Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Later that evening, sitting in the dining room of the Daddy Guard’s mansion off West Adams Boulevard, not far from the historic St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in South Los Angeles, Matteo Batista shook his head in frustration.
He’d barely touched the dinner before him, even though the grilled chicken had been cooked to perfection. The steamed asparagus had just the right amount of butter and seasoning, too.
He knew because he’d prepared the meal for everyone. That didn’t mean he was in the mood to eat, though.
Across the large table, Jack Kimble set down his fork, chewed a bite of chicken, and washed it down with a drink of tea. “You’re still thinking about that Little, huh?”
Matteo brought his eyes up to meet Jack’s and nodded. He’d spent a few minutes at the beginning of dinner telling the assembled group—Jack and Iris, Ace and Lana, Isaiah and Cami, and Kendrick Vaughn—all about the strange encounter he’d had earlier at Auntie Athena’s.
Now, he supposed it was evident to all that he was still thinking about it.
“She was the cutest Little I’ve ever seen,” he stated. His eyes darted around the table to Iris, then over to Lana, and onto Cami. “Of course, you three are cute, too.”
The women giggled.
“No need to explain, Uncle Matteo,” Iris said. “You’re looking for your own Little.”
Cami finished her bite of asparagus and said, “Yeah. And when you find her, you’ll think she’s the most adorable sweetie in the whole world! That’s how you know it’s meant to be.”
“Oh, is that how it works?” her Daddy, Isaiah, asked.
She was grinning as she looked at him and nodded. “Didn’t you think I was the cutest when you saw me for the first time?”
Isaiah chuckled. “I suppose I did, in fact.”
“See? And it was in the middle of the night and you were coming to my big, scary haunted mansion. But even with all that was going on, you thought I was adorable.” The Little giggled.
“That’s true,” Isaiah conceded.
It was Lana who spoke next. “They’re right. A Daddy just knows when he meets his Little. Ace, you’ve told me that.” She tried to put her hands around his arm but couldn’t make them meet, thanks to his bulging biceps.
“So,” Matteo said, “you cuties are telling me I met my Little today?”
He hoped they were right. And they might have very well been.
It wasn’t that he was just desperate to meet the girl that would be his to forever have and hold, but there seemed to be a real connection between him and the mysterious woman who’d literally fallen into his arms just hours before.
There was no explaining it, either. Sure, he’d been searching for a Little, but he wasn’t some hopeless romantic who assumed every woman he met was her.
Yet something had been different there in the alleyway behind Auntie Athena’s nursery.
For those brief moments, when he’d been holding her in his arms, he felt something he’d never experienced before. Looking into her blue eyes had been almost magical.
What was going on? Was he finally growing desperate? Or was there something to this feeling?
“We are saying that,” Iris told him.
Matteo picked up his fork again, but he only poked at his food.
He wasn’t sure he could trust their opinion.
It wasn’t like he thought they’d lie. But Littles were easily excited.
And besides, there was a good chance he’d never see the young woman again.
It didn’t make sense to be so caught up in her after just a few moments.
There was something else bothering him, though.
The fork clanked loudly against his plate as he sat it down again.
“You know what bothers me the most?”
All eyes were on him as he elaborated a few seconds later.
“I could tell she needed me. Don’t get me wrong—she’s perfect. But it’s been a while since she’s had a good meal. A hot shower. I think she’s desperate. And I can’t stand the thought of her out there somewhere on the streets.”
A heavy silence followed. After a few moments, Iris said, “I know what it’s like. I’ve been through some tough times myself.”
Her Daddy started rubbing her shoulder.
She continued, “I wish there was some way we could help her.”
“We don’t even know who she is,” Cami pointed out. “But you’d know her if you saw her, huh?”
This brought a smile to Matteo. “You bet I would. I’ll never forget that beautiful face.”
“Could we go out looking for her?” Iris asked, her voice sounding hopeful.
“That’s sweet, honey. But Los Angeles is a big town,” her Daddy said. “I’m not sure where we could even start.”
“She was around the nursery,” Lana pointed out. “Perhaps she lives somewhere around there.”
Matteo thought it over for a moment. “I’m not sure she lives anywhere. I get the impression she’s somewhat transient. But it’s as good a place to start as any.”
“Hey, we can pack bags of food and toiletries and stuff,” Iris suggested. “And then drive around. If we find her, we’ll have something to give her.”
The other two Littles seemed excited by the prospect.
“You cuties sure are sweet,” Matteo said.
He kept smiling, but he didn’t exactly share their enthusiasm. Finding her would be next to impossible. They’d need a lot of luck.
Or perhaps fate, he reminded himself. Maybe the Littles were right. If the mysterious young woman was his Little, then it was meant to be and destiny would help him find her again.
He said a silent prayer as he started to eat. Though he still wasn’t very hungry, he might be out late looking for his cutie. It was best he had some nourishment to keep up his strength.
Because he was a man on a mission now. And he’d find his Little no matter what it took.