her a little better. And… you know,”—she fidgeted her fingers, embarrassed—“maybe get to be friends with her.”
He drew her just a little closer, curling his big body tenderly around her.
“That sounds like a nice idea.”
“Is it okay if I say I don’t want to be Little all the time?”
“Yes, baby. You can be as adult as you want to, so long as you understand, I will regress you to as little as I feel you need to be whenever you need it to happen. That means nursery time, at least one day a week in the classrooms, and potentially even diapers if you misbehave or try to resist your Little time for no reason other than sheer stubbornness. Agreed?”
“You’re the Daddy.” She yawned.
He kissed the top of her head. “Yes, I am. I’m your Daddy.”
She was his little girl, something she’d have been only too happy to tell him. If only she hadn’t fallen asleep.
Epilogue
One year later…
Sadie bounced with excitement from the very end of the line. From what she overheard Daddy saying to Nanny J, this was probably going to be his final year playing Santa Claus, which made it ultra-important she was the very last Little to sit on his knee. He’d been struggling to hang on to the role for longer than she’d been here, he loved it that much, but his other responsibilities were growing in leaps and bounds, along with the Ranch’s popularity among the BDSM community. Already, there were twice as many Littles attending this year’s Christmas event, and next year was almost booked up.
“One more,” Nanny J laughed from just behind her, where she and Moses were enjoying cups of homemade eggnog.
“I know, I know.” She danced, she was so excited. She had something extra special she wanted to give her Daddy. She’d been holding on to it for months, waiting for just the right moment. Here, in this hall, with the Christmas lights shining, the music softly playing, and outside, the snow gently falling—she knew in her heart, this was the perfect time.
The Little girl on Daddy’s lap took her present and hopped down. She ran off to get cookies and hot chocolate, and the Little boy directly in front of him shyly approached. He was chubby and more than reluctant to put that weight on anyone’s knee, but her Daddy wasn’t having it. When he beckoned, the boy went to him, obediently turning when Santa took him by the hips and sat when Derek told him to. Whatever embarrassment he might have been suffering, it vanished into giggles at whatever Santa whispered in his ear. They both laughed.
Sadie clasped her hands, her heart so full, it could have burst with her love for this place and for Derek. He was the greatest man she’d ever met—kind, smart, funny, protective, a good lover, a great Daddy, and the Dom she couldn’t imagine ever living her life without. She blinked, banishing happy tears at how effortlessly he took that boy’s scary moment and turned it into a happy one.
She knew how the other Little felt. From the moment she’d met him, he’d done the exact same thing for oh so many of her scariest moments.
“Here you go, David,” Santa said, handing him the next-to-last present in his big velvet sack. It was almost her turn, and she quickly covered her stomach with both hands, pressing down in an effort to still the nervous butterflies fluttering so wildly.
The Little boy took the Build-A-Bear puppy Santa gave him, looking at it for a long time before in a very soft voice, asking, “How did you know?”
“Santa knows everything,” her Daddy assured him, running his hand fondly over the boy’s hair before patting him on the back. “Go get a cookie before they’re all gone. Gingerbread is your favorite, right?”
The boy nodded.
“I’ll bet you anything Nanny J saved one just for you.”
Standing, the Little boy walked away, hugging his new stuffy.
Her turn.
Unlike last year when she’d had so many fears and reservations, this time, Santa didn’t have to chase her down. She went to him on happy feet, bounding up onto his lap with a squeal and the biggest hug she could muster. He rocked her, chuckling as he returned every ounce of ferocity she put into that hug.
“I can’t wait to hear this,” he said, settling back into his Santa role with a twinkle in his blue eyes and a knowing grin. “Nanny J says you’ve been working on your list for months. How many