Page 37 of Harmonizing with Little Heaven Leigh

This time it was memories of working with Barbara in that first bakery. She remembered the older woman teaching her how to make bread. Her brown hands kneading the dough with such strength, as she explained the process to the teenager.

She knew Barbara would have loved Angel. Heaven’s biggest regret was that the two people who loved her most in the world would never get to meet. But she knew that somewhere, the older woman was watching with approval.

A knock on the table brought her back to the present.

“Heaven? Where did you go?” Angel had his head cocked as he looked at her.

“Sorry, I was a million miles away. What did you say?”

“I could tell.” He moved around the table to take her into his arms. “Are you okay?”

“Of course, why?”

He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re crying.”

“Am I? Oh.” She laughed, and sniffled as she wiped at her eyes. “Sorry. I’m not really. It’s just…”

“Memories?” he asked. With all the ups and downs her mercurial emotions had taken over the past couple of months, it was no surprise he was concerned.

“Yes, Daddy, but only good ones. I’m so…” She shook her head as she tried to find the words. “I’m happy, and excited, and—” She cut herself off with another head shake. “It’s like a dream.”

Angel’s dark eyes met hers. “It is a dream. Funny how all my dreams have you in them,mi corazón. Before you I was content, but not truly happy. After Merry…” He trailed off and drew in a deep breath through his nose, letting it out slowly.

His late wife didn’t come up often, but she was clearly still painful for him to talk about. Heaven understood about grief. She understood how it ebbed and flowed, and she wanted to be there for him when he could talk. She slid her arms around him and squeezed.

“I loved Merry, but maybe we rushed into marriage sooner than we should have. In some ways I think we were forced into it by her father’s reaction to our dating. Sometimes I think we weren’t very well matched, outside of work. We certainly never… she couldn’t have been my Little. That wasn’t who she was. She didn’t like to be taken care of.”

Heaven Leigh just listened, letting him talk as she held him. His fingers curled in her hair, playing with it.

“I feel guilty saying this, but I don’t think our marriage would have lasted if she’d lived.” He straightened, pulling back so he could look into Heaven’s eyes. “I never expected to find a woman who could fill all my needs the way you have. I always thought I would have to choose one desire to fill, and that was too much like settling, so I never really looked.”

Her hand came up, brushing over the deep dimple that marked the side of his mouth. “And I never thought anyone would want me, Daddy. I’m a complicated mess. Too much childhood baggage. Too many abandonment issues. And so many different things I want to do and try. I look at the other Littles and they seem so content with just one role, and that’s not me.”

After a second’s thought she added, “Maybe we were just waiting for each other.” Her mouth curved into a soft smile.

He chuckled. “Maybe so. And here we are with our shop and plans for a house.” He started to say something else and then shook his head.

“What is it, Daddy?”

“Nothing just… it’s almost perfect how things turned out.”

“Almost?” She narrowed her eyes and pouted her lips. “What do you meanalmost?”

He dipped his head down, touching his forehead to hers. “Nothing,niña. I was just thinking… I’d like to propose to you someday and complete the trifecta.”

She gaped at him, eyes wide. “M-marriage?”

“Not now while things are all chaotic,” he hurried to clarify. “I don’t think we’re ready yet anyway, but someday.” His brow creased and he sounded uncertain as he continued. “If that’s something you’d like too. I mean, we don’thaveto get married. I’m happy just to live and work together. It’s just that I never thought I’d want another wife, ever, but with you… I can see it.”

“I… I guess I hadn’t thought about it.” Heaven Leigh had complicated feelings about marriage. She didn’t think she was ready yet to make the whole “till death do us part” commitment either, but someday?

She thought about what that might look like, to be his wife. It wasn’t a bad picture. And really, hadn’t they already committed in the most important ways? He was her Daddy and her Dom, which had to be at least as important as being her husband. “I think, maybe someday, I would say yes,” she said finally.

She tilted her head, thinking. “Does this mean we’re engaged, or…”

“Maybe pre-engaged? Engaged to be engaged?”

“That works.” She nodded. “Practicing to get engaged… someday.”

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