Well, I guess he had, actually. But I had been his thing, and I’d liked it.
I should have had more faith in Sam, though.
“Ohhhhhhh,” he said, his eyes going wide and then a huge smile breaking out on his face. “That sounds amazing! Not for me, of course. I couldn’t stand to hold that still. Like, ever. But I can totally see it for you, Rene! And you’d be such a pretty dolly!”
“Is that something that Littles ever do?” I asked, fiddling with a bunched-up section of my beanbag chair. I’d never read anything like it in all the blogs I’d followed online.
“Well, some of us play with dolls, but I don’t know any who like to be dolls.” Sam grinned. “Except for you, of course. And, Rene! It doesn’t matter if anyone else does it or not! If you like it, and he likes it...” All of a sudden, Sam made a face, glaring past me, in the direction of the door. “Even though you could do so much better than Stockholm Daddy, if you really want to be someone’s doll. I could introduce you to—”
“No,” I interrupted him, kind of sharply. “I couldn’t be anyone else’s. I only want him. Edward’s my Daddy.”
Sam’s mouth snapped closed, and he looked so startled that I instantly felt bad.
It just… it hurt to hear him say that, especially since I already knew I had to go home on Monday with no Daddy at all.
Before I could apologize, though, Sam did.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” he said, sounding subdued and actually sort of quiet for once. “I just—” he sighed dramatically, flopping backward again and staring up at the ceiling. “—I just don’t want to lose the Plum. It’s the only place I’ve ever felt like people get me, and like I can be myself, even without a Daddy of my own.” Then Sam popped his head back up, glaring over my shoulder again, and his voice returned to normal Sam-volume. “And he was pretty mean to me on the phone when he first called to steal your room. Oh, hi, Mr. G. I didn’t see you there.”
Sam’s smile was so fake and snarky that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to giggle or be horrified that he’d said yet another mean thing to Edward. I didn’t waste time with either, though. Too busy trying to get up or turn around or look backward or something, anything, to see if Edward was really here.
“You look a little stuck, sweetheart,” he said, leaning over me from behind and looking down at me so warmly that I felt my heart start to glow. “Do you need some help?”
“Yes, please,” I said, holding my arms up like I really was a Little. Which, despite my attachment to Teddy and how right it felt to have a Daddy, I was starting to suspect I really wasn’t.
That felt okay this time, though—not like I was adrift and didn’t belong anywhere—as long as I could be Daddy’s dollbaby instead.
And as long as Sam still wanted to be my friend, too.
Daddy lifted me right out of the beanbag trap and straight into his arms, cuddling me close and pressing little kisses on all the parts of my face except my lips.
And then, finally, he kissed me there, too.
“Ugh, why do you have to be so hot but also so horrible?” I heard Sam say from somewhere behind me.
I wasn’t really paying attention, though. At least, not until Daddy stopped kissing me.
He tucked me against his chest instead. “Sam, I do owe you an apology for ‘being mean,’” he said, even though I was pretty sure he already had apologized for that. “But you might also want to hear that I won’t be selling The Plazerra after all.”
Sam shot up out of his beanbag. “What?”
“I met with Bradley and Dennis this morning—”
“You’re not selling it?” Sam interrupted, bouncing on his toes. “Really?”
“Really,” Daddy said firmly, giving Sam a warm smile of his own. “In fact, I’m going to be giving Bradley and Dennis the budget to solve some of your staffing issues, and to expand the—oomph.”
Sam tackle-hugged us.
Well, really just Daddy, but since I was there too, it sort of sandwiched me between them.
“Thank you,” Sam said, sniffling as he burrowed in closer, squeezing so hard that I couldn’t breathe.
That was okay with me, though, since he was so happy and Daddy was so… so kind.
“You’re welcome, Little One,” Daddy said to Sam, resting a hand on his shoulder. “And if you ever have any questions—”
“I do,” Sam said quickly, wiping his wet face on my shoulder.
