Yep. Adorable.
He put clean panties on her, then sat her up to put her nightie on. Another wave of satisfaction. Funny, he was more used to taking clothes off women than dressing them.
But then, no one was like Caley.
He set a pillow on the floor. “Sit there, poppet. I’ll get your hairbrush and braid your hair. Then I’ll give you a bottle and put you to bed.”
She removed the pacifier. “Yes, Papa.”
She sat on the floor between his legs and he brushed out her hair. When it was tamed, he started to braid it.
“You’re good at this, Papa.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Uh-huh. Don’t tell Daddy, but he tugs too hard.”
Archer had to grin at that. It was maybe a bit childish, but he liked that he was better at something than Issy when it came to her care.
“Right, let’s get you into bed, poppet. I’ll make your bottle.”
“Umm…” She stood then hesitated.
“What is it?” He stood as well, staring down at her.
“I gots to do my teeth and go potty first,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “Sorry, poppet, of course you do. Remember, I’m new to this stuff. I’m going to forget things. If you need something, you have to tell me, all right?”
“Okay, Papa.”
“Good girl. Go do what you need to, I’ll meet you back here.”
When he returned with her bottle, she was lying on her side rubbing snuggly against her nose. The pacifier sat on the nightstand.
“Uh-uh, you’re to use your pacifier, poppet. I catch you sucking your thumb instead and you’ll find yourself over my knee.”
She gave him big, puppy dog eyes but he kept his face stern. Finally she sighed and removed her thumb. “Okay, Papa.”
He lay on the bed next to her, pulling her into his chest and feeding her the bottle.
Yeah. He could really get used to this.
* * *
She woke with a gasp. Sweat coated her skin and she was shivering. She looked around, disorientated. Where was she? What was going on?
Finally, her brain clicked into gear and her memory returned. She was in Archer’s penthouse apartment.
He’d done pretty well at getting her settled and off to sleep. She’d wondered if she would have a nightmare after that run-in with Susan. Damn it. She pushed the covers back quietly and stood. Unfortunately, she didn’t think she would be going back to sleep anytime soon. She walked into the living room, to stare out the big window at the twinkling lights of Dallas.
“Love? What are you doing?”
His sleep-roughened voice startled her and she turned, looking into the bedroom. He’d left the bathroom light on and she could see him climbing out of the huge bed.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I had a nightmare. You should go back to sleep.”
He walked towards her then swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the sofa. He settled on the sofa. “What was your nightmare about?”