Page 9 of Hearing Little Hadley

“Great. Were you reaching out about Hadley’s needs?”

“Yes. I wanted to make sure she understood about Hadley being non-verbal and could accommodate her unique needs. She reassured me she could and promised to call if Hadley got anxious.”

“She’s wonderful about communication with caregivers, I’ve never had a complaint from a Top yet.”

“Oh, I’m not…” Finn stopped himself, making Derek chuckle.

“I’m not her permanent caregiver. She’s just my best friend and I…”

“You are madly, deeply, in love with her and she has no clue.”

Finn stopped walking and stared at the man. “I’d heard you had some magical matchmaking abilities, but you’re a pretty damn good people-reader too.”

Derek nodded. “You’re not the first pseudo-caregiver who’s come through my door with feelings for their Little charge. I will say, though, none of them have ever left the Ranch with theirsecrets. Actually, they’re all living their own happily ever afters now.” He chuckled as he gave Finn a shit-eating grin.

Chapter Five

“How about some french fries?” Finn asked as he walked beside Hadley with a tray.

She nodded.

“And maybe some grapes and strawberries?”

She nodded again before giving a few anxious flaps. Her face reddened and she shoved her hands into the pockets on her sweatshirt.

“Hadley, this is a safe place, you can flap if you’re feeling overwhelmed.”

She nodded but kept her hands in her pockets.

Finn grabbed himself some fried chicken, green beans, and a piece of cornbread. He added a small piece of vegetable lasagna onto his plate for Hadley. He could tell she was nervous, and he hoped he could get some real food into her belly once she relaxed a bit. He’d admit if the food tasted as good as it smelled, Chef Connor might be his new favorite person.

Hadley tiptoe walked beside him as he continued adding food to their trays. The cafeteria wasn’t super crowded or loud, so he figured her anxiety came from the couple with them. She loved socializing, she was just so drained once it was over that Finn tried to limit it for her.

“Did you see the dancing snowmen standing by the Christmas tree?” he asked in hopes of distracting her.

She grinned when she saw them.

“They go wiggle-wiggle,” Finn said, imitating them. Hadley imitated them as well.

He let her lead the way to the drink station. “Can you grab milk for yourself and water for me, Peeps?”

She looked at him.

“I’ll stay right here,” he promised.

She nodded and reached for the items. He noticed how much her hands were shaking. Once she’d gotten the drinks, she followed Sadie to a table and the four of them sat down.

Finn immediately lifted her onto his knee and she buried her head into his neck.

“It’s okay, Peeps. You’re doing so good,” he praised, rubbing her back. She trembled in his arms. He didn’t hold her often, but she never fought him the few occasions he did. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it was just that he wasn’t sure what she was comfortable with him doing and he never wanted to cross a line.

“Do you want to go back to the room?” he whispered. She shook her head and he admired her bravery for trying even though she was so out of sorts.

“You’re being so brave,” he said, handing her a french fry.

“Sometimes new things can be hard,” Sadie said, trying to help. “When I first got here, things were really hard for me too.”

Hadley looked up at her.

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