Page 15 of Promising Little Poppy

With another squeeze to Poppy’s hand and one last gentle kiss against her temple, CJ retreated back to her own bedroom in their shared suite. She was more confused than ever and desperate to keep a woman who could never be anything more than her temporary Little.

Somehow, while helping Poppy to discover all the promise she had bottled up deep within, she had gone and fallen in love with the woman with the expressive green eyes.

With the beautiful, battered soul and need for fierce love and gentle discipline.

CJ only wished she could be the one to give Poppy that love and structure for the rest of her life.

Closing her eyes, CJ vowed to focus on the time they had left, knowing she would have to pick up the pieces of her broken heart when it was time to leave the Ranch for good.

CHAPTER 8

Poppy

Thanksgiving had become one of Poppy’s favorite days of the year at Rawhide Ranch in her very first year at the university. From the time she woke in the morning, she would always swear she could smell the delicious foods she’d indulge in later in the afternoon as the aroma of roasting turkey, sweet-potato casserole, and various pies wafted throughout the property on the winter wind outside.

And what was even more special was that this year, she was able to celebrate the day with her Daddy at her side.

Poppy smiled as the door to her bedroom opened. She had swiftly learned that it was against the rules to leave her bed until Daddy came to get her in the mornings. But even more than it being against the rules, Poppy found she loved the few quiet moments she shared with CJ before what was always a busy day ahead.

CJ had signed Poppy into the Littles’ Wing several times over the days leading up to Thanksgiving, giving Poppy the chance to do arts and crafts with other Littles as CJ explored more of theRanch offerings, but today, they were spending the entire day together.

And Poppy was practically vibrating with excitement.

Lately, she had found a strange stirring deep inside her belly when her Daddy was near. And though it confused her most of the time since she had only ever felt that way about men in the past, she was fairly confident that stirring was desire.

“Good morning, sweet kitten.” CJ sat on the edge of the bed, pressing a light kiss to Poppy’s forehead as had become part of their morning routine. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

With a goofy, sleepy grin, Poppy looped her arms around CJ’s neck, holding the woman to her in a sweet, silly hug. “Happy Thanksgiving, Daddy!”

If CJ was surprised how easily Poppy fell into the habit of calling her Daddy, she didn’t show it. In fact, she’d told Poppy how it melted her just a bit more every time she heard the term of endearment—the term oftrust—from Poppy’s lips. Poppy considered asking why but remembered CJ’s story and knew the woman liked being given a role where she could practice her desire to nurture another in a caring way. She had reminded Poppy several times that she was more than her anxieties and fears, that she could live a happy, full life just as she was. It made Poppy feel all warm inside.

Together, the pair made quick work of getting ready for the day, the energy of the holiday propelling Poppy out of bed faster than the days prior. Poppy squealed when CJ lifted her up around the waist and set her on the marble countertop in the bathroom they were sharing before handing Poppy her toothbrush already filled with the perfect amount of toothpaste on the bristles. It shouldn’t have surprised Poppy. She knew CJ was lean but strong and the woman had made it a point to visit the on-site gym almost daily, still Poppy was delighted with themoment of playfulness, with feeling tiny when so frequently she felt too big in too many ways.

Her emotions felt too big almost daily. Her fears had fingers and they were digging into her flesh with all they had. Only since she found some structure, some routine with CJ’s calming presence at her side, did those fears slowly begin to release the white-knuckled grip they had been holding on Poppy’s precariously balanced life.

Between evening bath time and morning routines, more and more of Poppy’s belongings ended up in CJ’s room every day until her own room was used for nothing but sleep, and Poppy found that it didn’t upset her one bit.

In fact, she almost asked CJ on several occasions ifmaybeshe could just stay in her room. Thatmaybethey could cuddle in bed at night just like they did on the couch during their now near-nightly Disney movie time. Yet each time she tried to say something to CJ, Poppy found herself shutting down, afraid of the strange, new feelings she was starting to develop for her Daddy.

“What are you most looking forward to today?” CJ asked as she put two perfect pigtails in her Little girl’s hair. Securing each side with a shiny gold bow, she gave Poppy a once-over before shooting her a wink and helping her off the counter top.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Poppy couldn’t help but smile at the reflection she saw staring back at her.

Thanks to her new nightly routine of writing down the tasks she wanted to get done the following day, Poppy was sleeping better at night. With her thoughts on paper, she didn’t have to sit awake until all hours of the morning worrying that she’d forget something, her brain seemingly calmer than it had been in years. The relaxed, rested version of herself in the mirror was just one of the ways her life seemed to have improved since her Daddy came into it.

Poppy’s dedication to seeing her Daddy smile had her eating her vegetables with every meal and drinking more water than she ever had in her entire life. She might now officially know where every bathroom on Rawhide Ranch property was, but it was a small price to pay for clearer skin, healthier habits, and the praise CJ showered her with in return for following the rules.

It was addicting.

And Poppy was terrified that it would all come crashing down when CJ left.

Still, they had a week and a half left together and Poppy was determined to make every second count, starting with today’s Thanksgiving feast.

“I can’t wait to show you some of the crafts I worked on this week! We made these beautiful tablecloths in our basic sewing class, and then we all got to color them with markers. I drew some pictures on one and wrote down all the things I was thankful for. Sadie said her Daddy thought they were so beautiful that they’re gonna be used for the feast today!” Poppy said as she fiddled with the sweet satin dress she wore. She’d begun to more easily sink into Little space with ease in everything from the way she was becoming more comfortable in her childlike dresses and skirts to how her speech shifted when she was feeling particularly silly.

Hitting her just above the knee, today’s dress was a pretty rust color and had fall-colored leaves embroidered around the hemline. Poppy loved the little white-lace socks and pristine sparkly shoes, and the sight of her Caregiver’s smile reflected in the mirror tugged at something deep inside Poppy’s heart.

“I can’t wait to see all of it, kitten,” CJ said as she ran some styling product through her hair.

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