“Angel? Are you causing trouble with our newest resident already?”
With a wince, Sadie spun in her seat to look up at Derek who now stood beside her chair, frowning down at her.
“Of course not, Daddy. Bobbi was helping me welcome Calla, we just got a little over excited and got some of the steps out of order.”
Derek raised an eyebrow at his Little. “Hmm. Thinking we’ll be discussing this later when we’re alone, little lady.”
Normally Derek wouldn’t hesitate to tell Sadie exactly what punishment she’d have earned on the spot, but I appreciated his tamping it down with Calla so new to it all. Derek grabbed another chair, and I moved myself closer to Cord, and Calla closer to me to make room for Derek to sit beside Sadie. Once he was seated, he reached into the pile of stuff the girls had put on the table earlier and pulled out a phone along with its charger, then set them down in front of Calla, on top of all the paperwork she’d been reading earlier.
“Here is your new phone. I had Ryder in tech put in everyone’s numbers, he also added in Dr. Stringer’s information. Other than that, it has all the usual stuff, if there’s anything else you want put on, or taken off, the phone and you’re not sure how to do it, just ask myself or Eric and we’ll get it handled. Sound good?”
Calla nodded, but stared at the device like she couldn’t believe it was real. I wrapped my arm around her back, my palm squeezing her shoulder.
Chapter Twelve
Calla
Blinking in shock, I sat still, just staring at the phone sitting in front of me. Master Derek had just handed it over as though it was no big deal, just something he had lying around and wasn’t using. But this was huge, life changing for me. I’d had a phone at Pieces to Peace, a cheap pre-paid thing Dr. Stringer had picked up from Walmart for me. But it had all the features I’d needed. It had given me the ability to text, allowed me to set all the alarms I’d needed to help me remember things. Dr. Stringer had even helped me get a library app downloaded so I could read eBooks. It had been vital and Jack had tossed it aside as though it were nothing.
This sleek, shiny silver device was definitely not a budget model and far fancier than what I needed. Something this expensive surely would mean I’d need to return it at some point, and if I’d come to rely on it as I had my last phone, how would I survive losing it? Was it even worth the risk? Nothing good I’d had in my life had stayed. Every time I got my hopes up, they were inevitably crushed. Anxiety swirled and my hands started moving, wrist rotating and my fingers spreading and clenching as I tried to sort through my thoughts.
“You can trust this is real, Calla. That phone is all yours. You don’t need to share it with anyone, and I guarantee you no one will ever take it away from you. There’s no limit on how many reminders you can set, texts you can send, or times you can video call. We’ve got the cost covered. And sweetheart, even if it somehow ends up getting broken at some point, you need to let us know. I promise no one will get angry with you or punish you over it. We’ll just make sure you get a replacement quickly. You’ll never be without a phone, without a way to communicate ever again.”
Squeezing my eyes closed, tears leaked down my cheeks. Eric’s words cut through some of the chaos. Yet again he’d known exactly what I was worrying over. But Eric was just one man, and it had been Master Derek who’d gotten the phone. I didn’t trust him like I did Eric. Not yet. And deep inside I knew I shouldn’t be offering Eric so much trust yet either. After all, he hadn’t yet completed the animal test I’d decided any potential partner needed to pass in order to prove if they were trustworthy. But I couldn’t seem to help it. He was too in tune with me, mind and body. Even now he had his arm around my upper back, his palm resting on the ball of my shoulder and instead of the usual repulsive skin-crawling sensations I had whenever I was touched, there were tingles, like lovely little bubbles that raced over my skin.
“That all has to mean he’s honorable, that he was being truthful with me, right?” My voiceless question was directed at Kimori and even though she couldn’t verbally respond, the simple fact that she was currently sitting in my lap was an answer in and of itself. She wouldn’t be with me at all if Eric hadn’t seen her at that rest stop and picked her up.
My gaze caught on the new stitching at Kimori’s neck. Eric hadn’t only rescued Kimori but had gone above and beyond when, together with Moses and Nanny J, they’d rendered sometender, loving care in both cleaning and delivering vital stuffy first-aid to my sweet dragon. I smiled as the full impact of that word bloomed in my mind. Dragons were animals so it appeared Eric had passed my required test well before we’d even met. Kimori knew me better than anyone in the world, and she wouldn’t have trusted Eric, wouldn’t have allowed him to see her in that rest stop, if she hadn’t instinctively known he was honorable and trustworthy. Love for my sweet dragon had warmth blooming in my chest. She’d known what I’d needed before I did and had seen to it for me.
Master Derek began to speak again, but his tone was different. Quieter, gentler. Soothing.
