Page 28

The prospect snorted. "Same difference. Grown men playing with toys." He glanced at Sophie with a conspiratorial grin. "Guess we know who wears the pants in their relationship, don't we?"

Something hot and uncomfortable twisted in my stomach. I set down my teacup carefully, not wanting Annabel to see how my hands had started to shake.

"Is there something you need?" I asked, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

Sophie leaned down slightly, her voice lowering but still loud enough for me to hear.

"Just wondering when Bear's charity case is going to stop playing make-believe and start acting like an adult.

The club has real problems to deal with, you know.

Or while you were playing with your dollies, did you miss that people got hurt? "

I flinched, her words hitting exactly where I was most vulnerable.

Daddy had told me the girls were fine and so was the security guard, but they’d been hurt originally.

I knew Sophie wouldn’t know it had anything to do with my godfather.

Beside me, Annabel's eyes had gone wide, her lower lip trembling slightly.

"You're being mean," she said quietly. "Daddy says mean people have to leave the tea party."

The prospect laughed. "Hear that, Sophie? We're not invited to the baby party."

"Such a shame," Sophie replied with exaggerated disappointment. "And here I thought we could all share sippy cups and take a nap after."

I felt my cheeks burning with humiliation. Part of me wanted to stand up and argue, to defend myself and Annabel, but the words stuck in my throat. Another part—the Little who'd been so excited about matching dinosaur shirts just minutes ago-—wanted to curl up and hide.

"Problem here?" Daisy's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. "Sophie? Rider?" She appeared beside Sophie, dish towel over her shoulder and a dangerous glint in her eye.

Sophie straightened immediately, her smirk fading. "No problem. Just saying hi."

"Is that right?" Daisy said, her tone deceptively pleasant. "Because from where I was standing, it looked an awful lot like you were harassing my friends. I’m sure Bolt and Bear will be delighted to hear about it."

Rider shifted uncomfortably. "We were just joking around."

"Hilarious," Daisy replied flatly. "Now, I believe Jono needs help moving the beer kegs. And Sophie, Maria's looking for someone to scrub the grill pans." Her expression made it clear these weren't suggestions.

After a moment of tense silence, Sophie rolled her eyes and stalked off toward the clubhouse. Rider then followed, muttering under his breath.

Daisy watched them go, then turned to us with a softer expression. "You two okay?"

Annabel nodded quickly, though she still clutched Princess tightly to her chest. "We're fine. Princess is a little upset, though."

"Well, we can't have that," Daisy said, crouching down to eye level with the stuffie. "Princess, I promise those party poopers won't bother you again. And if they do, you just let me know, okay?"

Annabel giggled, some of the tension leaving her small frame. Daisy turned her attention to me, her eyes assessing.

"You good, sweetie?"

I nodded, though I wasn't entirely sure it was true. "Yeah. Thanks, Daisy."

"Don't let them get to you," she said, patting my shoulder. "Sophie's just jealous because Bear never looked at her the way he looks at you."

I blinked, surprised by her frankness. "Really?"

"Oh honey, yes. She's been trying to get Bear's attention for years, but he never gave her the time of day." Daisy's eyes crinkled with amusement. "And now here you come along, and he's wearing matching dinosaur shirts. That's gotta sting."

Despite everything, I felt a small bloom of warmth in my chest. "I didn't know." I mean, Daddy had told me but it was nice to hear from someone else.

"Well, now you do," Daisy said, straightening up. "You two enjoy your tea party. I'll make sure no one else bothers you."

As she walked away, Annabel leaned closer to me. "Daisy's the best," she whispered. "She always makes the meanies go away."

"She's pretty awesome," I agreed, picking up my teacup again, though my hands still trembled slightly.

"Are you really okay?" Annabel asked, her expression serious beyond her Little persona. "Sophie can be super nasty."

I hesitated, then admitted, "It's hard. I'm still getting used to...all this." I gestured vaguely to encompass the tea party, my dinosaur shirt, the whole Little dynamic.

Annabel nodded sagely. "It was hard for me too, at first. I used to only be Little at home with Bolt. But then I realized something."

"What's that?"

"The people who matter don't mind, and the people who mind don't matter." She smiled, adjusting Princess's tutu. "That's what Daddy always says."

I considered her words, finding unexpected wisdom in them. "Your Daddy sounds pretty smart."

