“Daddy, I can’t wear that!”
“Why not? It’s adorable.”
She chewed at her lip. It was. And she really wanted it. But wouldn’t she look silly? She had boobs and hips and dimply thighs.
“You don’t think I’ll look silly?”
He placed the tablet aside and she tensed. Uh-oh. Was she in trouble? Her bottom was still sore from this morning. But he just gave her a calm, tender look. Then leaning down, he lightly kissed her lips. His thumb ran along her jaw.
“I know that letting go of your adult worries and insecurities is hard. Especially when your aunt has drummed into your head all these lies, so that you don’t even know who you are. But I can tell you this, you would never look anything other than gorgeous and adorable in my eyes. I won’t make you dress in things that make you feel awkward or uncomfortable. That defeats the point of everything. Little space is supposed to be fun, you’re meant to be able to relax and be who you want to be. I want you free of cares and worries. Not stressing about what you look like. Do you want me to take it back out?”
“You’d like to see me wearing it?”
“You’d look adorable. But this isn’t about me. Or not just about me.” He winked at her. “I’m getting plenty out of having you here. You didn’t think I brought you home with me out of the goodness of my heart, did you?” He gave her a look of mock-shock, placing his hand on his chest.
She giggled and shook her head. “Add it, Daddy.”
“You’re sure, baby girl?”
“I like it. I want to be your princess.”
“You already are.” He kissed the top of her head. “But a princess needs lots of outfits. I want you in skirts, I think. We’ll keep it nice and warm in here. What do you think of these skirts with long socks?”
She gasped in shocked delight at the over-the-knee striped pink and white socks. They were awesome.
“Yes, please, Daddy!” She clapped her hands, bouncing up and down. She was going to look so super cute. She could picture it now. Her hair in pigtails, she’d need pretty hair ties. A pretty T-shirt, puffy skirt and those socks.
He chuckled. “Thought you might like them. We’ll get those in several colors as well these pleated skirts and some tutus. Some of these shorts and overalls. You’ll also need some jeans. Oh, and look at these T-shirts. This one even has a crown on it.”
“Eek! It’s too much! I’m dying!” She slid back against the sofa dramatically.
Linc shook his head. “No dying allowed. I didn’t find you just to lose you over some socks and T-shirts.”
She sat up with a gasp. “Not just any socks and T-shirts, Daddy. The best socks and T-shirts in the wooorrlldd.” She threw her arms into the air as she sang the last word.
Leaning in, he kissed her gently. “You’re adorable.”
After going through the clothing then the accessories like hair ties and headbands and even some cute pink and blue shoes, he moved to the childish panties buying her some that were more like diaper covers. They were so ruffly at the back that she knew it would be easily seen if she bent over in the short skirts.
But instead of being embarrassed, she just felt excited. A little nervous, sure. But she knew that this was what Linc wanted. And she wanted to give him that. Because pleasing him made her feel happy. Light. And she knew if there was something she didn’t want, she only had to say.
She’d never had that. Had someone listen to her.
“You want some diapers or pull-ups?” he asked casually.
Umm. “I don’t want to . . . to . . .”
“Use them?” he supplied helpfully.
“No,” she said in a strangled voice. She knew her cheeks were bright red. “I don’t regress that far.”
He stared at her thoughtfully. “This is all new, but nothing is set in stone. You want to revisit that at a later date, you can. But I am ordering you a booster seat for my truck, that’s non-negotiable. It’s a safety issue and Daddy is in charge of safety and health. Those rules will be your strictest and will apply for big and Little Mari.”
She nodded, wide-eyed at his stern tone. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Hmm, what about a crib for nap-time or would you rather have a cute princess bed?”
“I . . . I don’t need naps, Daddy. I is a big girl.” Okay, this was really bringing out her Little.
“Not that big, baby girl. And you will definitely be having naps. At night you’ll sleep in our bed, of course. But we can set the spare room up as your Little room, once we take that other bed out. So let’s get you a cute princess bed with a canopy. Look this one has stars all around the top and fairy lights. We’ll see how you do in a big girl bed. If you’re naughty and don’t sleep, then we might need a crib. And we’ll get you a pacifier to try. What do you like? Ahh, here’s a princess one.”
She had to admit, it was really cute. It was purple with a crown on the front. But she wasn’t sure about it.
“You’re frowning, teeny. Don’t want a pacifier?”
“I like my thumb.”
“I know you do. But you might like a pacifier too. Let’s get a bottle to try as well. Princess baby’s bottle. Perfect. And princess cutlery and a bamboo plate.”
Dear Lord.
“Ooh a princess ball pit. Would you like that?”
“Really?” She grasped hold of the tablet, making him laugh. “Oh wow. They make ball pits for my size!”
“You’re just a tiny thing.” He took the tablet back and added princess ball pit to the cart. That was going to be so fun.
“Coloring books? Pens?” he asked.
“Yes. And I love crafting!” she said enthusiastically.
“All right. So we’ll add crafting things. Hm, not sure about you using scissors. We might need some of those safety ones. Glue. Glitter. We’ll need a mat to put down so you don’t make a mess. Colored card stock. Stickers.”
“Lots of stickers! And look at that pretty paper! Ooh.”
Finally there was a cart filled with everything she could possibly dream of having. Not just a ball pit and crafting materials, but also some building blocks and a doll’s crib for Princess Nana. A pale pink and white striped beanbag chair for her to read on. A white fluffy rug for the floor. A pretty white bookcase and a matching desk that Linc told her would be perfect for sitting at and writing lines. She didn’t like the idea of that at all.
“Now, we need some naughty girl supplies. Ahh, here we go, a heart-shaped spanker. Perfect.” It was a long black wand with a heart-shaped leather pad at the end. She couldn’t even imagine being spanked with it.
“This is ingenious.” He showed her another spanking implement. This one had a thicker handle and was round at the end. It was pink and had a picture of a princess on one side. The handle had a hole at the end and a chain was threaded through. What was it though? As she was trying to work it out, Linc showed her an image on the website of a woman walking around with it hanging from her handbag.
She gaped. “I’m not walking around with that!”
“Nobody will know. They’ll think it’s some cute attachment. But if you’re naughty, I can slip away with you to somewhere private, take it off your bag and turn your bottom nice and red. Let’s get two.”