Page 26 of Daddy's Little Patient

“Perfect. Looks like you still have some things to pack up too. You want my help with that or should I leave it to you and Owen?”

Hmm. It would be nice to have help, but even though Linc had been nice so far, she wasn’t sure how long that niceness would last once he realized how childish she really was.

“Some help would be nice, but…”

Cricket sighed, torn between asking for what she needed and protecting the vulnerable Little part of her that had been bruised before. Daddy had promised though and he’d given her good reason to trust him.

“Could we please pack my stuffies last? I don’t…”

Her Daddy and Linc let her flounder and stutter and flush for a few more moments before Linc seemed to realize Cricket wasn’t going to be able to complete that sentence.

“That was my plan. I don’t want them being in the dark any longer than they have to be. Are there any special things you need for the ride over to Owen’s place?”

Oh. Linc had clearly spent some time with Littles. Or maybe children. Either way, having him be so understanding and chill about her treating her stuffies like more than objects chipped away at something inside her.

“Bandit’s already at Daddy’s,” she told him. “That’s my pig, and he’s my favorite. But can you leave a sippy and those snacks out, please?”

“Right on. Just point me at what I can get into boxes and onto my truck and we’ll get you packed up and outta here in no time.”

Chapter Thirteen

It was nice having people owe you favors. Up here, that meant always having game in his freezer, or someone willing to fell a tree or two on his property, or fix his sno-go.

It also meant that in addition to Linc helping them move Cricket into his house the other day that Owen could get his hands on a machine that would hopefully help Cricket with her sleep apnea and get her back to her lively and chipper self on the double when it could take months for people to obtain one through their insurance. Which was good because if he had to watch her suffer any longer he was going to lose his goddamn mind.

He’d been on the verge for the past couple days waiting for a friend of his from med school who specialized in sleep medicine to read Cricket’s test results. Yeah, he could probably read them himself but he wanted her to have the best of everything, and he would not be the best at reading the raw data. The report he could handle, and hopefully explain in a way she could understand.

Owen was pulling into the garage from a few errands, and anticipation crackled in his chest. He’d been reluctant to leave her for even the couple of hours it had taken to pick up the machine, go to the grocery store, and the hardware store—so reluctant he’d almost called Linc to either run the errands or babysit Cricket.

But his Little girl had assured him she would be fine on her own. She’d use the time to put some of the things they’d brought from her apartment away in the playroom and the bedroom, and she promised not to use the stove or any sharp knives, or to lift anything heavy. Which had eased his mind some but he’d also picked up another camera for the baby monitor so he could mount it in a place where he could see her play area in the nursery. How had Daddies managed in the old days?

“Cricket, I’m home!” he called when he let himself in through the door from the garage with all his parcels from his errands.

He didn’t want to surprise her, but it was an unanticipated perk that he heard a tattoo of footsteps racing down the upstairs hall and then down the stairs.

“Daddy, you’re back!” she exclaimed and threw herself into his arms.

It felt so right to have her back in his arms. Her smell and the feel of her plump little body against his own was becoming as much home as his house was, and he felt the tension he’d been carrying since he left melt away. He was home with his babygirl and she was fine.

After a couple minutes of hugs, he lifted his head and Cricket looked up at him. Such a beautiful Little girl.

“Were those running feet I heard, sweetheart?” he asked, raising a brow.

“Yes, Daddy,” she admitted. “I was just so excited to see you.”

“I was so excited to see you too. But I don’t want you to fall down and hurt yourself so there’s no running inside. Next time you have running feet in the house, you’ll get a naughty girl spanking. Are we understood? Repeat it back to me so I know you heard.”

“No running inside,” she dutifully repeated. “Next time I have running feet in the house, I get a naughty girl spanking.”

“Good girl,” he told her and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Daddy has to put things away from my errands, and then we’re going to have a cuddle chat. Think about where you want to have our cuddle chat while I take care of these things, okay? Daddy’s counting on you.”

“Okay, Daddy. I can do that.”

* * *

Cricket chose the couch for their cuddle chat, and he fed her a snack of ants on a log and a sippy of water before they sat down and she snuggled up beside him.

“I’ve got some bad news and I’ve got some good news, babygirl. What do you want to hear first?”

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