Page 13 of Tizzy's Little Thanksgiving

“I don’t know how you did it,” Eddie said when Lucas paused.

“Did what?” Lucas asked, after taking a pull on his own beer.

“Tamed Georgie. She’s been a little hurricane from the moment she came into this world, and—”

“She’s still a force of nature,” Lucas cut in. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Believe me, any taming you think is being done is from her learning that actions have consequences.”

“Hey, Mom and Dad weren’t exactly pushovers,” Eddie said defending his parents as he selected another tortilla chip to dip into a bowl of spicy salsa.

“Neither were you, but I’m not talking about your parents grounding her to a room where she can lounge on her bed and talk on her cell phone lamenting the woes of being a teenager or even your lectures when she really stepped out of line. I’m talking about consequences that make it very hard to sit comfortably for longer than it takes for a stern lecture to be over.”

Eddie gave the words some consideration as he chewed on the chip and then chuckled and nodded. “As a big brother, I guess I’m supposed to get all huffy about laying a hand on my kid sister, but, asGeorgie’sbig brother, I say well done. She might not be able to sit, but that girl hasn’t ceased smiling and giggling since she took it upon herself to find you.”

“Stalk me, you mean,” Lucas corrected. “And if you tell her I said this, I’ll deny it. But I’ve never been so grateful to have a stalker in my life. Underneath all that enthusiasm and brattiness is one hell of a woman I can’t wait to make my wife.”

“I can see that. You haven’t smiled this much in all the years I’ve known you,” Eddie said sincerely. “All I can say is welcome to the family. We may be a bit dysfunctional but, hell, I promise it won’t be a boring ride.”

Lucas’ laugh rang out as he lifted his bottle to clink against Eddie’s. “Just remember, you can’t spell dysfunctional without the ‘f u n’.”

“Speaking of fun, I’ve always thought it was just Teresa who was the excitable, scatterbrained one,” Eddie said. “But after witnessing her escape helped by not only Georgie but her three friends, I think I might have been mistaken.”

Lucas snorted. “It seems we were both a bit blind. How can you have forgotten how Georgie was always bouncing about like Tigger or how many times we caught her crying her eyes out over some sappy movie, one involving animated characters, no less? Hell, I had no clue the girl inside the very capable woman was a Little who desperately wanted me to be her Daddy. From what you’ve told me about your Tizzy, it seems our girls have far more in common than a love of Disney.” Lucas took another pull on his beer as Eddie nodded.

“And if I’m not mistaken, my Little and her friends are about to shower your Little with all sorts of tips about how to handle her Daddy.”

Eddie gave him a wry grin. “I thought it was the Daddy who handled everything.”

Lucas barked out a laugh. “You have a lot to learn, my friend. You might be one very experienced Dom, but unless you’ve been keeping something from me, I’m not aware of you ever having a relationship with your very own Little.”

“Tizzy might have admitted she’s a Little, but she hasn’t admitted she’s mine… yet,” Eddie corrected.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you,” Lucas said, crunching his own chip after dunking it in queso.

Eddie lowered his beer bottle to the table and stared as his best friend ate another chip. “What are you saying, Lucas? Like you said, I know I don’t have as much experience as you at all this Daddy/Little stuff, but are you saying I’m not Daddy material?”

“Not at all.” Lucas set his own beer down and sitting straighter in his chair, leaned his elbows on the table. “I think you have everything you need to be a fabulous Daddy. All I’m saying is that at this very moment, my Little and all her Little friends, are making sure Teresa understands that having a Daddy can be fun, but findingherDaddy is vital. She’s getting tips on testing you to see how you measure up. She’ll be getting advice on pushing your buttons to see if you’re all talk and no action. Littles are the most loving, trusting souls on this planet, but they don’t give that love and trust easily to just anyone.”

“Agreed, but not sure I’m getting what you’re trying to say,” Eddie admitted. He’d seldom heard his friend be so serious.

“I’m saying two things really. The first being that though I’m not related to your Tizzy, as a Daddy, it is my responsibility to step in if necessary. I love you like a brother, but if you’re just looking for a plaything while you’re here at the Ranch, there are Service Submissives who would be more than happy to spend some time with you.”

“I haven’t been interested in anyone other than Teresa in quite some time,” Eddie stated. “What we choose to do together is—”

“Not my business,” Lucas interrupted. “All you need to know is if you hurt her, don’t be surprised when you find yourself laid out on the ground again. Only this time, it won’t be due to an accident. Every person, Daddy or not, at Rawhide Ranch takes the responsibility of keeping every Little safe.”

Eddie could only stare. He had no words. He’d grown up with Lucas since they were toddlers. He’d seen changes in Lucas when he came to the Ranch back in May to surprise him and Georgie on their birthday. But the man seated across the table? He was a man Eddie had never met before. Instead of being pissed off, Eddie felt a sense of what he could only describe as “rightness”. If he even had the slightest doubt this man, this place, weren’t right for his kid sister, it evaporated with Lucas’ words.

“I can live with that,” Eddie finally said.

“Good. Second, while Tizzy is going to be pushing you to the max, it is my recommendation that you start as you intend to continue.”

“I had planned on it.” Eddie ate a chip then added, “I’ve been dropping hints for over a month about calling due the raincheck on the spanking she has coming for her part in breaking into my place.”

Lucas sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s what I’m talking about. How do you expect Teresa to name you as her Daddy if she is left hanging for weeks about something that happened over six months ago? Dude, you’re lucky she is even considering you as a Daddy candidate.”

Wanting to debate the point, but intelligent enough to know he’d lose, Eddie sighed and nodded. “I hear you. I’ve wanted to do more than text or call her, but things have just been crazy at the hospital lately, and I haven’t had the time.”

“Make that three things and this might be the most important, so pay attention.Makethe time. I know you’re a big-shot doctor, and I’m proud of all the good work you’ve done. But there is more to life than work. If you’re sincere about being her Daddy, it’s going to take real time and dedication. From what Georgie has told me about Teresa, she loves hard. If you’re just here to try on the title, if you can’t honestly offer her all of you, then as much as it will hurt at first, let her go.”

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