Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
He spun her around so she was facing the closet. He pointed at the door. “That’s the nursery, Baby girl. It’s attached to the master bedroom so Daddy will always be close to you.”
She was both excited and nervous as he took her hand and led her toward the door. When he opened it and guided her inside, all the air left her lungs.
She stood mesmerized for long seconds, letting her gaze roam around the room while Grayson stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. When he slid one arm around her to brace her against his chest, he set his lips on her ear and whispered, “What do you think, Cupcake?”
“It’s so pretty,” she admitted, even though some of the parts terrified her. “How did you get so many cupcake things in the last few days?”
“Daddy is resourceful. As soon as I saw those jammies you bought and the pretty earrings you were wearing, I knew you needed a cupcake room.”
There were even soft cupcake pillows in the crib. Three of them in different flavors. Cupcake decals on the wall made her giggle. She pointed at a food pyramid next to several larger decals. “I’ve seen that decal at Little Cakes.”
“That’s where I got it. From Ellie. She said she can’t keep them in stock. Seems every Little girl in town wants one in their nursery.”
Valerie gasped. “Do all Littles have a nursery?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know about all of them, but I suspect many do. Little girls need a special place to play and take naps.”
“Is that why you have a crib in here? For me to nap in?” She wanted to clarify because earlier he’d said he wanted her to sleep with him from now on. She’d liked that idea and would hate to find out he hadn’t meant specifically in his bed.
“Yes, Baby girl. At night I’d like to hold you in my arms, but when you nap, you’ll use the crib.”
“I don’t usually have time to nap. That’s a luxury. I work all day Monday through Friday. I mostly don’t even break long for lunch. Just long enough to grab a sandwich.”
He frowned. “That’s not healthy, Cupcake. Little girls need to eat a proper lunch so they’ll have fuel for the rest of the day. Surely Evan Parker doesn’t insist on you working quite so hard. He doesn’t seem like a stern boss. He even has a Little of his own. I bet he makes her nap.”
She shook her head. “He’s a great boss. He doesn’t insist on anything like that. I’m just a hard worker. That’s all.”
“Well, from now on, I’m going to make sure you have healthy food in your tummy before you start working and at lunch. I bet you can set aside an hour lunch break for a nap and nutritious food.”
“An hour? I can eat a sandwich in five minutes and work at the same time,” she protested.
“That’s going to change. You need to stand up and stretch, maybe go outside and walk around the house to get some fresh air.”
“Oh, I can’t leave my computer. I even take it into the kitchen and the bathroom. Ooo… I bet the Wi-Fi extends around the house.” The look on his face clued her in that she had said something that didn’t process well with him.
“I think you need some time to think,” Grayson decreed, putting his hands on her shoulders and steering Valerie into the corner.
“What?” she protested, looking over her shoulder. When he held her firmly facing the wall, she shrugged off his hold but stayed in position. “I’m not always going to do what you want.”
“I understand that. I also know there will be consequences when you choose actions that have a negative impact on your life.”
“I’m fine. I like working hard,” she argued.
“Everyone needs balance in their life. Little girls most of all.”
“So what do you want me to do? Stand up and sing a silly kid’s song with actions every hour?”
“I think that’s an amazing idea. I can think of a couple—one about a teapot, one about touching different parts of your body. We’ll make a list.”
When Grayson moved away, Valerie turned. “Uh, uh, Little girl,” he corrected firmly.
Slowly Valerie rotated back to look at the wall. She listened to her Daddy rustle with paper behind her and heard the click of a pen before a scratching sound. Staring at the paint, she hated this. Now she understood why no one liked this punishment. How long will he make me stand here?
Valerie rolled her shoulders and tried to relax. She was so stiff. Stretching her arms over her head, she loved the pull of her muscles, sweeping away the stress. Maybe she did need to get away from her computer. Somedays she had the worst headache by the end of the day. Was that from tension and not moving?