Hanna's Awakening (11 page)

“Daddy, may I please have coffee?”

“Sorry, baby, but little girls can’t have coffee.” He grinned, knowing she was testing him. He’d never seen her drink coffee before.

She huffed and tried to leave the table, but he leaned forward and caught her hand. “Finish your milk, young lady.”

“But I am finished. I just don’t want the rest of my milk.”

He arched an eyebrow and sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you trying to test me, Hanna? I suggest you be a good girl and finish your milk, unless you want to face the consequences.”

Lady barked outside, and Hanna gazed longingly out the window. She still hadn’t touched her glass.

“How about this. Finish your milk and then we’ll go on a walk with Lady.”

She lit up and nodded eagerly. Sunlight streamed through the windows, reflecting off her shiny golden hair as she reached for her cup. The last of her milk disappeared in a few seconds. Ben dabbed her face with a napkin, prompting her cheeks to redden once more.

“I have a feeling you’ll be blushing a lot today, baby girl.”

Hanna rubbed her eyes and yawned. She rolled over, glancing at the clock on the nightstand and gasped. She’d napped for two hours in the middle of the afternoon! Smiling guiltily to herself, she recalled how she’d argued with Daddy that she wasn’t sleepy. The walk through the woods with Lady must’ve tired her out more than she’d thought. She stretched and sighed as her bare legs caught the cool spots under the sheets.

A breeze blew through the window, the curtains dancing to the tune of the wind chimes. Sadness squeezed her heart. If she left with Eli, she’d never wake up to the sound of those wind chimes again. Of course it wasn’t the actual loss of the wind chimes that darkened her spirits.

Daddy. She’d grown to love him so much she couldn’t breathe when she imagined a future without him. Was it wrong and foolish to give up her dreams of moving so far away from the farm? As far away as Eli had moved? She wiped her tears and wondered about the conversation Daddy had had with Eli while she’d napped. Surely he’d called her brother then, when she wouldn’t have been able to overhear.

Whatever plan Daddy had, she hoped he realized how much she cared for him. She resolved to work up the courage to tell him today. It had to be today. She loved him with everything inside her. The secrets of his past didn’t affect her love either. It had been an unfortunate accident, and she grieved to know he’d been hurt and alone for so many years.

The door opened and she sat up in bed, pushing the covers down.

“Hi, Daddy!” She smiled at him and laced her arms around his neck as he sat beside her. She placed a kiss on his cheek and hugged him tight.

“Did you sleep well?” The strength of his arms surrounding her made her feel safe and loved. While some of the things he’d done for her today had embarrassed her, like helping her in the bathroom and cleaning her face off after meals, a part of her liked being taken care of so thoughtfully. He made her feel special, and that was an emotion she wasn’t used to experiencing.

“Yes, Daddy, I can’t believe I slept so long.”

He kissed the top of her head and drew back to gaze down at her. His expression turned serious, and her tummy fluttered. “Do you remember the plan I told you I had? The surprise?”

Her throat burned, and the uncertainty of not knowing became too much. She tried to answer, but her voice cracked, so she simply nodded.

“The surprise is outside. It arrived earlier than I expected. I think you’ll like it. Let’s get you out of your pajamas and back into that cute little dress, and we’ll go outside together.”

This time, Hanna wasn’t shy about letting Daddy dress her. He laughed at her enthusiasm and grabbed her hand, leading her through the house to the front door. Lady was barking up a storm on the porch, and Hanna wondered if they had a visitor. She regarded Daddy in question, but he didn’t give away any clues. If anything, he appeared nervous.

He dropped her hand and held the door open, nodding for her to step outside. Even though she trusted Daddy that it was safe, his nervousness was contagious, and she peeked her head out the door first.

Lady shot down the steps, still barking. Hanna’s gaze followed her through the overcast afternoon and landed on a huge bus parked in the grassy clearing in front of the cabin. No, not a bus. An RV.

Excitement raced through her and she wondered if Eli had come, but as she left the porch and approached the RV, no one exited it. Daddy’s footsteps sounded behind her as she peered into the windows. Nothing. No one. Eli hadn’t come. He wouldn’t have been able to drive this far in a day or two anyway. She felt silly for her error.

“Daddy…” Confusion settled on her and she spun to gaze at Daddy.

“It’s an RV, Hanna.”

She laughed. “I know what it is. Why is it parked here?”

“I bought it. It’s the nicest one they had at the dealership in town. They delivered it while you were napping.”

