Page 39 of Double Daddies (Dirty Daddies Anthologies #8)

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Turtle Festival

Double D Acquisition private hangar, Owen Roberts International Airport, George Town, Cayman Islands

Elle

Elle tugged on both her Daddies’ hands, weaving through the crowd like a determined eel. “Hurry, you two slowpokes! We'll miss all the fun!”

The past couple of weeks had been different. Since Damian’s harsh lesson, she had played her role perfectly, or at least, she told herself it was still just a role. The welts had faded, but the memory of his stern discipline lingered, keeping her wilder impulses in check. Mostly.

At least the punishments she had brought upon herself since then hadn’t been as harsh and painful, but it made her mindful that they would always address her brattiness in a manner they deemed appropriate.

If she was honest with herself, she didn’t mind them all that much since they almost always followed with spoils and sex… hot and wet sandwich sex.

Although she wasn’t fond of wearing dresses, she had chosen a soft, flowery sundress that swished around her thighs for this occasion.

Its bright pattern complemented her sun-kissed skin and the shining tresses falling over her shoulders.

She had caught both men staring throughout the morning and felt herself blush at their heated gazes. She had never felt more beautiful.

“Remember your promise to wear shoes all day,” Damian said, eyeing her sandaled feet.

Elle rolled her eyes. “That was one time! How was I supposed to know there’d be broken shells on that part of the beach?”

“The same way you were supposed to know not to dance in an electrical storm,” Drake added dryly. “We warned you.”

“The thunder was far away!” But she grinned, remembering how they had rushed her inside, wrapped her in warm towels, and lectured her for an hour about safety. Their concern had made her chest tight with suppressed longing.

“Come! Hurry, I want to be right in front!” She bounced on her toes, scanning for an opening in the wall of spectators. The festival was everything her father had always promised… but so much more. All because of them… her Daddies. Elle couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so... free.

Damian’s arm snaked around her waist. “Allow me.” He guided them through the crowd with his imposing presence, creating a natural path until they reached the front barrier.

The first sounds of drums had Elle clutching the metal railing.

“Look!” she squealed when the lead float rounded the corner.

Pirates in full costume threw beads and coins while performing mock sword fights.

Each new float brought fresh delight. There were mermaids on waves of blue silk, treasure chests spilling fake gold, and even a massive kraken puppet that made her duck behind Drake with a playful shriek.

“Look! Blackbeard’s ship!” Elle pointed as the street performers began their show. She leaned forward, entranced by the theatrical sword fights and exaggerated deaths.

“You’re supposed to boo the villains, babygirl,” Damian whispered in her ear.

Elle immediately cupped her hands around her mouth. “Booo! Get him, Blackbeard!”

“Not like that. Blackbeard is the villain.” Drake’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. Not that she blamed him, she was rather surprised by her childlike enjoyment. “Our Little is certainly getting into the spirit.”

“I am not—” Elle started to protest, then got distracted by a particularly dramatic sword flourish. “Did you see that? He almost got him!”

This was dangerous, she realized. The ease with which she slipped into their world. The joy bubbling up inside her had surpassed pretense. The contract’s end date loomed like a shadow over her happiness.

Later, as they gathered for the swimming race, Elle grabbed Drake’s arm. “Please don’t go in. What if you get a cramp?”

Memories of one of her older cousin’s drowning flooded back.

She would never forget the frantic calls from the beach and the lifeguards rushing into the waves.

The haunting silence when they had finally pulled him out had given her nightmares for months.

She had been twelve and stood helplessly watching as they tried to resuscitate him.

His cramp had hit halfway back to shore, just like so many others who had underestimated the ocean’s power.

“Love, I’ve won this race for five years running.” He kissed her forehead. “Trust Daddy to know what he’s doing.”

Elle’s fingers dug into his arm. “Tommy was a strong swimmer, too.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. She hadn’t spoken his name in nineteen years.

Drake’s expression softened with understanding. He cupped her face in his hands. “Is that what this is about? Your cousin?”

She nodded, not even realizing that he knew about him without her having told them. She hated the burn of tears in her eyes. “Everyone said he was the best swimmer in the family.”

“Look at me, princess.” Drake waited until she met his gaze. “I’m a certified lifeguard. I taught swimming throughout my college years, and Daddy Damian will be watching every second. Nothing’s going to happen to your Daddy.”

She chewed her thumbnail as the swimmers lined up, pressing against Damian’s side. The starting gun cracked, and they were off, disappearing into the waves. Elle watched with fear as she clutched Damian’s arm.

“Look how far ahead Daddy Drake is.” Damian pointed when the swimmers rounded the buoy and were heading back to shore.

Elle’s worry transformed into excitement.

“Go, Daddy! Faster!” She jumped up and down, screaming encouragement until her voice went hoarse, not even realizing that in her excitement, she shouted out Daddy at the top of her voice for all to hear, but it didn’t matter.

The pride swelling in her chest felt real… too real.

The moment Drake’s feet hit the sand, Elle launched herself at him. Water soaked through her dress as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You won! You’re the best swimmer ever!”

“Careful, babygirl,” Drake laughed as he spun her around. “You’ll get all wet.”

“Don’t care.” She peppered his face with kisses. “My Daddy is the Pirate Festival’s champion.”

“It warms my heart to witness how proud our Little is of her Daddy.” Damian’s smile threatened to circle his entire face.

Elle was too busy basking in Drake’s victory to acknowledge how naturally the role fit her now.

Hugging him tight, one question kept swirling through her mind.

How could she walk away from this? From them?

