Page 37 of Tessa

Luna looked like she was going to protest but apparently thought better of it, and conceded with a quiet “yes, Daddy,” before scampering off.

When she was gone, Tessa drew a deep sigh of relief.

Baze walked up and draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a tight side-hug. “Ignore her. You go at whatever pace you want. Personally, I think it’s great that you are taking things slow. We talked about this at the beginning. You three had a bit of an unconventional start so it’s good that you are taking your time and making sure it’s a good fit.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Tessa replied even though she wasn’t sure if she felt the same way. Baze patted her shoulder and stepped away and Tessa retrieved her duffel from the floor.

“I’m gonna go get ready for bed.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Baze replied with a wink, pointing at the clock.

In her room, Jilly was already asleep, so Tessa tiptoed into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face before donning her pajamas and climbing into bed with Gus in her arms.

She tried to hold tight to Baze’s wisdom, but it was Luna’s words that kept creeping into her brain.

With a glance at the clock to make sure she had time to spare, she reached for her phone.

Pulling up the group text she shared with them, she stared at the screen and wondered what to type.

Be direct. Ask for what you want. The worst they can say is no. Again, for better or worse, Luna’s voice was the one in her head.

Hi, Daddies, she texted, I just wanted to say that I had fun today and hope we can do it again soon. Gnawing on her lip, she continued. Maybe next time I can just stay the night.

Holding her breath, she hit send, and waited for a response.

Her phone dinged almost immediately

Sounds good. Let’s plan it. Maybe for Thursday night? The text was from Beau, which made it feel more legitimate somehow.

Aware of Jilly sleeping peacefully in the next bed, Tessa muffled her happy squeal. Thursday sounds great, she texted. I can’t wait!

We can make plans tomorrow after breakfast, Dax pinged. Now get to bed, little girl, or we’ll also be discussing your punishment over pancakes.

Tessa glanced at the clock at the top of her phone. She had two minutes to spare until lights out.

Eep! No thank you! Ni night, Daddies!

Feeling lighter, her heart filled with excitement, she plugged in her phone, turned off the lamp, and pulled the covers tightly around her just as the clock changed to 9 pm.

Tessa stood in front of her Daddies’ door, her heart beating as wildly as it had the first time. It was silly, but it wasn’t. She’d stood on their doorstep a hundred times by now, it felt like, but this time was special. Tonight was their very first sleepover, and as nervous as she was, she’d been looking forward to it all week.

Making a fist, she raised her arm and knocked. Dax pulled the door open immediately like he’d been standing there waiting for her.

“Hello!” He leaned forward to kiss her cheek and took her bags from her at the same time.

“I’m so excited for all the fun we are going to have tonight.”

“Me too!” As soon as he put her bags down, Tessa threw her arms around him. He squeezed her tightly and when he finally let go she sauntered up to Beau who had been lurking in the background. That wasn’t unusual. Beau was very sweet and loving and an excellent Daddy but he was far less demonstrative than Dax was.

“Hi, Daddy Beau!”

“Hi, little one.” The expression on his face was an odd one that she couldn’t quite place. But he opened his arms and she quickly stepped into his embrace. As she ended the hug, her phone began to ring in her purse.

“Do you need to get that?”

“It’s just Jilly,” she answered with a shrug, making no move to grab for it. She had special ringtones for all her friends, and for Baze and for Daddy Beau and Daddy Dax.

“You just saw her. If she’s calling already, it could be important. Jilly doesn’t strike me as the type to call unnecessarily.”