Page 82 of Jasper

I keep her clean, dry, and padded. As much as she blushed the first time I diapered her while she was half-conscious, she doesn’t fight me on it anymore. She knows I mean what I say—that she needs rest. No stairs, no pushing herself, no stress.

But the restlessness has been creeping in. I see it in her fidgeting fingers, her twitching feet under the blankets, the way her eyes flick toward the window and linger on the laughter coming from the yard.

Today, she finally wears me down.

“I’ll be good,” she promises in a soft voice. “Just a little while. Please, Daddy. I miss them.”

And fuck, I’m weak for her when she looks at me like that.

I change her again, wrap her up warm, and carry her to the main house playroom where Rowie and Ember are already building some kind of stuffed animal kingdom on the carpet. The second they see her, they squeal with excitement, and I swear I see some of the grayness lift from her skin.

I settle into the oversized armchair in the corner while she plays. I stay close. Always close.

She lights up around them, chuckling softly, leaning on a pillow as she crawls carefully across the rug. Rowie hands her a plush bunny with a crown on its head, and Ariana beams like she’s been handed a real crown.

She belongs here.

She always did.

And she’sneverleaving.

I recline in the chair, arms crossed, watching the way she tucks her hair behind her ear and giggles at whatever Ember just whispered. I should feel relaxed.

But I’m not.

My jaw tenses as I remember that bastard’s face. The blood on Ariana’s temple. The way I almost lost her.

I don’t regret what I did.

Not for a second.

I’d kill him again. Slower, if I had the time.

And I’d do worse to anyone who tries to touch her again.

Because she’s mine.

And one day soon, I’m going to make sure it’s more than just a word. I’m going to put a ring on her finger, change her name, and lock her into forever with me.

Not because she needs it.

But becauseIdo.

She yawns, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, and I’m already on my feet. I scoop her up gently, “That’s enough for today, baby.”

“Nooo,” she whines, though her head immediately rests on my shoulder. “I wasn’t done playing…”

“You were falling asleep on your princess bunny,” I tease, carrying her out of the room as Rowie and Ember wave their goodbyes.

Back home, I lay her on the bed, strip her out of her clothes, and change her quickly and carefully. She’s too tired to be shy now, her thumb slipping into her mouth as I pull the covers up, leaving her in only a diaper, and brush the hair from her forehead.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper.

Her lashes flutter. “Mmmkay…”

And then she’s out.

I watch her for a moment before I slip out of the room and call Rylan.

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