I wanted to insist on going with him, but I knew it would be futile. "I'll be fine," I said instead, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
He stepped closer, his voice dropping so only I could hear. "I'm going to do my best. I promise."
Before I could respond, he pressed a quick kiss to my forehead and was gone.
The elevator doors closed with a whoosh behind Dion, leaving me alone with two strangers who apparently knew more aboutme than I knew about them. I stood awkwardly near the entrance, unsure what to do with myself.
Abby seemed to bounce on the spot. "Would you like some ice cream?"
I blinked. “Umm.”
Clare chuckled. “Or you could go with tea or coffee.”
Abby pouted. “But ice cream’s way better and Daddy got me some with toffee bits in it.”
“And Daddy Gideon said you’d already had some, so you had to wait,” Clare said.
“But I was just being super polite,” Abby argued, toeing the ground with some sparkly pink sneakers.
“Uh huh,” Clare said doubtfully. “We both know if you have any more, you’ll get a spanking.”
Abby pressed her lips together as if trying not to laugh. “Which would be the only thing better than ice cream.”
Clare shook her head with a fond smile. “We’ve got juice boxes as well.”
"Tea would be nice," I admitted, feeling a little like I’d walked into some sort of alternate universe. The apartment was beautiful—open concept with high ceilings and comfortable furnishings that somehow managed to be both elegant and inviting.
Clare busied herself making tea, and I chose a raspberry one while she went with regular. Abby got a juice box, then ran into another room and came back with a large white bear. “This is Big Bear,” she said.
“He looks well loved,” I responded, and suddenly I wished desperately that I’d brought Barnaby.
“You look like you could do with a glass of wine, but there isn't any up here.”
I nodded, accepting the mug Clare handed me. "Is it that obvious?"
"Only because we've been there," Clare said, her voice gentle. "The first time Maddox went out after we met, I nearly wore a hole in the carpet pacing."
"How do you handle it?" I asked, sinking onto the couch opposite her. "The waiting, the not knowing?"
Abby joined us, setting a plate of cookies on the coffee table. "You never really get used to it," she admitted. "But it helps knowing how capable they are. Daddy and the others—they've done this kind of thing before."
"Many times," Clare added. "And they always come back."
I wrapped my hands around the warm mug, drawing comfort from their quiet confidence. "So you're... with Gideon and Maddox?"
Abby nodded, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "Gideon is my Daddy," she said simply, without embarrassment. "We've been together just over a year now."
"And Maddox is mine," Clare added. "Though our dynamic is a bit different."
I nearly choked on my tea. "You're both... I mean, you're..."
"Littles?" Abby supplied helpfully. "Yes, though we express it differently. I’m Little most of the time."
"And I fluctuate more," Clare explained. "Some days I'm closer to a middle, other times I can be younger than Abby."
I set my mug down carefully, my mind racing. "I'm sorry, I just... I've never actually met anyone who..." I trailed off, unsure how to continue.
"Who lives the lifestyle?" Abby finished for me. "It's okay. Most people haven't. It's not exactly something that comes up in casual conversation."
