“You did, and you told me that while you’re in your Little headspace it would be easier for me to make choices for you.” Beau bounced her on his knee soothingly. “I already knew that from listening to you talk, but this time you told me directly. That was excellent communication. I am very proud of you.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Stroking her curls, Beau pressed another kiss to her forehead. “We’ve had a few big talks today, would you like to do something easier now?”
Palmer shifted on his knee. “Like what?”
“Something simple.”
Something simple sounded nice, especially since her brain kinda hurt.
“Okay, Sir.” Palmer frowned. If she wanted to jump in and be brave there was one more thing she needed to do. “Okay, Daddy,” she corrected.
Beau’s hand stilled in her curls, his expression softening. “Say it again, pretty baby.”
“Daddy,” Palmer repeated, more confidently this time.
“Beautiful,” Beau said, covering his heart with his hand. “Thank you, Palmer. You’ve made me so happy, Little one.”
Chapter Eleven
Beau held Palmer’s hand as he led them down the hall. Palmer was quiet, but he felt like it was in a contented way. He understood how she felt. His own heart was so full, it almost felt heavy in his chest. He reached the entrance to the indoor playground and smiled to himself when Palmer still looked confused. Part of him was sad that she’d never explored the Ranch, but the other part of him was delighted they’d get to have so many firsts together. He couldn’t wait to take her to the zoo in a few days.
His Little girl gasped when she finally saw the room. He’d admit it was more spectacular than he’d imagined. It was a huge area with half the space covered in a floor to ceiling play structure. The play structure itself had tunnels, slides, bridges made of rope, and ball pits. Its massive frame took up half the room. The other half of the room was an arcade. Original games like Pacman were available to play as well as new games. Tickets could be earned and traded in for fun prizes. The floor of the area was covered with colorful foam mats and Beau was thankful for the extra protection for his Little one. He smiled and nodded at the room monitor as he led Palmer in.
“Daddy, look!” Palmer exclaimed, spinning in a circle so she could take everything in.
“I know, pretty baby. It’s amazing isn’t it?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Where would you like to start first, babygirl?”
“Can you climb with me?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Let’s put our shoes in the shoe cubby,” Beau said, pointing to the brightly colored plastic cubbies.
“Yes, Sir.” Palmer held his hand tightly as he walked them to the area. Beau settled her on a bench and untied her pink shoes. He slid his own sneakers off and put them each into a cubby.
“Nu, Daddy,” Palmer said, sliding from the bench.
“No?”
She took her shoes from their own cubby and placed them inside of his. “They needa be together.” She frowned. “They might get scared.”
Beau’s heart warmed at her sweet admission.
“You’re right, baby. That was so silly of Daddy. Thank you for helping me remember they needed to be together so nobody gets scared,” he said, nodding.
Palmer smiled at him. There was a tiny fleck of gratitude in her gaze. She would learn over time that Beau would never embarrass her for her needs.
She gave the cubby one final look of scrutiny before adjusting her pink shoe to touch his gray one a bit more. “I think they will feel secure now.”
“I think you’re right,” Beau agreed.
“Let’s go, Daddy!” Palmer said, slipping her hand back into his.
He chuckled, letting her pull him along. They reached the entrance to one of the tunnels and Palmer dropped to her knees before climbing inside. Beau did the same after making a mental note to take some ibuprofen for his back once he was done.