Bad Daddy’s Forgotten Little by Mary Potter

CHAPTER THREE

Jessie

I felt bad for leaving Jack to deal with Snowy after the ride I had just taken him on, but I couldn’t help it.  Auntie Gracie’s chocolate chip cookies were rumored to be so good that they could cure cancer, so, of course, when she made fresh cookies, you could bet that they wouldn't last long.  After the day I had, I desperately needed a cookie.

My ride with Ryan had been pretty fun, but, when we got back, he started acting really weird again, and he disappeared into the fields before I could even kiss him goodbye.  I hated how lonely I was feeling every day.  Even though Ryan and I spent time together, he was always running off to go do this or that, and he no longer spent nearly as much time with me as he used to.  I took a deep breath and entered the farmhouse.

As soon as I entered the house, I looked around and saw the cold looks that the other Daddies and Littles gave me, and I was reminded that no one had really forgiven me for everything that happened with Martin.  It had been nearly a month since everything happened, and I was still getting the cold shoulder from everyone but Jack, Auntie Grace, Ryan, and Alexis.  It was surprising that Alexis was kind to me, especially after the way Martin hated me, but I was thankful for her friendship.  Taking a deep breath, I made my way across the living room, heading straight to the kitchen.

“Hello there, dearie,” Auntie Gracie said as she smiled at me.  “I have a fresh pan of cookies just waiting for you.”  I smiled and nodded as she pulled the pan of cookies right out of the oven and set them down on the stovetop.  “Come sit down.”  I nodded and did exactly as she said despite the cold looks I got from the other Littles.

Thankfully, Auntie Gracie had a rule:  no drama in the kitchen, especially around her.  That meant that, despite how much everyone hated me for what happened with Martin, so long as she was around, no one was going to start fighting with me.  Out of everyone in the farm, she was the only one who still loved me the same as before, and she didn’t treat me any differently.  I smiled as she moved the gooey cookies to the cooling rack before stirring the pitcher of fresh lemonade.

“Are you okay, dearie?” she asked as she poured me a glass of lemonade.  “You look like you’ve been crying.”  I smiled a little as I considered telling her that I was fine, but, when I remembered that Auntie Gracie had that uncanny ability to tell when someone is lying to her.  So, after a minute, I sighed and shook my head.

“I have,” I admitted after debating with myself.  “I think Ryan’s been keeping something from me, but I don’t know what.”  She frowned as she gave me a cookie to go with my lemonade.

“What are you talking about?” she asked as she smiled gently at me.  I sighed and shook my head.

“He’s been a lot more distant, and he keeps making me feel like I’m not worth his time,” I told her.  “I’m not sure why I feel this way, but I almost wonder if he’s sneaking around with someone.”  Auntie Gracie raised an eyebrow at me.

“Have you addressed these concerns with him?” she asked, and I shook my head.

“I haven’t really gotten the chance to,” I told her.  “Every time I bring it up, he brushes it off and changes the subject.  It’s like he’s avoiding the conversation altogether.  Not only that, but he’s been a lot more selfish than normal.”  She raised a suspicious eyebrow at me as she shook her head.

Normally, when a Daddy was accused of being selfish, it was Littles code for not getting any sexual satisfaction in bed with their Daddy.  It was a term very rarely thrown around, but, when it was used, it was usually investigated by the Auntie in order to ensure that the Little wasn’t being abused and used.  Auntie Gracie shook her head as she looked at me.

“That’s a pretty serious accusation,” she remarked as she looked at me.  “Has he hurt you in any way, shape, or form?”  I shook my head.

“Not really,” I told her.  “Just the feeling that I was doing something wrong or something.”  She nodded understandingly.

“I see,” she said.  “Are you afraid that he might retaliate against you?”  I shrugged.

“I don’t know,” I told her.  “In all honesty, I just want to know if something is truly bothering him or if I did something wrong.”  She sighed and nodded in agreement.

“Alright,” she said as she smiled politely at me.  “I’ll talk to him and see what is bothering him, and, if anything happens, I’ll have Jack come with me.”  She frowned as she looked around the farmhouse.  “Speaking of, where is Jack?”  I smiled a little.

“He’s outside brushing down Snowy and waiting for Ryan to come back from the fields,” I informed her.  “Can I have a cookie and a glass of lemonade to give him?”  She nodded as she placed a fresh cookie on a napkin and handed me a glass of lemonade.

“Here you go,” she told me, “but I wouldn’t stick around for too long.  I don’t want Ryan thinking that you cheated on him.”  I nodded understandingly and smiled back at her.

“Thank you, Auntie Gracie,” I said.  “I’ll be right back.”  With that, I raced through the farmhouse and back out towards the barn.