Page 53 of Devaney's Doctor Daddy

Chapter Twenty-Four

After feeding her dinner, Eric gave her an enema and a bath before putting her in a diaper and an indecently short nightgown. All of those things combined made her not quite lazy, but content, relaxed. More so when he leaned up against the headboard of his big bed, took her in his lap and gave her a sippy to drink from. All the worries of her real life felt very far away.

When she’d finished drinking her sippy, Eric took it from her and put it on the nightstand. Mmm, was he Eric right now though? No, he felt very much like Daddy at the moment. Daddy who took care of her, Daddy who cuddled her, Daddy who spoiled her.

“How you doing, Devy baby?”

“Mmm, good,” she replied, scratching lightly at his chest through his button-up shirt. He was always so handsome, always dressed like a grown-up. It should’ve made her feel silly to be in his lap in this frothy periwinkle confection of a nightgown, but in reality it made her feel safe.

“I’m glad, buttercup.”

She lazed in his lap for a few minutes before he gave her a little squeeze. “Hey Devy, I thought we should talk. It’s nothing bad, but I wanted to make sure you’re not super into little space when we do. Where you at, babygirl?”

“I don’t feel little exactly, just calm. Safe. I couldn’t be this loose if the boys were around but I’m not zoned out.”

“Okay, we’ll give it a go then. But you tell me if it’s too much and we can press pause. This is a conversation I need to have with big girl Devy, alright?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

She could be a big girl and still call him Daddy, right? She hoped so. It had been a long time since she’d been able to relax and breathe and be happy but Eric made her feel that way regularly, both when she was his special little patient, his babygirl, and when they were grown-up Devy and Eric.

Eric sat her up a little more but she was still solidly in his lap, in his arms.

“As my little girl and my special little patient, I have responsibilities to you. My job is to keep you happy and healthy and safe and help you be your best self. Everyone needs different levels of support and direction to flourish and I feel like mostly what you need is some solid ground to stand on and you’re driven enough to launch yourself. Of course some praise and encouragement never hurt anyone either. That sound about right?”

It still stunned her that Eric could offer her these things so easily. He made it sound so obvious, like of course that was what you did for the people you loved. In her experience that was more like a unicorn—did men like that really exist?

“I think so? But I haven’t had that for a long time so I can’t say for sure.”

“I get that. Nothing’s ever set in stone anyway. People change, relationships change, needs change. But for the most part, I don’t get the feeling that discipline is really something you’re looking for or that you need.”

“Probably not,” she agreed. “Carrots have always worked better than sticks for me.”

“That’s what I thought. I’m not a big disciplinarian outside of scenes, really. I don’t usually set a whole lot of rules and dole out punishment when they get broken. But that’s not to say you don’t have responsibilities. You absolutely do, they’re probably just different than what you’re used to.”

Carter had had a lot of expectations of her: looking a certain way, acting a certain way, making sure their family seemed a certain way. But none of those seemed like what Eric would require of her.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, that chicken madeira you just made was incredible and you can cook whenever you want, but cooking or cleaning or…”

Eric hesitated and she tipped her head, wondering what else he was going to say.

“Or winning the doubles tournament at the country club isn’t anything you need to do to make me happy. What I do insist on is that you’re always honest with me. That means telling me when you’re upset or unhappy or not feeling well. It means coming to me when you need help. When you need something and you don’t let me know? Makes me feel like I’m not worthy of your trust. I swear I’ll do whatever I need to do to earn it, but I need you to trust me. I get that it’s hard because people have made you feel like you’re bothering them or that you’re bellyaching about nothing but I promise I’ll never do that.”

Oh, wow. It was a lot to ask, to hand over your trust to someone, but if she were to give it to anyone, she’d give it to Eric.

“Think you can do that for me, buttercup?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

He raised a brow and she felt a twinge of guilt because of course she wanted to, but had she? No. It was terrifying to be that vulnerable and also her conditioning ran deep.Don’t bother people, don’t be trouble, stop your whining and get over it.

“I…I haven’t always but I want to. I’ll try harder, I promise.”

“I know you will, baby, I know,” he told her, rubbing her back with his big, steady hand. “You’re a good girl.”

Devaney preened under his assurances, loving not just that he thought she was good but knowing that she needed tohearthat he did.

“Sometimes little girls find it helpful to have a firm reminder of what’s expected of them.”

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