Sam’s Little Girl by Pepper North

Chapter 17

Hope paused with her father in the back of the church she’d grown up in. Her maid of honor—selected from her long-standing team of mathematicians—had already walked down the aisle. Peeking around the corner into the sanctuary, she could see Sam waiting for her at the altar. She smiled as he winked at her. In just a few brief minutes, he’d be her handsome husband. I hope he’ll love my present!

Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the aisle cloth and the music swelled into the traditional wedding march. Her beautiful dress spread behind her as she walked slowly to him. Hope remembered her mom’s advice to always keep her husband slightly off balance. She grinned to herself, figuring she could do that easily.

A familiar face caught her attention. Cricket! Mark stood at the front with Sam, but he’d brought the sweet barmaid with him. The captain had ensured his little girl would be safe by settling her safely with his squad. Sam’s dream of each team member finding their Littles was underway. Hope met his gaze, and he nodded, understanding her thoughts.

Hank didn’t sit with the team. He’d requested a transfer the day after she’d run away. Hope had been devastated that she’d destroyed the team, but it turned out Mark had someone else in the wings to step into the vacancy. Jax had fit right in with the group. He was already involved in some project that the men had stopped talking about when she’d entered the room.

Reaching the altar stopped all of her wayward thoughts. This was their time—hers and Sam’s. She had a feeling she’d get to watch each of the team members woo their Littles, just as Mark was doing now. Meeting Sam’s deep green gaze, all of her wedding day jitters fled. Her mom was right. She needed to pay attention to that voice inside.

As they turned to face the minister, she squeezed Sam’s hand. He pressed something into her hand. Looking down in surprise, Hope saw a small, furry hedgehog. She beamed at him. Not having Hedgie at their wedding had been her greatest sorrow. Sam had managed to bring him in spirit.

Hope squeezed the tiny creature among the roses in her wedding bouquet. Hedgie junior would have a bird’s—no, she corrected herself—a hedgehog’s eye view of the ceremony.

* * *

Hope closed the refrigerator door with a snap. The sight of her wedding gift to Sam carefully protected by a clear frame hanging on the appliance made her smile. Amazed by her talent, Sam had vowed to kiss her for every pencil stroke on the portrait of him she’d finished. She planned to hold him to that promise. Surely there were a million or two.

Finally, her daddy called her name. Hope raced to the hallway. Sam and Jax grinned from ear to ear. Hope hadn’t been allowed into her nursery for hours as they carried wood and supplies in and out of the room. The only recognizable item had been a large wooden chair. Sam had promised her something special.

“Are you ready to see your room?” Sam asked.

“Please?” Hope asked, almost dancing in anticipation.

“Come on, candy girl. I promised you a wedding gift you’d never forget.” Sam pushed open the door and stepped out of the way so she could walk inside.

“What?” Her gaze searched the colorful item not attached to the wall. Twisting around, she stared at him in disbelief. “You built me a slide in my room?”

“With Jax’s expert help,” Sam nodded. “Go check it out!”

Hope walked forward and ran her fingers over the railing on the side of the slanted apparatus. Touching the surface to slide on, she wheeled around to look at the two men. “It’s slick. You can go fast on it.”

“You’ll be the first one to try it out,” Sam suggested.

“Wow!” Hope hooted with delight as she ran to the back of the slide. Scaling the steps quickly, she sat down on the special surface and scooted off.

“Wheeeee!” she squealed, throwing her arms up into the air.

Immediately, Hope ran around to try it again, and again, and again. Finally, she came to sit on her daddy’s lap. The two men had collapsed on the floor, exhausted not from working but from watching Hope run around. She threw her arms around Sam’s neck and hugged him tight.

“It’s the best wedding present ever!” she announced.

Not forgetting her manners, Hope thanked Jax. “No one will have a slide like this in their nursery!”

“I don’t think any daddy is as brave as yours is?”

“We should talk about the rules,” Sam said sternly.

“There are slide rules?” Hope asked in confusion.

“No sliding at night or during naptime. I will hear the squeak and I will spank you. Sleep is very important, candy girl.”

She looked sideways at the slide and then back at him. “Deal!” Scrambling to her feet, she was off again. Giggles and whooshing noises filled the room as Hope enjoyed her slide.

“When do you think you’re going to have to spank her?” Jax asked.

“This afternoon. There’s no way she staying in her crib.”

“Good thing I brought the chair then, too.” Jax nodded at the straight back seat, pointed at an empty corner. A cord trailed from underneath. Hope had been so excited about her slide, she hadn’t noticed the large vibrating wand from her blue box was now attached in the hole cut into the chair’s seat.

“She’s not going to be happy,” Jax projected.

“No. With a hot bottom and three or four hard climaxes while she sits in the corner, Hope will fall right to sleep and stay off the slide to take a nap.”

“I’m glad you found each other.”

“Best day of my life.” Sam looked sideways at his teammate. “She needs some friends. Would you hurry up and find your Little?” he joked.

“I’m working on it.”

The End