“She’s also had plenty of time to settle in and learn the rules. Natalie just got here, after weeks on a boat with a bunch of rough, smelly men. Give her a bit of grace, Jasper.”
His expression softens, just a bit. “I still say it’s dangerous to have her here. What if she manages to get hold of a computer or a phone? She could expose us, Evander, with one single email.”
“I’ll make sure she doesn't cause any trouble.”
“By denying her dessert?”
Temper sparks in my chest. “I don’t tell you how to discipline your Little one, Jasper. Don’t tell me how to discipline mine.”
“Fine,” he snarls with another glare for Natalie. “But when she puts all of us at risk, don’t come crying to me.”
Turning on his heel, he storms out of the library, the doors swinging shut behind him as Cat sighs.
“Give him some time. I imagine his ego has taken quite a hit, knowinghe’sthe one who really put us all at risk of exposure.”
“He can have as much time as he needs, away from my Little girl.”
Cat nods. “Fair enough. I’ll let him stew for a bit and then send Maxwell and Gideon to talk to him. They’ll set him straight.”
“I appreciate it.”
A soft smile curves her lips as she runs her hand over Natalie’s hair. “She really is perfect for you, Evander. I always did imagine your Little one would have a bit of fire in her, and she’s got plenty to spare.”
“That she does.”
“Mmm. I need to get going, but I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch? After your appointment?”
“It’s a date.”
“Good. Enjoy your evening with your Daddy, sweet Natalie. I left some fresh milk with your Papa for after dinner.” Glancing up at me, she winks. “Milk isn’t dessert.”
Gratitude fills my chest. As much as I’ve come to care for my family here on the island, I’ve always felt a bit on the outside. The others grew up in the same social circles more or less and have known each other for years. But with one simple act, Catharina has made me one of them in a way I never truly expected to be. “No, no it’s not.”
With a sassy wave over her shoulder, she strides from the room, leaving me alone with my Little girl. “You really were very rude to Uncle Jasper, kitten. If it happens again, I’ll have no choice but to spank you right in front of him. And do you really want to give him that satisfaction?”
She sighs, a heavy, dramatic sort of sound that nearly makes me laugh. “No, I suppose not. It’s just, he really is an?—”
“Natalie.”
“Well, he is!”
“Be that as it may, you will be respectful or you will be punished. Am I understood?”
Another dramatic sigh and a slight roll of her eyes has me fighting back another laugh. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Now, let’s finish our tour and then go see what your Papahas planned for dinner.”
Natalie
The house is even larger than I expected. Larger, certainly, than anything I’ve ever seen in person. It’s certainly not the worst prison in the world.
And Evander’s personal chef, Mikhail, is a wonder. I don’t recognize half the dishes presented to me at dinner, but every single one is somehow the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten.
Even being cradled in Evander’s arms as I drink more of that extra-sweet milk from a bottle isn’t so bad. If it weren’t for being made to use my diaper before bed, I could pretend this was just some weird, luxurious vacation. But it’s not, and the memory of that humiliation still heats my cheeks even hours later.
I’m too wired to sleep. Too excited about all the possibilities that lie in the darkened house beyond my bedroom door. There’s no clock in my room, so I have no way of knowing what time it is when I sit up in my crib to fiddle with the bars, but it’s pitch-black outside and the house has been quiet for a while now.
It takes a few frustrating minutes, but eventually I’m able to get the side of the crib down so I can climb out. Quietly, as quietly as humanly possible, I tiptoe across my dark room, using the trickles of moonlight through the windows to guide my way.
