Page 132 of Giddy Up, Daddy

He’s nothing if not confident. And cocky. And possibly delusional. That’s what Sadie’s expression is saying, anyway.

“Bo—”

“It’s Daddy,” he corrects me.

My cheeks flush, and I glance at Sadie. At least she’s smiling and I see no judgement there.

“Bo, I just think… since our perfect woman—since Elle—doesn’t seem to be interested, we should be open to exploring other options.”

“You shouldn’t have made that decision without talking to me.”

It’s a little hypocritical, since the decision to date Elle in the first place was made without me, but for the most part, that’s how we operate. And it’s not that my voice doesn’t count, or that Bo doesn’t care what I think. It’s just that he’s the boss, the Daddy, and I’m supposed to tell him things like this.

Guilt sits like lead in my stomach. “I’m sorry,” I say, and at least that part is true. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to come here or not.”

“If you were even thinking about it, you should have said something.”

“Yes, Daddy. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Sadie is looking away, anywhere but at us, and Bo is giving me that hard look, the one that says I may end up getting a spanking later. Honestly, I probably need one.

“Come on. Let’s go home.” He turns me and guides us out of the shop, calling over his shoulder. “Really sorry to have bothered you, Sadie. We’ll check back in later.”

As soon as we are out the door, his grip on my upper arm tightens as he steers me to the car. How did I not notice I’d parked right behind him?

“I’ll see you at home, babyboy. We’re gonna talk about this.”

Chapter Fourteen

Bo

Being a Daddy is hard work. You have to be commanding and confident and hold fast and hard to rules, not afraid to put your sub in their place when needed, but also you have to be fair. Understanding. Not hypocritical. These days I feel like I’m failing at it. Ever since Elle left, I’ve been in a funk.

I’ve been so caught up in what I perceived as having lost, I guess I haven’t thought too much about what I have.

As I pull out of town, I know that Nate doesn’t deserve to be punished, but that the guilt from our little encounter at Sadie’s office will be eating him alive by the time he gets home. So much so that he’ll probably ask to be.

I sigh and smack the steering wheel. Some days, I think I have this all figured out, and other days I just really suck at it.

I turn the radio on and the first words to pipe through the speakers make me wish I hadn’t. Yes, Whitney, we did almost have it all.

I shut the radio off with more force than necessary and pull down the road to our ranch. If Nate doesn’t think he deserves a spanking, I’ll happily agree with him, but if he wants one, I’ll go with that, because we both obviously have some shit to work out.

At home, Nate pulls in after me. I stay parked, watching him from the rearview mirror as he climbs out of his little mustang and flips up the seat to grab Amelia’s car seat. She’s most likely asleep. The drive home always knocks her out.

When he’s done, I open the door and climb out myself, taking the car seat from him. I haven’t been a good Daddy, but I can still be a good partner. I can still be a gentleman.

“It’s almost dinner time,” I say as I head toward the nursery with our little princess. “Why don’t you make some sandwiches and heat up some soup?” I’m not that hungry, but we both need to eat.

Amelia stirs a little when I pull her out of her car seat, and I gently rock her in my arms until I’m sure she’ll stay asleep, at least for a little while. I need the time alone with Nate.

When I lay her down and make it out to the kitchen, Nate has my soup and sandwich waiting for me, along with a cold beer.

I crack the top off, and take a long swig. “We should probably talk about what happened in town.”

Nate wrists his mouth into a grimace of sorts and nods, before taking a drink of his own beer. When he puts it down, he says “I’m torn. I don’t think you can be upset with me for going there when you also didn’t tell me you would be there. That doesn’t sit right with me.”

My eyebrows raise. I’m proud of him for sticking up for himself. He's always struggled with it. But he’s been doing it more and more lately. I like to think it’s because of us, because by loving him for exactly who he is, and bringing him out of his shell a bit, I’ve made it easier for him to feel safe doing so. But if I’m being honest, I think it has more to do with Amelia than anything else. He’s trying to set a good example for her, even when she’s not around to see it. I’m proud of him for that, even if I’m a little disappointed about not getting the stress relief a spanking provides to both of us.

---