Page 19 of Learning Little Lizzie

“Up you go, little one. You took your spanking so well and Daddy is very proud of you.”

Something in her chest shifted painfully at his words. When was the last time anyone had ever told her they were proud of her?

Letting herself be helped up, she gave into the ache inside her and curled up on his lap, snuggling into his embrace as he held her tightly and told her what a good girl she was.

Before that moment, she would have said she didn’t enjoy praise. But something about the way Samuel did it just hit different from everyone who had come before him. Or maybe she was just so tired of feeling like a bad girl at that moment she would have accepted it from anyone. She wasn’t sure.

And not being sure of her own feelings was the worst part about all of this.

“We should get you in bed, little one. You’ve had a long day and you need your rest for tomorrow.”

“But it’s not even nine o’clock.”

“We can discuss bedtimes tomorrow. For tonight, you’re going to get ready for bed and lie down, even if you don’t feel sleepy. You can read for a bit if you’d like.”

“Can I play on my phone?”

“For thirty minutes. It’s not good for Little girls to have too much screen time, especially right before bed.”

“Well, since I’m not Little, I should be allowed to have more screen time.”

“You’re going to be trading your screen time for corner time if you keep arguing with me.”

The threat was delivered so easily, without him even raising his voice, she nearly shivered. Somehow, it was scarier in that breezy tone of his than it would have been if he’d gotten all stern with her like he had at dinner.

And since she had no desire to spend even one minute in the corner, she did something she rarely did: She gave in. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl. Go brush your teeth and wash your face. Daddy will come tuck you in when you’re ready for bed.”

The “getting ready for bed” process took significantly longer than usual, since she had to find everything in her duffel bag before she could follow his instructions. And if she used that as an excuse to delay her bedtime by a solid thirty minutes, well, who could blame her?

When she’d finally run out of reasons to delay, she climbed into bed. Samuel joined her, sitting on the side of the bed and watching her with those eyes that saw far more than she cared to admit.

“I know we’ve had a rough first day, but I want you to know I’m very glad you agreed to my guardianship.”

“Really?” She’d just assumed that, like her, it was something that had been thrust on him against his wishes.

“Yes.” Reaching out, he tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear. “You’re a good girl, Eliza. And I see so much potential in you. I hope you’ll trust me enough to help you unlock it.”

“Good luck,” she said with a snort. “My parents tried for almost twenty years to unlock my ‘potential’ before they finally gave up on me.”

“I want you to look at me, Eliza.” He waited for her to meet his serious gaze before he continued, “No matter what you do, no matter how naughty you are, I will never give up on you. That is a promise I’m making to you right now. And you’ll learn I am a man who believes in keeping his promises.”

“Pinky swear?” Wiggling her hand out from beneath her covers, she held up a fist with her little finger sticking up.

And maybe it was a little childish, but it made her heart beat a little faster when he hooked his pinky with hers and leaned in to press a kiss to their joined fingers. “I give you the most solemn of pinky swears, little one.”

“You can’t break a pinky swear. It’s illegal.”

“I’m aware.”

“What if you regret it?”

“I won’t.”

He would. But she was too caught up in the idea of someone caring enough to stick by her no matter what to push the issue. “Okay.”

They released their pinkies and he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. And her heart, which was already threatening to beat right out of her chest, pounded a little harder, a little faster.

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