Page 10 of Raelynn's Little Repeat Day
Instantly, her hand was no longer in his, as she ran full speed toward the flames.
“No running!”
To her credit, Rae-Rae stopped short as soon as he shouted, but when she turned around, there was a pout on her face. It was so fucking adorable, it almost made him want to give in. Almost.
“Babygirl, it’s dark out and you don’t know the area well. You could get hurt. Even if you did know the area, any number of things could be in the way. It’s just not safe.”
She hung her head, the pout even more intense now. She looked for all the world like someone had taken away her puppy and he felt a little bad for her. Not enough to let her run, but still, he could sympathize.
“Okay, Daddy,” she finally relented. As she made her way back to him, she said, “I wish I had some marshmallows. We could roast them.”
“Lucky for you, theydohave marshmallows to roast. They have all the supplies for s’mores.”
“Really?”
Just like that, the pout was replaced with a brilliant smile and she fast-walked back to him, grabbing his hands and trying to pull him along, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go, Daddy!”
Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Les allowed himself to be pulled along. They really should hurry. He only had a couple of hours before he was supposed to be on duty.
They reached the bonfire and Les watched Rae-Rae take in all the activity happening around them. There were Littles eating the classic campfire snacks, while others were either roasting marshmallows or cheering on the Bigs who were doing the roasting for them. Ingredients were being passed out; someone was playing a guitar. It was a tune Les recognized but he wasn’t sure from where. Yet more Littles were walking acrossthe unoccupied logs, balancing as if they were on a beam in the Olympics while a Big watched to be sure they were safe.
The light from the flames danced across Rae-Rae’s skin and reflected in her eyes, highlighting the look of wonder in them as she looked one way then another as if she couldn’t figure out what to focus on next.
Les led her to the supplies for s’mores and they were given everything they’d need. He helped her skewer a marshmallow before doing his own. They headed over to the fire and Les wondered if she’d ever mastered roasting a marshmallow or if she still burnt them to a crisp. Just to be safe, he made sure to get his only lightly toasted as she bounced, unable to keep still.
Rae-Rae chatted happily about s’mores, music, and meeting new people as she pulled a black marshmallow from the flames. She looked at her handiwork and said, “Shoot! Why won’t these things ever work right?”
Les chuckled as he showed her the marshmallow he’d done, perfectly the way she liked them. “Trade you.”
Her smile could light the night as she thanked him, and they finished assembling their snacks. She was so excited she was talking a mile a minute, and Les didn’t have it in him to tell her to stop talking with her mouth full, content to let her chatter away. He could listen to her all night. Unfortunately, time was running short.
They finished eating and Les used a few of the provided baby wipes to clean the chocolate from her face and hands. He wasn’t sure how she managed to get some on her forehead but he found himself glad her hair was up or she’d have likely gotten chocolate in it as well. He wasn’t sure that would come out as easily with the wipes.
With snacks eaten and faces cleaned, he led her over to the other Littles. He wasn’t keen on giving up any of the limited time he had with her to someone else, but she had mentioned wantingto make friends with other Littles and there was no time like the present.
“How’s everyone enjoying the bonfire,” he asked the group as they approached.
“It’s great!” was the most common reply among them.
“I’ve never met you before,” Wren, one of the permanent residents at the Ranch, said to Rae-Rae, “Would you like to join us?”
Rae-Rae looked at him, then at the group as if she couldn’t decide who she wanted to hang out with more. Finally, her curiosity won out and she turned to him, “Can I, Daddy?”
“Absolutely, babygirl,” he said as he kissed her forehead, “I’ll be right over there. If you need me, just signal.”
“Okay, Daddy. Thank you!”
Les left her to visit with the other Littles while he went to join the Bigs sitting on a log keeping an eye on their own Littles.
CHAPTER 9
Raelynn
Two of theLittles scooted over a bit and Raelynn sat on the seat they’d created for her. The girl who had asked her to join them held out her hand and said, “I’m Wren,” as they shook hands.
She was a beautiful girl with red ringlet curls that Raelynn could only dream of having. Her nose and cheeks had a light dusting of freckles, and her eyes held a light of mischief that let Raelynn know she was probably a handful for her Big.
“I’m Rae-Rae. Well, Raelynn when I’m Big, but right now it’s Rae-Rae.”
