave her heart a lift. He didn’t smile nearly often enough.
He patted the swing beside him. “Come sit with me, Wildfire. I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“What a coincidence, so do I.” She made her way to do as she was told.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go first.”
Her pulse quickened, not recognizing his mood. He wasn’t still upset with her, so that was good. Whatever was going on, it must be important. Hopefully, she wasn’t still in trouble for the glitter bomb because that would suck. She didn’t think she could write any more sentences tonight.
Sitting next to him on such a large swing had her Little pressing to take control. Swings were her favorite. Whenever she had any free time, she’d find her way to the front porch swing.
If Grady was out on the ranch, she swung as high as she could and tried to touch the ceiling with her foot. Was that the problem? Had she left footprints on the ceiling? That might take some explaining.
She held on to the edge of the seat and swung her feet back and forth, clapping her ankles together.
The swing creaked as he pushed them in a gentle arc, as she waited for him to spill whatever was on his mind. And waited. And waited. If he didn’t talk soon, the silence was going to make her crazy. Her fingers itched to snatch Kiwi from his hands.
He must have sensed it because he put Kiwi in her arms. “Sorry, babygirl. Here you go.” He reached over and gently tucked a curl behind her ear. “You know, that’s the first time Rose has spoken since her mom died.”
“I know, I’m very happy.” She nodded, maybe a bit harder than she needed to, but she was excited.
Grady looked out toward the horizon. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything much, really. You have an amazing daughter.”
Grady smiled. ‘That’s true. But I also have an amazing nanny.”
Sage’s mind went completely blank. Grady was like Dr. Seuss’s Horton the Elephant. He said what he meant and meant what he said. “No one has ever called me amazing before.”
Grady laughed. “That’s hard to believe, Wildfire. I do have one more question about Rose. Do you think she’ll start talking more?”
Sage nodded again. “It may take longer than you want, but she will.” Sage held up two fingers.
“And hey, look what she used her words to say. First, she said the cookies were pretty. The ones you brought, I might add, and I agree, they were awesome. With her second word, she agreed that I was in trouble.”
“You don’t get in trouble, Wildfire. You are trouble,” he said quietly. “But you’re the best kind of trouble this ranch has seen in a long time. And speaking of trouble…”
Sage held her breath and crossed her fingers. She’d already had consequences for the glitter bomb. What else could she have done? Of course, he had said that he liked her kind of trouble.
After another long pause, he said, “I’m going to ask you a question, and if you don’t feel comfortable answering, then just tell me.”
Okay, now he was freaking her out.
He turned to face her. “How old is your Little?”
Okay, that was… unexpected. He’d made it pretty clear that those topics were off limits. Still, she had no problem answering him. “It varies, I guess, but usually around five to seven years old.” She gave him a sly look. “Was that the question you thought might make me uncomfortable?”
His lips blew right past smile and landed on a full-blown chuckle. He leaned back and relaxed. “If that didn’t make you uncomfortable, then I think we’re good.”
Well, that was good to know. Now she had questions of her own. “How long have you been a Daddy?”
He took a moment, then said, “I’ve known I was a Daddy since I was in college. My family practiced the lifestyle, though discreetly. When I was younger, I had several Littles, but once I married, it was only her. I haven’t had a Little since she died.”
When he didn’t move, she scooted over and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I’ve never had a Daddy, but if I did, I’d want one like you. Being your wildfire is nice.”
It was a lot more than nice, but she didn’t think now was the time to share those highly naughty dreams of hers that featured him prominently.
Grady wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I’m starting to like it too.” Things grew quiet, so Sage waited. Finally, Grady spoke. “I think it would be good for us both if I were to be your Daddy for as long as you’re here. How does that sound to you?”
Did he even have to ask her that? Her heart just might explode.
Grady Kane wanted to be her Daddy. At least for the next few months, he did. “Are you kidding? I think it sounds wonderful. Although I can’t promise not to get into trouble. It seems to be one of the things I do best.”
Grady chuckled again, but before long, he leaned his head back on the swing and let out a long sigh of contentment. The sound, deep and warm, did something dangerous to Sage’s heart. He’d said temporary, just for the summer, and if she wasn’t careful, he could crack her heart wide open.