Page 24 of Rekindling Little River (Littles of Rawhide Ranch #14)

River

“Polly want a cracker?” River giggled as they lifted a crunchy, thin breadstick up to their parrot's mouth, making munching noises as if the parrot were indeed chowing down on the bread. They’d specifically asked Daddy to bring them here for lunch in the hopes that they would get to see their friend Tay.

To their surprise, the entire restaurant had joined in on the Pirate Day theme.

The servers were all dressed in some type of buccaneer costume.

The tables held more than just their customary centerpieces.

Placed next to the candles was one of two things: a pirate ship or a treasure chest. There was even a special menu item for that day only, one which catered to the “pirate” theme.

Of course, River had felt obliged to order the pirate dish.

Their server was the same person who had helped them the very first time River had come here, and they felt certain that it wouldn’t be long before Tay came from the back to see how things had gone that morning. They couldn’t wait to tell Tay all about it.

Daddy had recovered from his “life-threatening injuries” pretty quickly, and the smile on his face was bigger than River had ever seen. River was pretty certain that Daddy had enjoyed the morning’s activities as much as they had.

There were other things planned throughout the day, but River wasn’t certain what Daddy had planned. The two of them hadn’t committed to anything more than the treasure hunt, though they had certainly hoped that they would be able to participate in some of the other things.

None of the staff had admitted to being the islanders.

However, River had noticed paper and masks at some pretty conspicuous locations, such as the check-in desk.

And when they passed Master Derek earlier in the lobby, River could’ve sworn they saw a glimpse of a folded-up paper mask in his back pocket.

The morning had made River wonder what it would be like to live in a place such as this.

A safe space where everyone around would understand, appreciate, and indulge the playful natures and vivid imaginations of Littles.

They bet it would feel like heaven had come to earth. That’s certainly how it felt to visit.

River couldn’t believe how much had changed inside them in only three short days.

They made several friends, something they always struggled with.

They found a Daddy who actually cared and wanted to nurture them.

And they were really starting to believe in their heart of hearts that they weren’t quite as weird as they’d always thought.

Looking across the table at their Daddy, they couldn’t help but think that that charity auction might’ve been the best thing that had ever happened to them.

Daddy remained quiet as they reflected, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was a comfortable one like Daddy knew that they were deep in thought and he was just giving them the space they needed. That in itself was an awe-inspiring thing for River, and they weren’t inclined to take it for granted.

Before they could contemplate further, a voice rose behind them, “So, how was the treasure hunt?”

Turning in the seat, River found Tay approaching with a wide grin and felt their own lips spreading to match. “It was the best time ever! Wasn’t it, Daddy?”

“It really was something else, baby.”

“Hi, I'm Tay. They/them pronouns.” Tay reached out a hand to Daddy as they introduced themselves. “It’s really nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you as well. I’m Dave. He/him pronouns.” Daddy shook Tay’s hand with an ease about him that River kind of envied. They’d never been that great at meeting new people, but Daddy made it look easy. “If you’ve got a minute, you can have a seat with us.”

“I’ve got about fifteen, as it happens.”

“Well, pull up a seat and take a load off.” Daddy gestured to the seat next to River, and Tay was quick to claim it. “Have you eaten?”

“Oh, yes! Daddy wouldn’t let me out of the kitchen if I hadn’t. I tend to get distracted when I come talk to people, so I have to eat first, so I won’t forget to.”

“Good! I’m glad to hear it.” With that, Daddy fell silent and seemed to melt into the background giving River and Tay time to chat.

“So… tell me all about it.”

“Well, at first, I thought everyone was in trouble.” River proceeded to give a detailed description of the morning’s treasure hunt. When they got to the part where the pirates had to make it through the angry mob of island inhabitants, Tay laughed out loud.

“I don’t remember that being part of the game. Who set that up?”

“I don’t think anyone knows for sure, and I certainly can’t prove who it could be, but I can say that when I was in the lobby, I saw a suspicious, face-mask-looking thing sticking out of Master Derek’s back pocket.”

“No way! You think Master Derek tricked the tricksters?” Tay seemed equally shocked and amused at the prospect, making River assume it wasn’t something that happened often. They were glad they’d gotten to be there for it.

River and Tay continued to chat as food was delivered and eaten, talking about trivial stuff, and Daddy remained in the background only making himself known for the occasional reason, such as cutting River’s pirate pasta, and reminding them to drink some water.

After what felt like only moments, Tay looked up and their eyes widened. “I’m late getting back. I’ll talk to you later, River! Nice to meet you, River’s Daddy!” They rushed off in a flash and River watched them go.

“I like that,” Daddy said, drawing River’s attention.

“Like what?” they asked.

“Being known as River’s Daddy.”

River smiled, because they liked it too. They liked it a lot.