Page 14 of Hunting Little Hope
I smoothed down my skirt and stepped all the way inside before I could overthink it and run off. It didn’t take me long to find the table number I’d been directed to and I quickly took a seat.
I hadn’t been sitting for more than a minute when someone cleared their throat politely beside me.
I looked up and found myself staring straight into the warmest brown eyes I’d ever seen.
The man attached to them was tall. Not Master Lee tall, but comfortably broad-shouldered, with skin the color of polished teak and a neatly trimmed beard that framed a kind mouth. Hishair was cut short on the sides with tight curls on top, and he wore a soft blue button-up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.
Beside him bounced a lively Little. He had a mop of sandy-blond curls that looked like they could never be tamed, freckles splashed across his nose and bright-green glasses that were just a little too big for his face. He was wearing colorful dinosaur shorts and a purple t-shirt declaring him to be a Lego champion and was clutching a stuffed penguin like his life depended on it.
The Little beamed at me. “Hi! I’m Perry. Are you a Little too?”
My cheeks warmed instantly. But before I could answer the sexy Daddy spoke up.
“Perry!” he admonished before turning to me. “Sorry, I’m Tyrell Brooks,” he said, offering his hand. “And this is Perry Decker. He normally has better manners than that, even if he is a tornado at the best of times.”
I shrugged, still feeling the flush in my cheeks, before taking Tyrell’s hand and giving it a firm shake. “That’s fine. I’m Hope. And I think Imightbe a little.”
“I’m not a tornado,” Perry protested, climbing into the chair beside me. “I’m a velociraptor.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed, and the knot in my chest loosened a tiny bit. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
Tyrell’s gaze flicked over me once, not in the hungry way some of the Doms at the speed dating had done, but in a thoughtful, assessing way that made me feel seen.
“We’re glad you’re at our table,” he said. “Perry has been very excited to meet other Littles and has been practicing his big brother voice all morning, but we were a bit nervous about approaching someone so this makes it much easier, doesn’t it, little nuggie?”
Perry puffed out his chest. “Yup. We’re looking for a little sister. Daddy says it’s time for our family to grow.”
The words made my stomach flip.
A little sister.
My fingers twisted in the hem of my skirt before I caught myself. “Oh,” I said. “That’s... really sweet.”
Tyrell must have seen the flicker of panic on my face because his voice softened right away. “No pressure, right?” he added gently. “We’re just meeting new people. Seeing who fits. That’s what this whole circus is about, isn’t it?”
Perry nodded solemnly. “It’s like interviewing!”
I snorted before I could stop myself. “Interviewing?”
“Yes,” he said, very seriously. “We need someone who likes cartoons and snacks and bedtime stories. And she needs to be good at Lego, but not too good, because Imuststay the bestest. Most importantly, she mustn’t try to steal my penguin.”
He hugged the stuffed toy tighter, glaring at me as if I might snatch it at any second.
“I solemnly swear to never steal your penguin,” I said, raising a hand.
Tyrell chuckled as Perry nodded at my solemn oath.
“What are you looking for in your interviews?” Perry asked me as his Daddy started unpacking all the face paint supplies.
Something warm unfurled in my chest, even as I felt a slight panic at the question. These two were nice. But I had no idea what I wanted anymore. I’d thought I did when I’d come here, but the last couple of days had shown me I didn’t have a clue.
So instead of answering Perry’s question, I shrugged and tucked a stray curl behind my ear. After a beat, I looked at his Daddy. “So... what’s your plan, Master Tyrell?”
His eyebrow lifted just slightly at the question. “Strategy meeting first,” he said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Perry wants to be a dinosaur.” He said this with the “of course” heavily implied. “And I was thinking... maybe a butterfly for you?”
I blinked, frowning at him. “You didn’t ask me what I wanted. Aren’t Daddies supposed toask?”
He shrugged. “You look like someone who should be outside flying around all the pretty flowers in the garden. Plus, I don’t know if I have anything other than flowers, butterflies, and dinosaurs in my repertoire.”
