Page 29 of Cherishing Little Charlee

“Feed him one of these cupcakes afterward and I bet he’ll forget.” Heaven Leigh winked.

“I doubt it! But I’ll try that, Heaven Leigh,” I said.

“When in doubt? Feed your Daddy two cupcakes,” she said, cracking up.

We collectively groaned, getting up from the chairs and cleaning the room. Though the night had started out with me thinking that I was only pretending to be Little, my friends filled my bucket. But it wasn’t with feathers. I realized no matter what parts of myself that I shared, they accepted me. My heart seemed to grow in my chest as we left Haven’s princess room and went downstairs. Heaven Leigh didn’t care if I was Big, Little, or anything in between and neither did Haven. They enjoyed spending time with me because I was their friend. Theydidn’t hang out with me to gain favor when it came to casting the production or divvying out roles and tasks. They cared about me. Maybe I’d actually learn to accept the word Little instead of hating it so much. It seemed silly to give any word power over my feelings anyhow.

CHAPTER 9

PIERCE

Since we’d started delving into a dynamic and relationship, Charlee seemed more confident as well as something I couldn’t name. My rules, consequences and attention on her seemed to lift a weight off her shoulders that she’d been carrying for a long time. I glanced across my bed. She was snoring softly, a serene mask of peace on her features. I didn’t want to wake her up and carefully extracted myself without a lot of movement.

Making breakfast, I checked her schedule. Somehow the stars aligned. There was nothing to do until early this evening. Only our first dress rehearsal of a handful prior to the show around six.

“Daddy?”

Glancing up from the planner on the kitchen island, I took in her adorable stance. She shuffled to me and I wrapped my arms around her. “Good morning, starlet. Did you sleep well?”

“Better than ever. Can we maybe relax today? Even with resting my arm, I’m kinda burnt out.” Charlee lifted onto her tiptoes, pursing her lips toward my mouth.

Bending to her, I kissed her softly. “Sure, babygirl. Have you ever visited the playground?”

She frowned, pulling away to grab a plate, adding pancakes and bacon. “Not on purpose.”

Realizing it may take some convincing, I piled my plate with extra bacon and hashbrowns as I thought about an enticing way to get her to explore. Grabbing each of us a mug of coffee, I placed her mug in front of her.

“Did you used to enjoy playing?”

Charlee shrugged.

That wouldn’t do. I tapped my pointer finger on the table twice. I wanted her full attention. She pursed her lips and sighed.

“It’s hard to be grumpy when you’re having fun, Daddy. I know that. However, I never had anyone to climb the monkey bars with or go down the slides or see-saw.”

“I have to advise against the monkey bars, starlet. On account of your splint and your proclivity to falling, but we can check out the slides. I’m not completely sure of the see-saw situation but I’m great at balancing.”

Her mouth quirked up on the edges. “You want to play with me?”

“I want to do anything and everything if it’ll make you happy.” I crunched the bacon, loving the smoky flavor. I made a mental note to add it to our sandwiches this afternoon. Turkey, provolone, and bacon on a whole wheat roll sounded delicious. I suppose everything tasted better with bacon. “I’ll pack lunch. If it’s not too cold we can sit at the picnic benches there.”

“I think this is a ploy so you can show me your skills on the monkey bars,” she said and her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“When I used to play on the playground, growing up, I could practically go from bar to bar without hanging. I was always taller than most of my classmates.” Chewing thoughtfully, I sawher nod as if my gentle coaxing would get her to agree. It wasn’t that she needed to engage in her Little headspace to prove to herself that she could be Little, but I thought it would help. The faster she embraced every part of herself, the better the experience would be for her.

“Not much of a challenge if you’re walking across the pretty rocks and not having to use any muscles. Huh, Daddy?”

“Not a challenge, but it was fun. What do you say?” Wiping my mouth with the napkin, I gave her another minute.

“Maybe. Do you know how to do hair? Um, I can’t do much with my hair other than brush it. I need two hands to do braids. I have a fear of getting my hair trapped in equipment,” she said seriously.

“Fears are nothing to be ashamed of. I can’t do very fancy styles but if you trust me, I’ll show you what I can do. Is your fear the only thing preventing you from saying yes?”

“Will you…” Charlee dropped her chin to her chest.

“Babygirl,” I tapped my finger on the table again. It had become a way for her to focus and pay attention even if she wanted to let her thoughts wander.

“Yes, Daddy?” She looked up at me and continued eating breakfast.

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