Harboring Hannah by Pepper North

Chapter 13

As Deke drove through the gate, Hannah clutched Neela close to her heart. The stuffie’s iridescent wings quivered a bit, giving away Hannah’s nervousness. She scanned the area as they entered. Vast expanses of open space greeted her. It seemed so familiar to the farm she’d been raised on that Hannah relaxed a bit.

A warm hand covered her thigh, and she looked at Deke. “You’re going to love it here.”

She nodded as she watched him pass a house that sat a distance from the gate but was perfectly visible. “Who lives there?”

“Shelby and her Daddies live there. They were the first to move into the community.”

“Look, there’s a woman waving!” Hannah pointed to a blonde standing on the huge deck swinging both arms over her head to greet them.

“That would be Shelby. She loves to greet people. Let’s stop and say hello.”

Deke maneuvered the truck and boat trailer to a stop closer to the house. As he opened Hannah’s door, an enthusiastic feminine voice greeted them.

“Hi! You’re finally here. The Daddies were ready to send out a search party. Your boat is huge. Can I ride on it?”

When Hannah stepped out of the truck, she exclaimed, “Hannah!” Immediately, the blonde swarmed forward to hug her.

“Um… hi?” Hannah responded.

“Hi, Hannah. I’m glad to meet you. I’m Shelby. Deke was very blue when you disappeared. I’m glad he convinced you to come.”

“I’m sorry I worried him,” Hannah said, trying to atone for running. She shot a worried glance at Deke.

“Daddies always worry. That’s their job. See? Here come my Daddies to make sure everything is okay.”

“Hi, Deke! And Hannah! We’re glad to meet you,” the blonde man said. He shook Deke’s hand and flustered Hannah when he kissed the top of her hand.

Hannah didn’t know how to react. Shelby’s laughter erased her concern.

“Ooh, Daddy. Kiss my hand, too.” She held out her arm to him. “Just like in the fairytale we read last night at bedtime.”

Jeremy repeated his gallant greeting with his Little girl. Shelby giggled happily the entire time. Hannah couldn’t help joining her. They looked at each other with laughing eyes, making an instant connection through the fairytale.

“Do you like to read?” Shelby asked her new friend.

“I love to read,” Hannah shared.

“Me, too. I have lots of books. You’re welcome to borrow any of them,” Shelby offered without hesitation.

“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that when we get settled. I’ll be glad to encourage… Daddy to take you out on the lake in his boat.” Using the word Daddy was scary in public, but here, no one even blinked. A bit more tension drained from Hannah’s shoulders.

“That would be awesome!” Shelby cheered.

“Let’s get started on the settling in part,” Deke suggested, steering Hannah back to the vehicles. “We’ll invite you all over soon.”

“The Littles will have a welcoming party for you, Hannah!” Shelby called.

“We have parties for the leaves turning colors,” Jeremy shared with a laugh. “Our Littles are party animals.”

“Parties are important,” Shelby lectured as Deke helped Hannah back into her seat.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Hannah called before Deke closed the door.

Shelby’s “Yay!” drifted through the door as Deke climbed in, making Hannah smile.

“I like her,” Hannah confided as they drove away.

“She likes you, too. I don’t have any doubt that you’re going to love all the Littles here. Nor do I doubt they’ll have a party for you,” Deke said with a laugh.

“Parties can be fun.”

“I think you’re going to enjoy it here.” Deke turned a corner as a large, log cabin came into view.

Hannah leaned forward, looking through the windshield. “It’s extraordinary! You built a log cabin! I’ve always loved them!”

“I had it built for the two of us, Hannah. I know we’re going to be very happy here. Let’s go explore!”

With the vehicles parked in front, Deke helped Hannah out of the truck. Leading her to the front door, he unlocked it before lifting Hannah into his arms and carrying her over the threshold. He set her feet down on the gleaming wood plank floor.

“What do you think?” Deke asked softly, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“It’s beautiful,” Hannah said, turning to take everything in. “I love all the windows!” She could see herself living here. The big furniture invited her to come curl up next to her Daddy. There wasn’t anything stuffy like in her mom’s living room that no one used because it had to be kept nice for guests. Nothing looked fragile or fancy. It was a home, not a house.

“Would you like a tour?”

“Please.”

“This is obviously the family room. The kitchen is over there. Osiris stocked the pantry and refrigerator for us. We’ll take an excursion to the grocery store and stock up on anything you would like to eat,” Deke commented as he led her through the open space.

“I love the bows on the chairs.”

“I believe Kenzie decorated for you. They lived here while their house was being built and took care of Lollipop for me so he didn’t have to stay at the kennel. That looks like a present for you,” he suggested, pointing to a gift bag sitting on one stool.

“She left me a gift?” Hannah set Neela down to remove the tissue from the top of the bag before pulling out colored pencils, coloring books, and a handmade card.

Opening it, she read,

Dear Hannah,

Welcome home! You are going to love this house. Your Daddy built it with so much love! I can’t wait to meet you!

Kenzie

“Idon’t want to lose this,” she said, holding it to her chest.

