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“I was so good, Daddy.” Closing my eyes, I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. “I like talking to my friends, but I think it’s easier to play with them when they’re little. They’re really nervous adults.”

That was exhausting to be around.

They made me worry.

Daddy managed not to laugh out loud, but his chest jerked and it took him a second to respond. “I can see how that would be stressful, but I’m glad you’re not that nervous.”

Me too.

“You’d be a good Daddy to a nervous little once you stopped worrying about making them nervous.” Petting his chest as he tried to decide if he was going to laugh or complain, I ignored his dramatic breaths. “But I’m glad you’re my Daddy.”

He finally settled on chuckling and probably rolling his eyes. “I’m glad of that as well. Some of the other options that Austin could’ve put in front of me sound…stressful.”

Oh yeah.

“But you got me.” Austin was smart about that. “And I’m not stressful like that.”

I might’ve been a pain in the butt in other ways…because he was carrying me since I’d been too dramatic to walk…but at least I wasn’t so nervous I’d give Daddy an ulcer.

He laughed. “No. You are a unique individual in different ways, though.”

“Hey.” Daddy was silly and smacked my bottom. Okay, I’d take unique if it got me a spanking. “Yes, Daddy.”

That made him start snickering again, but he stopped by the time he sat down on the couch and cuddled me in his lap.

Hmm.

“Daddy?” Looking around, I realized I had a question.

“Yes?” He must’ve realized that because he was trying not to smile. “What are you thinking about?”

“Who else lives here?” Leaning around the back of the couch and searching to make sure I didn’t see shoes anywhere or other clues, I finally sat back down on his lap. “You have too many bathrooms to clean by yourself but I know you like privacy.”

I should’ve thought of that sooner, but I’d never seen anyone around and we got distracted easily.

“Ah.” Daddy nodded, looking around too. “Yes. This is too much for me to manage by myself. But I have help. They just don’t live on property because I’m a pain in the ass and they need space.”

Huh?

“That’s rude, Daddy.” He clearly didn’t know it, but Austin would help me figure out how to point that out very clearly. “They have to be nice to you.”

Daddy looked at me and cocked his head. “You look scary.”

“Thank you.” Kissing his cheek, I decided to take a very subtle way of torturing them. Nothing flashy that would draw attention to us.

“You don’t have to worry. My housekeeper has known me since I was a child and she’s the oldest daughter of my parents’ housekeeper. She’s basically an older sister, and I’m…” Daddy shrugged. “She says I’m overbearing.”

Oh, they were family.

“She doesn’t appreciate you, Daddy.” I shrugged, doing my best to look innocent but not too innocent. He’d see through that. “I bet you were just trying to take care of her.”

Some people didn’t appreciate good helpers.

Daddy nodded and gave me a kiss. “Yes, but I understand boundaries, so I respect her decision.”

Hmm.

“Does she do everything?” Maybe Daddy didn’t know she couldn’t do it all? Had he ever cleaned his own bathroom? He might not know they tookforever.

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