"He is," she agreed proudly. "Almost as smart as Princess." She giggled, then held out the teapot. "More tea?"

I smiled, feeling some of the tension leave my body. "Yes, please."

We continued our tea party, and gradually I relaxed again, letting myself enjoy the simple pleasure of make-believe with someone who understood.

Across the yard, I occasionally caught glimpses of Daddy at the grill with Bolt, his eyes finding mine every so often, checking in silently.

Each time our gazes met, he'd give me a small smile or a wink, and something in my chest would settle a little more.

About twenty minutes later, I felt a large presence behind me and looked up to find Daddy standing there, a plate in each hand.

"I heard there was a fancy tea party happening," he said, his deep voice gentle. "Thought the guests might be hungry."

"Daddy," I exclaimed, then immediately blushed at how easily the word had slipped out in public.

But Daddy just smiled, his eyes warming at my greeting.

He lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the edge of the blanket, carefully setting down plates loaded with burgers, corn on the cob, and potato salad.

"These look yummy," Annabel said, setting Princess aside to make room. "Thank you, Daddy Bear."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Daddy replied, then turned to me. "Everything okay over here, little one?"

I hesitated, not wanting to cause trouble, but something in his steady gaze made lying impossible. "Sophie and some prospect were being mean," I admitted quietly. "But Daisy made them go away."

Daddy's expression darkened briefly, his jaw tightening. "What did they say?"

"Just...stuff about me being childish," I mumbled, looking down at my plate. "And something about me being a charity case."

A low growl rumbled in Daddy's chest. "Which prospect?"

"The new one," Annabel supplied helpfully. "The skinny one with the bad haircut."

"Rider," Daddy muttered, his eyes scanning the yard. "I'll handle it."

"Please don't make a scene," I whispered, grabbing his arm. "It's not worth it."

Daddy covered my hand with his, his touch gentle despite the anger I could feel radiating from him. "No one talks to you like that, baby boy. Not in my club."

"Daddy says the same thing," Annabel nodded sagely. "That's why nobody's mean to me anymore."

"Smart man, Bolt," Daddy said, his expression softening as he looked between us. "Now eat up before it gets cold. Bolt's been standing over that grill for hours."

I took a bite of my burger, surprised by how hungry I was. As we ate, Bolt joined us on the blanket, his massive frame looking comically large next to Annabel's dainty tea set. He greeted me warmly, complimenting my dinosaur shirt and asking if I was enjoying the barbecue.

"It's nice," I said honestly. "Different from what I expected."

"In a good way, I hope," Bolt replied with a wink.

I nodded, feeling unexpectedly comfortable in this strange mix of biker culture and Little space. Annabel chattered happily about the tea party while Bolt listened with complete attention, treating her stuffie-related concerns with the same seriousness he might give club business.

Watching them, I felt a pang of something like longing. They had such an easy rhythm, such obvious comfort with their dynamic. Would Daddy and I ever have that? Or was our relationship too complicated by revenge plots and murder attempts to ever be so straightforward?

After we'd finished eating, Daddy leaned close to my ear. "I need to talk to Jono for a few minutes. Will you be okay here with Bolt and Annabel?" I nodded happily, but just after he walked away, Annabel announced she needed to go potty.

Bolt glanced over at me, and I assured him I was fine, and pointed to Daisy, and said I was going to talk to her.

Besides Tik Tac was also hovering as usual, so I had added security.

Bolt nodded and scooped Annabel up, and I stood, intending to go over to where Daisy and Maria were, just as my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I was surprised at first because no one called my new phone except Ricky and Daddy, so I fished it out and read the text.

Very cute. Hope you’re having a nice party. Not sure your new friend will look as pretty after we set fire to the clubhouse she just walked into. Bombs planted just like the whorehouse. Your only chance to stop it happening is go back to your cabin. Now.

And we’re watching.

My blood turned to ice. I looked up frantically, scanning the area. Daisy had just disappeared into the clubhouse with Maria. Annabel and Bolt were heading toward the bathrooms in there. Daddy was deep in conversation with Jono near the grill, his back to me.

I froze, paralyzed with indecision. If I ran to Daddy, whoever was watching would see and set off the fire bombs, and if it was someone here, they obviously had access. There were a lot of people. A lot of kids.

No. I couldn't let anyone else get hurt because of me.