“I put magnets in this drawer. Come, choose one and put it up on the refrigerator.”

Hannah rushed over to see her choices. Selecting a blue one shaped like a unicorn, she immediately headed to the refrigerator and affixed the card to the door. “There!”

She returned to pick up Neela before taking Deke’s hand. “Can we go see the rest of the house?”

“Let’s go explore.”

Walking slowly down the hall, Deke led her into the master bedroom. The enormous bed drew her attention. A thrill went through her as she imagined Deke holding her close every night. His arm wrapped around her to guide Hannah into the bathroom. She realized she had stared at the bed for an extended time. Heat rose in her cheeks.

Deke pressed a kiss against one warm cheek and whispered, “I like to think of you in my arms, too.”

He chuckled when she hurried into the attached bathroom and changed the topic, “That’s a huge bathtub.”

“I think it will hold us easily.”

Hannah stared at him blankly as her mind tried to process his words. Deke planned to take baths with her. Her heated face blazed hotter as she imagined that.

“Would you like to see the nursery?” he asked, distracting her.

She nodded and linked her fingers with his for support as they walked back into the hall. Nurseries in books seemed so fascinating. Hannah couldn’t imagine having one of her own. My own. Those words repeated in her mind. Had Osiris cared for Kenzie in that room?

Deke twisted the doorknob and pushed it open to reveal a beautiful room. Hannah looked around curiously. Her gaze darted here and there as she tried to take in all the things she’d read about but never seen. Walking slowing inside, she approached the crib first.

It was painted white with pink spindles supporting the railing surrounding it. The bedding inside matched with a pink comforter and white sheets. The twin-size bed would hold her easily. Hannah loved it. She ran her hand over the soft covers.

A flash of jealousy sparked inside her and she blurted, “Did Kenzie sleep in this crib?”

“No. That was the only thing I asked of Osiris and Kenzie—that they not use your room,” Deke assured her.

“Never?”

“Not a single time. You will be the first Little girl to nap, be cared for, or even play in here. This is your nursery,” he assured her, stressing the word, your. Deke pulled her close and leaned down to kiss her lightly before adding. “I didn’t design the nursery for Kenzie. I created it for you.”

“I’m sorry I’m being silly,” she whispered, hugging her stuffie close.

“You’re not silly and you should always tell me when things are bothering you. Come sit on my lap and we’ll rock as we talk about the nursery and our life together,” he invited.

Leading her to the oversized rocker, Deke sat down and guided Hannah to sit sideways on his lap. She leaned against him as she studied the room. “When will I sleep in my crib?”

“Little girls take naps in the afternoon. Your crib is a perfect place to nap. It’s quiet and comfortable in here.”

Hannah stilled and listened. It was quiet. “I don’t ever take a nap.”

“You’ll get used to your new routine here quickly. I’m betting you will feel better if you get more sleep.”

Mulling that around in her head, she said, “What about the other pieces of furniture? Like, what’s that?”

“Your changing table. There I will take care of your health and change your diaper.”

She squeezed her thighs together as a wave of arousal ignited between her legs. The idea of her Daddy taking such intimate care of her appealed to Hannah on a very deep level. Hannah had loved reading books where the Daddy had required the Little to use a diaper instead of the toilet. To her, this seemed like the ultimate kind of submission. Looking up at Deke’s face, she tried to read his reaction.

Finally, she asked, “Are you going to make me wear diapers?”

“When we’re at home, yes. I can take care of you completely here. When we go outside SANCTUM, I’ll decide whether you can wear regular panties.”

“That’s scary,” she whispered.

“Everything new can be scary until you try it. We’ll put a diaper on you in a few minutes when you’re ready. Look over there.” He pointed to a large chest sitting on the floor in the far corner.

“Is that a toy chest?”

“It is. I put together some toys I thought you would like. We’ll add Kenzie’s gifts to them,” he suggested.

“That was really nice of her.”

“Kenzie is a sweet Little girl. Her Little is a bit older than yours.”

Absorbing that bit of information, Hannah tried to figure out how he knew her Little was younger. Deke shifted to the side and opened a drawer in the table nearby. She watched him pull out a plastic wrapped object and unwrap it.

“We’ll try different things to see what you like. Open your mouth,” he coaxed, holding the device to her lips and easing it inside when she followed his directions.

“Some Littles like pacis when they are worried about something. It’s comforting.”

Deke kept a finger at her lips, gently holding the paci in place as she experimented with how it felt in her mouth. Hannah ran her tongue over the soft nipple in her mouth. Tentatively, she sucked lightly on it a few times.

“Lay your head on my shoulder and just relax for a few minutes. I love holding you in my arms,” her Daddy urged softly.

Settling into the nook of his neck, Hannah closed her eyes. The long trip and the stress of Tommy’s threats had taxed her mind and body. She was so tired. The repetition of sucking on her pacifier and his gentle rocks made her drowsy. Hannah cuddled closer as his hand stroked down her spine. Within minutes, she fell asleep in her Daddy’s arms. Vaguely, she remembered Deke helping her out of her shoes and clothing before tucking her into the soft sheets with Neela nestled close in her arms.