Page 31 of Tiger's Little Waif

A thread of fear shot through her when this room was as empty as the rest of the building. He had not let her out of his sight since their return from the city. Something was wrong.

Stepping out the building’s front door, she looked around, but did not see anyone outside either. What was going on?

Had the apocalypse come and taken everyone but her away?

Reentering the building, she crossed the dining hall and entered the kitchen just as her watch began to beep. The cake she had in the oven was finished baking. Pulling it out, she set it on the cooling rack. Once it cooled completely, she would make petit fours for the tea party.

At that moment Marshall walked through the back door.

“Papa! Where have you been? I’ve looked all over for you,” she scolded as she crossed and wrapped her arms around him.

He immediately pulled her in for a snuggle, not releasing her when she tried to pull back. “I was finishing up something for my mate,” he said cryptically.

“Something for me? What?”

He finally released her and took one hand in his. “Come and see.”

He led her out the back door and around to a door she had seen before, but never investigated what was behind it. She figured it was a room full of mechanical or plumbing or other kind of workings. Boring stuff that she had no interest in. She was a baker, not a plumber or electrician.

Today the door stood open. Then she noted that the door had been painted a raisiny-purple color so it was no longer the same deep brown as the other doors on the building. When had that happened?

“Papa? What’s going on?” she asked, stopping at the bottom of the two steps that led to the doorway.

“Why don’t you go in and see?” Marshall invited, releasing her hand.

Shaw moved forward slowly, not sure what to expect, but hearing giggles from inside turned her anxiety to cautious excitement. She climbed the steps and stepped through the doorway then froze.

She was not sure what the room had been before, but now it looked like the perfect playroom. The walls were painted a soft peach color and there was a deep brown carpet covering the floor. A single daybed with white metal frame and a light wood rocking chair big enough for two were positioned along the back wall. Shelving units covered the left-hand wall, holding colored bins, the contents of each identified with a big sticker on the front.

On the right side of the room there was a table and six chairs. All but one of the chairs was filled with a giggling Little who was mated to one of the shifters of Bratburg.

“Surprise!” they yelled when she turned their way.

Overwhelmed by the surprise, and the presence of all the other Littles, Shaw whirled around and wrapped herself around her Papa.

“Waif? You okay?” he asked as he held her tight.

She nodded but remained silent. Hiding her face against his chest, she allowed the tears that filled her eyes to overflow.

“You can change anything you don’t like, mate.”

“Noooooo,” she cried, lifting her head to look up at her Papa through the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks. “I love it. It’s just … no one … has ever done anything like this for me before. Thank you, Papa.”

“Oh, sweet mate, you are so welcome.

When her tears did not stop, Marshall began to worry that there was something else wrong. But he did not want to put her on the spot with the other Littles watching their every move.

Instead, he held his woman and let her cry out all her Big emotions. When she finally lifted her head and looked up at him, he was relieved to see a smile on her face. It was the biggest, most radiant smile she had worn to date, one that made him grin in response.

“Thank you, Papa. I love my new playroom.”

“Good. Go explore and play with your friends. I have to go get dinner started,” he turned and patted her ass to get her to join the others who had grown unusually silent.

He watched for a moment as she joined the others. Instead of pulling out all the bins and checking the contents, she led the conversation to details about a tea party he had yet to clear. He stepped out and pulled the door closed, unable to contain a smile that was so broad it hurt his cheeks.

Heading inside, he tried to shift mental gears from Daddy Dom to chef, but it was difficult. Looking at the menu for the day, he decided to change the meat sauce on the spaghetti to meatballs in red sauce. That would give him something to do with the afternoon instead of sitting in his office waiting for his mate to join him.

Dinner prep was finished, and the residents were beginning to gather in the dining room, but Shaw and the other Littles had yet to emerge from her playroom. After giving the servers their directions, he headed to the playroom, frowning when he found it empty.