Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 45808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“You need to make a decision, Little girl. It’s up to you. Do you want a Daddy? If so, you need to let me take care of you,” Axel said carefully.
“It’s just a door,” she protested.
“It’s more to me.”
She stared at him, hoping he would back down, but he didn’t. He met her gaze squarely as he gave her time to decide. Fractions of seconds dragged by as he waited to see if she would follow his directions.
“Fine,” she said finally, slamming the door closed and flouncing back against the seat.
“Thank you, Little girl.” Axel slid out of his seat without lecturing her or saying anything else.
She watched him circle the hood and open her door before stepping close to help her out. After closing the door, Axel took her hand and escorted her through the parking lot, always walking on the outside to protect her from the cars. When they reached the door, he opened it for her and allowed Nicoya to precede him.
Her friends immediately swarmed her. In the flurry of hugs and hellos, Nicoya forgot her annoyance. She remained aware of where Axel was as he greeted the other Daddies who had brought their Littles.
“Whew! I’m glad you got here now! We’re almost out of cupcakes. They’ve been flying off the shelf today,” Ellie said, emerging from the kitchen in a Little Cakes apron.
With squeals of happiness, the Littles lined up at the counter. Nicoya noticed that everyone who had a Daddy there returned to his side to take his hand and walk together. She swallowed hard. It looked like she had a lot to learn about how to be Little with a Daddy.
As she watched the others, Axel approached and guided her with a hand against the small of her back. She met his gaze and whispered, “Sorry. I guess I’m failing at being Little.”
Immediately, he leaned close to kiss her lips softly. “Silly. You can’t fail at being Little. Everyone is different. We just need to figure out what’s important to us. I’ll always be glad to hold your hand.”
When he squeezed her fingers lightly, she smiled. It did feel really good to be connected to him. Is that why the other Littles always held their Daddies’ hands? Curious, she observed the other couples’ interactions. They looked happy together.
“I want to be that happy,” she told him.
“I’d like that, too. I have a feeling you’ve watched out for yourself for so long you forgot how good it is to have someone else take over for a while.”
She stared at him in amazement. How could he know so much about her?
Ellie interrupted her thoughts. “I know you’re having a Maraschino Cherry cupcake, Nicoya. What would you like, Axel?”
“I’ll try one as well if you have enough for everyone,” Axel answered.
“I just put a new batch in the oven. There’s plenty,” the friendly baker assured him.
“Then, we’ll take two Maraschino Cherry cupcakes, Ellie, and a couple glasses of milk,” Axel ordered.
It had been years since Nicoya had drunk milk. She started to correct Axel and order coffee instead but deliberately kept her mouth closed. He seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe she should wait and see if he was right about this as well.
In a few minutes, they took the last couple of chairs at the group of tables that had been pushed together at the back of the café area. Nicoya unwrapped her cupcake eagerly and lifted it to her mouth to take a big bite. Sweet cherry goodness burst over her tastebuds. She hummed with delight.
“That good, huh?” Axel asked with a big grin before taking a bite himself. Immediately his eyes lit up, and he nodded as he chewed. She understood instantly that he agreed with her one hundred percent.
Moans of appreciation rang out from around the table as Ellie hovered nearby to see their reactions. She clapped her hands and did a small victory dance that made everyone laugh.
“There is so much cherry flavor, Ellie. This is the best cupcake I’ve ever had,” Nicoya cheered.
“I still like the Rainbow Sprinkles ones but this is definitely on my favorites list,” Ellie confessed.
Nicoya plucked the decorative maraschino cherry from the top and popped it in her mouth. The combination of the sweet candied fruit and the creamy frosting that clung to it was so good. She wanted a bunch more.
Blinking at the cherry dangling in front of her mouth, Nicoya looked at Axel. “I can’t eat yours. It’s too good. You taste it.”
“It’s for you, Niki. You can have it,” he told her.
Without a second protest, she plucked the cherry from its stem and chewed happily. “Yum!” she mumbled, enjoying the super-sweet flavor before reaching for her milk. Her eyes widened as she drank. The milk tasted like cherry!
“You are a genius!” she complimented, setting the glass back on the table.