Page 44 of Two Daddies for Little Jenna

When she took a seat in Nick's lap, we took turns reading to her. It was about a princess who was locked away from the world all her life, only to be rescued at the end. Surely, fifteen minutes into the book and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. She shook her head to stay awake, trying hard to keep her binky between her lips.

"I'll be here when you wake up, darling." Nick stroked one of her pigtails, finding her determination just as adorable. "Now that I live here, you can play with me all you want. Why don't we go to bed?"

She looked at me and shook her head. "I need to prove to Daddy that I can stay up all night if I want to. I just choose not to."

Then it was my turn reading to her and I deliberately softened my voice to a soothing low.

"I'm just closing my eyes for a bit," she whispered. "Not...falling asleep."

We just sat there staring at her with big smiles on our faces for the next few minutes. I hissed when Nick poked her on the head to check if she was out.

"I could get used to this," Nick told me quietly, carefully standing up with Jenna in his arms, holding his breath when she shifted a bit. "I could get used to this for the rest of my life."

Leading them upstairs into the bedroom, I waited as he put her in the middle of the bed. I was glad I had bought a queen-sized bed even before I ever got to meet Jenna. It was as if destiny had made plans for us to be exactly where we were. Me being there at the supermarket to witness Jenna have a nervous breakdown, when in fact I had other plans and was meant to be at work. Her being at the club to be saved by Nick when in fact she was contemplating meeting Michael at his home instead due to her social anxiety. These had become the most important events in our lives, and while they seemed coincidental, everything we had ever done prior was setting us in motion for the moment our lives collided. We'd been searching for each other all our lives unbeknownst. We were each other's last missing puzzle.

Covering her with her favorite puppy blankie, I put a binky in her mouth while Nick handed her the dog and bunny stuffies. She sighed in contentment with a gentle smile. It was what every Daddy wanted to see at the end of the day. We both leaned in at the same time, but I let Nick kiss her on the forehead first.

"She's an angel too pure for this world," Nick whispered to himself as we backed out the door.

"Which is why we must protect her at all costs," I replied as we stood in the doorway. "Can I have a word with you downstairs?"

"It's about Jenna," I began once we'd taken our seats in the living room. "Did you really mean what you said about Jenna just now? About this being for the rest of your life. Because let me tell you, my girl is too shy to tell you but she's taking this pretty seriously. She hopes you'll be her Daddy, which she'll tell you one of these days."

"I'm going to be a Daddy?" His face lit up as he covered his mouth with a hand.

I nodded. "But being a Daddy and taking care of your girl is such a big responsibility. There are Daddies out there who half-ass it, but it only leads to heartbreak. I need to know if you're in it for the long haul. I promised my girl I'd protect her from everything, and if you're not sure this is what you want..."

"I am," he interrupted. "I'm not sure if I can ever get over Bradley's death, and I'm not sure if I can be happy as a hands-off club owner. But there's nothing I'm surer of than wanting to make Jenna mine."

I had planned to give him a warning about the consequences if he ever hurt Jenna, but Nick's intentions seemed good from the very beginning.

"Good, but if you ever hurt her, be prepared to face my wrath."

He gulped. "It won't come to that. I promise."

"Then if things are headed where they seem to be, you need to know something. Jenna isn't like other Littles. She's been through so much and when she's eventually ready to tell you, it can be a bit too much. Since I know all about it, I can assure you it isn't for the weak of heart. It's quite a delicate subject, so I need you to not look at her any differently after. It's all she wants, to not be judged by her loved ones."

He shrugged. "I figured she'd been through hell, but it won't change how I feel about her. If anything, it'll only make me want to protect her more. She told me it took her a long time to tell you, that she was glad you didn't look at her any different. However, she said she hoped you'd continue to spank her as a form of punishment."

She did? Why hadn't she come to me with this? Nevertheless, I was happy she'd confessed about it to Nick. It showed that she trusted him.

"She's just been through so much physical pain, I felt I had to balance things out. But if she wants to be treated the same as other littles when it comes to punishment, then so be it. I like seeing red bottoms."

He chuckled. "All Daddies do. Makes us feel good that we're correcting our girl's behavior, and she'll be a better-behaved girl because of it."

"Did she tell you about the first time I spanked her? She was so excited she was wiggling in my lap and almost fell off. I had to hold her still. She misbehaves so rarely she demands a dozen extra just to compensate. And the time I saved her life from Otis? It was when I decided I wasn't going to inflict physical pain on her ever again."

His smile slowly faded as he leaned back in his seat and sighed. "You two have so much history. I don't know if I'll ever be able to compete with that."

"Compete?" I frowned. "This isn't a competition and she isn't looking to pick one of us. With enough time, you'll have a history with her too. She doesn't want you to feel intimidated by our love. She wants us to be a happy family of three. It starts with you considering thisourhome instead of mine and Jenna's. Yes, I heard you refer to it as mine. It'll be the first and only time. Don't let Jenna hear that again. Now, which side of the bed do you prefer? A Daddy's duties never end. We need to keep her warm all night."

Chapter 21: Nick

"No!" Jenna groaned, hands on her hips and looking disappointed. "Can't you postpone your meeting till tomorrow, Daddy? Nick just arrived last evening and we're supposed to make him feel welcome. I wanted us to spend our first day together lazing about at home."

We had just finished taking turns feeding Jenna breakfast. No wonder Clark liked to announce his meetings at the last minute. Apparently, she preferred it that way. Jenna had a habit of growing anxious about staying apart from her Daddy every time he had to go into work instead of working from the comfort of his bedroom while Jenna played on the floor nearby.

It wasn't a surprise that Clark let her have some chocolate chip ice cream with her breakfast. He wanted her to be happy when he gave her the news. If it were up to me, I'd ban ice cream from being served at breakfast. Sugary treats were a horrible way to start the day for a Little girl.