Page 21 of Daddy's Little Duckling

Her gaze lingered on the pull ups below and a blush sweptits way across her face before continuing on. He made note of her reaction, but didn’t say anything.

Emmett watched Rae drop to her knees in front of the toy box before looking back at him as if she was seeking permission to explore inside.

He left his place at the door and settled in the rocking chair that was big enough for two and nodded his head slightly at her, giving her permission to open and look inside at all the toys that he had purchased.

He listened to her squeal as she started to pull out the toys from the box one by one. Emmett might have gone slightly overboard when he was purchasing things for her room, but listening and seeing the joy that crossed her face made it all worth it.

It’s not like he didn’t have the money to spoil his Little girl and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend it. He smiled at the image she made sitting in the middle of the rug surrounded by stuffies, puzzles, coloring books, art supplies, and dolls.

It was as if she had no idea where to begin playing with the toys and couldn’t decide what to do first.

“Little Duckling, how about we pick out one thing to do together for a bit before settling you in for bed. It’s been a long day and you need rest after working the past couple of days.” Looking around at the choices, he watched Rae contemplate which she wanted to choose before settling on a book for him to read.

“Can I keep a stuffie, too?”

“Of course, sweetheart! All the stuffies need love.”

He watched her quickly pick up the elephant, that she promptly named Ellie, and gently place the rest of the toys back into her box for a later day.

Pulling her to him, Emmett settled her on his lap in therocking chair and glanced at the book she picked out. Grinning, he leaned back and began reading to herThe Ugly Duckling.

Before long he looked down at his baby and watched her as she was sucking her thumb and rubbing the ear of the elephant against her cheek.

Moving carefully, Emmett stood and brought Rae to the bedroom where he placed her bag earlier. He debated for a second leaving her in her work clothes, but figured she would be more comfortable in something else.

Emmett grabbed one of his shirts from his bedroom before coming back and quickly changing Raelyn into it. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment at his darling girl being in his home and wearing his clothes.

Leaving the ensuite light on and door cracked, Emmett headed to bed after setting his alarm early enough to make sure he woke up before his Little Duckling to make breakfast for her.

He hoped that he might be able to see a little bit more of her Little tomorrow and he couldn’t wait for it.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

RAELYN

Stretching Rae knew something was different immediately once she started to wake. This wasn’t her normal blanket. The blanket at home wasn’t the greatest and she always woke up and had to shower first thing because the material of it always made her skin crawl.

The urge to do that was absent this morning. The sheets and blanket that caressed along her body felt as smooth as butter and she didn’t want to move. The urge from her bladder was proving to be a problem she couldn’t ignore for much longer.

Forcing herself to leave the comfort of the heavenly bed that she slept in last night, Rae slipped into the ensuite and used the potty before washing her hands and looking at herself in the mirror.

Puzzled, she didn’t know where the shirt came from that she was wearing since she knows that isn’t what she brought to sleep in, but the smell of it could only mean one thing.

It was Emmett’s and he must have dressed her in it beforeputting her to bed. A blush crept across her cheeks at the thought that he saw her in such a state.

She really hoped that she didn’t do anything embarrassing. Rae knew that she had a habit of sucking her thumb in her sleep.

That was why she had her paci. It was so much better for her to suck on instead of her thumb and she had been using it for years.

The nipple on it had been replaced multiple times because when she was stressed she would chew. The chewing led to the nipple being popped and then she would have to use it in its deflated state until she could save up the money to replace it.

There had been a time she went six months with the nipple being popped because there never seemed to be enough money for her to buy a new one.

That had been a very trying time and Rae had suffered from many jaw aches and headaches because the paci no longer fit in her mouth like it was supposed to.

Not wanting to waste any more time away from her Daddy, Rae slipped out of the room in search of him. Following the smell in the air, she found him in the kitchen.

Her eyes bugged out and jaw dropped at the sight of him standing at the stove without a shirt on. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on that man’s body and for a brief second she felt a sense of dread rush upon her.

---