Chapter 19 #2
“I think the odds of that are low. I mean, I could trip over a loose decking board and hurt myself, too.”
Instead of seeing her reason, he just scowled. “Take off your pants.”
“What? I thought we weren’t having sex.”
“We’re not. I want to see your knees.”
“Why would you want to see . . . oh my God! Grandpa Jack is the biggest tattletale! He told you that I fell over as well as telling you that I was up that ladder.”
“And just as well he did,” he said sternly. “Otherwise, I’d have no idea about any of this. If you get hurt, you need to tell me. Let me see.”
“They’re fine.”
“I didn’t ask if they were fine.”
“You didn’t ask at all,” she grumbled.
“No, I didn’t. Because it’s my job to take care of you and by keeping things like this from me, you’re not allowing me to do my job.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But I don’t want to be a job to you.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and kneeled in front of her. “You’re right. That was badly worded. You are not a job.”
“You already have so much on your plate. It’s a huge responsibility running this place and I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You are never a burden and you are not a job. You’re the best damn thing in my life and I hate that you don’t know that. If anything happened to you, Blakely, I don’t think I could handle it. Because I love you so fucking much. I’d leave this ranch now if I needed to in order to keep you.”
“You . . . you really love me?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“I do. So fucking much. And I’m sorry you didn’t know that. That I didn’t tell you. But I’m learning that I’m a terrible communicator.”
With a sob, she wrapped her arms around him. He fell back onto his butt with her in his lap, peppering kisses over his face.
“I don’t care that you didn’t say it before, you’re saying it now. And I never want you to leave the ranch. I just want you to be happy.”
“You make me happy.” He cupped her face between his hands.
“Coming home to you each night is the best part of my day. I know I haven’t been here much.
That I haven’t done a good job of being your man or your Daddy.
In fact, I haven’t been your Daddy at all.
Mostly because I’ve been too busy, which has to stop.
I’m going to make more time for you. For us. ”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I do,” he said firmly. “And not just for you, but for me, too. I need to learn what you need. Which means spending time with you, talking to you, ensuring that you’re safe. But you also need to speak to me. You have to tell me when you need me. Like when you fall and hurt yourself.”
“It was so minor that it wasn’t worth mentioning.”
“Nothing is so minor that it’s not worth mentioning, understand?” He ran his thumb over her lips. “I want to know everything. From now on, I’d like to know what you plan to do during the day. Like deciding to climb a ladder.”
“I was just trying to help.”
“You can help with both feet on the ground. Now, do you have something to say to me?”
“Um.” What did she have to tell him? “I think your grandpa is a tattletale.”
“Already knew that. It’s a good thing he is too, or someone would still be up a ladder, clearing gutters. What else?”
“I tripped and fell yesterday and hurt my knee.”
“Which you still haven’t shown me.”
He helped her stand and strip off her pants. Then he kneeled and carefully removed the Band-Aid over her knee.
“Poor baby girl. This looks very ouchie.” There was a soft note to his voice and she felt herself melting, her Little side slipping out.
“It’s really ouchie.”
He stared up at her sharply.
Shit. Had she done the wrong thing? She bit her lip. “Sorry.”
“Hey, why are you apologizing?” Reaching up, he released her lip from between her teeth.
“You’re trying to have a proper conversation and I’m saying things like ouchie.”
“I said the word ouchie first. Sit down, baby girl. I don’t think I’ve made something clear.”
She sat back.
Stafford placed his hands on either side of her thighs.
“I’ve spent the last week wondering why you haven’t let me see your Little.”
He had?
“You have?”
“Yes, baby. I’m new at this, but I should have realized that we needed to have a talk. About what you need. Rules and expectations. For some reason, I think I thought it would just come to me. That’s not going to happen. But are you sure you have nothing else to tell me?”
Oh, heck.
What else could she confess to?
“I ate cake for breakfast yesterday,” she blurted out. “And instead of cleaning the oven the other day, I practiced some magic tricks instead. Sorry, I’ll clean the oven tomorrow.”
“Baby, I don’t care about the damn oven. The eating cake for breakfast . . . well, don’t make a habit of that.”
“I won’t. Promise.” She gave him an earnest look. But not making it a habit just meant she couldn’t do it every day . . . once or twice a week was okay, right?
He eyed her. “Do I have to come back in the mornings and feed you a healthy breakfast?”
“What? No! I’ll eat a healthy breakfast. Most of the time.”
“Good girl. Now, what else?”
“I don’t think I have anything else to tell you.”
“No? Even though I told you that I loved you?” He frowned.
Oh. Ohhh. She was so dumb.
“Stafford?” she whispered.
“Yeah?” he grumbled.
“I love you so much that I can’t imagine my life without you in it. But if I did, it would make me feel all panicky inside, because you’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”
“I figured as much.” He grinned as she lightly slapped his shoulder. Then he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her.
Hot and deep.
Until all thought fled her mind, and she was left with just mush.
“Baby girl?”
“Hmm?” she asked as she tried to steal his lips for another kiss. “Another kiss.”
“No more kisses.”
“What? Why?” she asked.
“Because we have a few more things to talk about. After your spanking.”
“What? Why am I getting a spanking?”