Page 35 of Cuddling Carly

“Ready,” Carly answered.

“This is a big deal. Your first plunge in the Mountainville ball pit. On your mark, get set…and…go!”

Carly leapt into the air before plummeting into the pit, the world momentarily going dark as she went deep into the balls. A few seconds later, her head broke the surface and she couldn’t stop laughing.

“How did I do?”

“Ten out of ten!” Eli yelled.

“A perfect dive,” Stella called.

“Who wants to have slide races?” Harrison asked.

The balls clanked against each other noisily as the Littles “swam” toward the tower. On her way, Carly looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of Daddy sitting with the other Bigs on the provided benches against the wall.

Their eyes met and they both smiled.

Wow. It sure felt wonderful to be with Daddy. And it was a far cry from everything that had happened in Valley Spring and the pain she’d felt.

***

It was nearly midnight by the time Carly and Wade made it back to his rental house.

But Carly still wasn’t tired. She was riding the high of playing with her friends.

And the high of being with Daddy.

“So, you really knew I was a Little when you first met me?” she asked him.

“Well, I can’t say I knew. But I had a pretty strong hunch.”

“How? Is it that obvious?”

“Not to the average person. But to a Daddy.” He kissed her and then asked, “Didn’t you say I gave off Daddy vibes?”

“Absolutely.”

“It’s the same principle. Sometimes, folks of a like mind just know each other.”

“And the universe brought us together,” Carly noted.

“Yes, honey. It did.”

Nervousness roiled in Carly’s stomach as she knew what was coming next but wasn’t sure how to initiate it.

She’d never been good with stuff like this. Always awkward.

There was no reason to worry. Daddy was ready to take the lead, it seemed.

“I need to get you ready for bed, honey. Let’s get your little shorts and sleep tee out.” He walked to where the suitcase she’d brought with her from her apartment was and unzipped it.

An excited thrill traced Carly’s spine. He’d seen her bare—or mostly bare—earlier when he’d changed her diaper. But the thought of him undressing her right now still had her on edge in the best possible way.

“Actually, will you be cold if you sleep naked? Or we can put a diaper on you.”

Carly covered her mouth and giggled before answering. “Sleep naked? Daddy!”

Wade flashed her a wolfish grin and shrugged. “When I’m through with you, we’ll probably be too tired to get dressed. Might as well just fall asleep like we’ll be: naked.”