Page 56 of Their Forever Daddy

“I am not scared.” But even as she said the words, they rang hollow. Truth was, she was terrified of handing someone else the reins, even for a bit. Nibbling at her bottom lip, she rolled the problem around in her mind. She’d seen the way he was with Jesse, and it was clear he was a good Daddy.

And, if she was being brutally honest with herself, she certainly hadn’t hated the spanking he’d given her to help her calm down earlier.

“There’s really no room for negotiation?”

“Not on this one, I’m afraid.”

“Ugh. Fine.” After all, it was only for a month. Surely she could stay on top of things for a month. “I agree to your food and water rules, but I want it noted that I think they’re a bit over the top.”

“Noted,” he replied with an easy smile that sent those butterflies in her stomach dancing again.

“Anything else?”

“Just the basics. Respect, honesty, personal safety.”

She could handle that. Probably. “What about Jesse?”

“What about her?”

Heat rushed to Edie’s cheeks as she shrugged. “You know what kind of relationship we had before. I don’t want to step on your toes, but just like you need to be in charge of both of us, I need to be in charge where she’s concerned. I’m not sure I can be with her any other way.”

It had been a long time since she’d had a man’s focus so completely locked on her. And there was something about the way Grant looked at her that was… disconcerting to say the least. “Jesse told me that you weren’t her Mommy when you two were together, but that you basically acted as one. Is that what you’re looking for now?”

Was it? She wasn’t entirely sure. The word ‘Mommy’ had her stomach fluttering in a not-altogether unpleasant way, but it also felt heavy. Important, in a way she couldn’t quite explain even to herself. “No… not exactly. That feels very—I don’t know how to explain it. Big? Permanent?”

“That makes sense.”

Raking her fingers through her hair, she let out a short bark of laughter. “I’m glad you understand what I’m saying, because I’m not even sure it makes sense to me.”

“It makes sense to me because I’m the same way. For some, those titles are just what they like to be called. But for me, and I’d wager for you, they mean something. Those titles are a promise, to love and protect someone. Maybe not forever, but more permanent than just for now.”

“Yes.” Relief lightened the weight sitting on her shoulders. “That’s exactly it.”

“Okay. Then how about this. I’m willing to let the two of you negotiate your own dynamic, but I will ask that you run any new rules by me to make sure they mesh with what she and I already have in place. And if I am disciplining her, you don’t interfere.”

“And you’ll do the same for me?”

He hesitated, clearly thinking it over for a moment before he nodded. “Unless I think something is very wrong, or clearly outside of Jesse’s limits, I won’t interfere. Edie…” Reaching over, he took her hands in his much larger ones and squeezed. “This is new ground for all of us, and I’m sure there are going to be some missteps along the way. But the only way this works is if you and I trust each other and communicate. Can you do that for me, little pixie?”

“I can try.”

“That’ll do for now.”

Jesse

* * *

She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when the knock came. Giving her lashes one final swipe, she stuck her head out of the bathroom to find Edie hovering by the bedroom door. Her dark hair was wet, making it look black in the dim light of the room, and she’d clearly thrown on the first thing she could find in her closet since the t-shirt she was wearing had a giant hole near the bottom.

And she was looking as though she’d rather be literally anywhere but where she was at the moment.

It was adorable.

“Need something?” Jesse asked, doing her best to keep her amusement at Edie’s obvious discomfort out of her voice.

“Maybe.”

To her increased amusement, Edie’s gaze traveled the room, never landing anywhere for long and never actually landing on Jesse at all. “What’s up, buttercup?”

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