“Eric’s right, Calla. The phone is a gift, a hundred percent yours. There’s no password or screen lock code set up on it yet. It’s important you set those up to protect yourself, but we wanted you to be the one to set them. To be in control over who has that information. There are no hidden monitoring apps installed, nothing on this phone will compromise your safety. Your father and stepfather are not what most men are like. Neither of those miscreants should have been allowed anywhere near you. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you were forced to endure their abuse. Rawhide Ranch isn’t like Pieces to Peace, Calla. Jack cannot march in here and demand you be returned to him. And if he dares try it, things will not end well for him. We won’t let him anywhere near you, Calla. Never again. I’ve already got Master Jared, a good friend of mine who’s one helluva great lawyer, working on getting you out from under the conservatorship your stepfather managed to get the courts to agree to. None of us expect you to instantly trust that you’re safe here, not with what you’ve been through. Over time you’ll see we are as supportive, kind and caring as we appear to be. That we’re a big family here, and you’re now part of that. A treasured member who’s finally come home.”
More tears came as I struggled to process all Master Derek had said. All of this generosity and tenderness seemed to be too good to be true, certainly more than I could ever have dreamed of. It was amazing, and I felt unworthy of such a blessing. It was all very overwhelming and as my breathing sped up, I grabbed Kimori who’d been sitting on my lap and clutched her to my chest as I turned to look up at Eric. My anchor.
“Ah, my sweet girl.” He lifted me and settled me sideways on his lap, cuddling me in against his chest before pressing his lips to the top of my head. “It’s a lot to take in, I know, but you’ll get used to good things happening, and staying. Before you know it, you’ll be running around with Sadie and the other Littles getting into as much trouble as them. Having fun with your friends.”
A scoff came from the other side of the table before Sadie spoke. “I don’t know why I’m always the one getting blamed for any trouble that happens around here.”
Master Derek laughed. “Really, angel? You don’t know why? Don’t think maybe it’s because you’re the instigator behind about ninety percent of said trouble?”
“Nope, it’s definitely not that. It can’t be because I’m such a good girl, all the time, Daddy.”
The lighthearted banter and shared laughter from the others at the table, together with how I was safely curled up with Kimori on Eric’s lap, settled my inner turmoil in record time. I stayed with my face against his muscular chest, eyes closed and just breathing in Eric’s citrusy-peppery scent for another few minutes before I shored up my courage. As I sat up away from Eric’s chest, he lowered his arms to rest around my middle, loose enough I could have slipped off his lap back to my own seat, but I wasn’t ready to leave the shelter of Eric’s embrace just yet. Turning to face the others, their chatter stopped as they smiled at me. Rubbing my chin over Kimori’s head spikes, I took in their expressions. No frowns or glares, no one was angry at my loss ofcontrol. No one had said a negative word against me, and they hadn’t called me childish or any other insult. In fact, Sadie was now sitting on Master Derek’s lap like I was with Eric.
Bobbi leaned forward, catching my attention.
“I’m sorry we overwhelmed you earlier, Calla. We got caught up in the excitement of getting everything sorted out for you and forgot to calm down before we reached you. I remember when I first came here, it was so different from anything I’d experienced before and I didn’t know what to think. When I got overwhelmed, I ran.”
Sadie huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “See, Daddy? I wasn’t involved with that one at all! Well, other than helping to look for Bobbi after we realized she was missing.”
Master Derek grinned and tapped the tip of her nose with his index finger. “I did say ninety percent of the time, angel. I know you’re not behind all of the shenanigans that happen here.”
Bobbi rolled her eyes at them before turning back to me.
“Annnyway, as I was saying, I know how hard it is to express what we’re feeling. I’m neurospicy like you, and I can get caught up in my head when my thoughts get tangled, so I understand. But I’ve also learned that it’s really important to find a way to do it. If I’d just spoken up to Cord, communicated, I would have known he wasn’t rejecting me and I wouldn’t have panicked like I did.” She paused, wincing. Master Cord leaned over to whisper something to her, then he pulled her into his lap, pressing a kiss to her temple before she got comfortable, then returned her attention to me. “I just wanted to make sure you knew, that if Eric’s not around or, you know, you have a girl issue or something, you can come to me.”
Emotion clogged my throat. Bobbi was offering me friendship. Well, I thought that’s what she was doing. The one thing I’d craved most growing up was to have a companion. And Bobbi was neurodiverse like I was. I glanced to the phone. Howhard would it be to find a note app to write thank you? Whatever magic Eric had, struck again, and as if he’d read my mind, he leaned in and whispered into my ear.
