Page 40 of Daddy's Oath
The dog was already jumping up on Lana, his tongue darting in and out of his mouth.
Lana laughed. She’d never met a mean Golden Retriever, but she appreciated the heads-up from Iris.
After hugging the dog, he finally got down and stood there, wiggling his butt and wagging his tail, while Lana scratched between his ears. Once satisfied, he happily walked back behind the couch and disappeared.
“Now that you’ve met the guard dog,” Jack said, “how are you settling in, honey?”
“I’m fine, sir. Thank you for letting me stay here,” Lana replied.
“Well, this place belongs to the entire Guard. But I promise you none of them mind.”
“That’s right,” Isaiah called out from deeper in the den. “The more cuties running around here, the better!”
Some of the other Daddies voiced their agreement.
Standing behind Lana, Ace said, “Ease up, boys. She’s mine.”
Some laughed. Others groaned in disappointment. But Lana just blushed.
Was she really Ace’s? Or did he just mean at the moment?
“Okayyyy,” Iris said, obviously annoyed by the interruptions, “the introductions are over. Now can we go play, Daddy?”
Jack chuckled. “Well, you can. But you need to go ask Lana. If I understand correctly, she was at Auntie Athena’s all day, so she might be tired.”
Lana’s response surprised even herself. “I was, but I’m not too tired.” She couldn’t believe how deeply she’d fallen into Little Space, especially after it had been a slow start.
Now, though, all this just felt right. But she was a bit hesitant to leave Ace. Not out of fear or anything. She just really wanted to be in his presence.
As it turned out, she wouldn’t have a say in the matter.
“Playing with Little Iris would be a lot of fun. It would give me and your Uncles a chance to talk,” Ace spoke up.
Lana loved the way he’d referred to the other Guard members. But did they need to have a serious conversation? Was something the matter?
She’d find out one way or another.
“Sounds good to me,” she said. Turning to Iris, she said, “What do you like to do?”
“Oh, just wait until I show you!” Iris told her. “Come on. We’re going to have a blast.” She took Lana by the hand and then said, “Benson! Come here, boy. Let’s go have fun!”
The retriever let out a little “woof” and then got up, walked a few paces, stopped to stretch and then shake, before trotting happily toward the women.
Iris led the way upstairs and to a large room on the third floor. “Check it out, this used to be the ballroom. Can you imagine? A house having a ballroom?”
“Whoa!” Lana turned a slow circle, taking it all in. The space was massive, though the ceilings weren’t very high. Still, it could hold a lot of people as it was just one big open room with nowalls. Pillars interrupted the flow every six feet or so, but people could still easily dance.
Closing her eyes, she smiled as she imagined some fancy 1920s soiree. Or maybe it wasn’t that formal. Images of people in tuxedos and fancy gowns morphed into flappers and guys in suits boozing it up while others danced to a lively band.
If those walls could only talk…
“This is my playroom now,” Iris explained. “Well, not just mine. I’ll share it with the other Littles who eventually move in, when the guys all find theirs.” She giggled and raised an eyebrow. “Like when you and Ace end up together forever.”
Lana covered her mouth. After laughing, she asked, “Is it that obvious?”
“That you’re crazy about him or that he’s crazy about you?”
“Both.”