But she had to. Didn’t she? Since this wasn’t the kind of life she could live until the end of time, there was only one answer.

The contract would end, and, with it, this perfect fantasy of belonging.

The crowd began to move like a reverent wave toward Governor’s Beach.

Elle could feel the anticipation in the air as she found herself wedged between her Daddies with their hands linked as they picked their way across the sand.

They had barely found a spot when the crowd started to hum with excitement.

“Look!” she whispered as the first tiny head poked through the sand. The turtle hatchling emerged, no bigger than her palm, followed by dozens more. They scrambled toward the ocean as their instincts guided them home.

Elle watched, transfixed, as the tiny creatures raced toward freedom.

Just like she would when the contract ended.

But unlike her planned escape, theirs came with devastating odds.

Most wouldn’t survive their first week in the vast ocean.

They were too small, too vulnerable to predators lurking beneath the surface.

Her throat tightened. Wasn’t she doing the same thing? Running headlong toward freedom that might destroy her? These men had given her safety, security, and love, yet she was determined to abandon it all. For what? A solitary existence where she would never feel this complete again?

“They’re so tiny and yet so brave,” she murmured, leaning back against Drake’s chest as another wave of hatchlings made their dash.

“They are nature’s true warriors,” Damian agreed as he squeezed her hand.

Walking back to the hotel, Elle’s steps slowed. “Thank you,” she said softly. “Both of you. This... this was always my dream, but I never thought…” She swallowed hard. “Mom and Dad promised to bring me one year, but then the accident…”

Drake pulled her close. “They were here with you today, babygirl.”

“Yes, they were. I felt them.” Elle smiled through gathering tears. “When I was jumping and screaming at the parade, I could almost hear Dad laughing. And Mom would have been right there with me, booing the bad pirates.”

“They’d be proud of how much joy you found today,” Damian tenderly brushed a tear from her cheek.

Elle nodded. She was unable to speak past the lump in her throat. They had given her more than just a festival. They had offered her a chance to share this dream with her parents’ memory. To feel like that carefree little girl again, the one who believed in pirates and magic and happy endings.

If only they would accept her for the woman she was and not need a Little to fulfill them… then she could believe in happy endings again.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Islands

Damian

Damian joined Drake on their suite’s private balcony.

The panoramic view stretching from the infinity pool to the Caribbean’s crystal waters was breathtaking.

The hotel’s contemporary architecture blended seamlessly with tropical elements.

The white pillars wrapped in climbing bougainvillea with marble floors that caught the sunset’s glow blended beautifully with the floor-to-ceiling windows that brought the ocean inside.

“Is she having fun?” He looped his arm around Drake’s waist, who in return locked his arm around Damian’s shoulder.

Together, they watched Elle frolicking in the pool below.

Her peals of laughter drifted up as she joined a group of young girls playing water polo.

Her competitive spirit was evident in every splash and dive.

“She needed time to just be Elle,” Drake said softly.

“Today stirred up memories. Bad ones and good ones, and they were intense. She needs space to process them, to feel free even for a moment.” He paused, his gaze following their Little.

“We’ll never cage her, Damian. Even as our Little, and once she has fully embraced her role in our lives, her choices will always be her own.

I look forward to the day she understands that. ”

“I know, but I’m surprised the suggestion came from you. You’ve been much more protective of Elle than any other Little we’ve considered.”

“Because she’s the one. They weren’t.” Drake’s rare smile appeared, the one reserved for midnight conversations and intimate moments, the one that transformed his stern features into something softer and vulnerable. Within that twitch, Damian saw the love the woman below had awakened in them.

“Also true.” Damian studied his partner as he pulled away. “You okay?”

“Of course, I am.” Drake pointed toward Elle. “You, on the other hand, need some alone time, too… with our baby girl.”

The suggestion caught Damian off guard. Drake had always been the most dominant between them, their natural leader since his university days. His protectiveness of Elle had been almost fierce these past weeks.

“How do you always know? For that matter, why would you allow me alone time with her this early in our relationship?”

“Elle has naturally leaned more toward me than you. I’ve done my best not to accommodate her, but it’s dangerous to push her away all the time.”

“I never expected you to, Drake, and it would devastate her if you did.”

“I’m glad you understand. Besides, I’ll be demanding my share of alone time with her as well. For now, tonight is yours. I’m going for a swim in the ocean, then indulge in some poker. I’ll be back around midnight.”

“She’s not going to like it, Drake. She might not have fully transitioned yet, but I’ve noticed her possessiveness. Our Little will want both of us at the opening dance party.”

“If it was a formal dance, I’d be there. You know I’m not one for these modern, whip-your-neck-in-a-twist kind of dances. No, Damian. It’s your night. All I ask is that tomorrow morning, there’s a smile on her face when she wakes up... in your arms.”

Damian watched Drake disappear into their suite. Their dynamic had always been this way, with Drake leading and Damian nurturing. It worked because they balanced each other perfectly, each knowing their strengths.

Below, Elle waved up at him, her smile radiant even over the distance. For the first time since her arrival, Drake’s usual wariness had lifted when he looked at her. The perpetual concern in his eyes had been replaced by pure affection.

Damian’s jaw tightened. Something in Drake’s past had triggered this hesitation to trust, this reluctance to believe in lasting happiness.

He wasn’t naive. He knew Drake would walk away if he suspected Elle might hurt him.

It had always been Drake’s way, protecting them both, even from their own hearts.

He worried that Drake might see something he didn’t, or perhaps... perhaps Drake simply couldn’t trust that true happiness was meant for them. After all these years, his partner still carried shadows that even Damian couldn’t fully understand.