The confusion dispersed as she looked from Daddy to the RV. If he’d bought this huge, expensive thing, then he’d bought it for a good reason. To drive somewhere. To drive a long way. Maybe as far as Oregon. Her head snapped in his direction, and his guilty smile brightened the overcast day. But her spirits sank in the next moment. What would happen between them once they reached Oregon, assuming that was indeed his plan?

He strode to her and clasped one of her shaking hands in his and brought it up to cover his heart. The pain in his gaze carried so much raw emotion she couldn’t tear her eyes from his.

“Hanna,” he began. He took a long breath before continuing. “I care about you very much. I don’t want to stand in your way though, and I know you want to see Eli and visit his family.”

“Daddy…”

“Let me finish.” He stroked a hand down the back of her head, and she melted under his gentle touch. “I told you I had a plan. Well, here it is. We’ll drive all the way to Oregon, and we can take Lady with us in the RV too. We’ll take the long way there so you can see whatever parts of the county you’ve been wanting to see. You can help me map out our trip. We’ll visit Eli for as long as you’d like. We’ll also…”

Hanna listened as Daddy went on and on about his plan. She thought it was brilliant. He confessed Eli wasn’t thrilled about their relationship, but Daddy was certain he’d come around eventually. They would stay with Eli’s family for as long as Hanna wished, and Daddy said they could go anywhere in the RV. He could bring his laptop and still continue to work on his web design business, and if Hanna never wished to set foot in Pennsylvania again, he’d find a way to make it work. In short, they would still be together in the coming days, together indefinitely.

“I don’t want to lose you, Hanna. I love you very much, and I’d like to be with you and take care of you for as long as you’ll let me.”

Daddy’s profession of love burned into her memory. She’d never forget the moment he’d said he loved her. Not only was he the first person to ever speak of love to her, but he was the first man to teach her about love. He’d always have her gratitude for that, no matter what happened in the years to come.

Joy filled her to overflowing. Grinning wide, she launched on her tiptoes and kissed Daddy on the lips. “I love you too, and I love your plan. This was the best surprise I can think of.” She kissed him again. “Thank you, Daddy.”

Relief spread across his face, and his shoulders relaxed. He squeezed her hand. “Come on. I’ll show you the inside.”

* * *

“Hanna!” Ben called. “Time for your bath!” He strode into the living room where he’d left her while he ran the water. She wasn’t on the floor in front of the TV watching cartoons anymore, and he glanced around as he wondered if she was playing a trick on him. His palm twitched as he also wondered if she was up to something naughty. He suspected she was hiding behind the curtains or the couch. “Hanna, baby girl, you’d better come out by the time I count to three! One. Two. Three.”

Hanna didn’t appear, but a noise in the kitchen caught his attention. Slowly, he crept through the house in the direction of the noise. He peered through the doorway and caught sight of his baby girl pushing a chair up to the refrigerator. Drawing back into the shadows of the hallway, he continued to spy.

She bit her lip and glanced around, as if making sure he wasn’t nearby. The guilty look on her face was so adorable he almost laughed. She crawled up on the chair and reached for the cookie jar he’d placed there earlier. He’d told her if she was a good girl he’d let her have a cookie after dinner tonight. The naughty, naughty little girl was trying to sneak behind his back and sneak a cookie while he ran her bath.

Without speaking, he entered the kitchen, picked her up by the waist, and set her down on the floor. The shock on her face as she gawked up at him was priceless.

“Da—Daddy. I was just… I was…” She bowed her head and shuffled her feet.

“I know very well what you were doing,” he said, crossing his arms. “You were being naughty, Hanna.”

“Yes, Daddy,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”

“You know very well that the cookies were for after dinner. I’m very disappointed that you got up to mischief while I was preparing your bath, baby girl.”

“I won’t do it again,” she said, her eyes pleading.

“I’m glad to hear that, Hanna, and I think a red bottom will help remind you to behave in the future.” He dragged the chair away from the refrigerator and into the center of the kitchen.

“Please don’t spank me, Daddy. My bottom is still sore from this morning.”

“Not sore enough, apparently.” He smirked as he sat down and patted his thigh. “Come on. Over my knee, baby girl. Let’s get your spanking over with quickly so your bathwater doesn’t go cold.”

Her hands flew behind her and she cupped her bottom.

“Hanna,” he warned. “One. Two…”

She hurried to his side before he made it to three. “Please not hard, Daddy.”

Locks of hair obscured her face as she tucked her chin down, staring at the floor with a trembling lower lip. He hated to cause her tears, but he suspected she’d been testing him by leaving the living room. To go soft on her now would be a mistake. He needed to be firm in his discipline, lest she try to get away with naughtier schemes in the future.

He guided her over his lap and rubbed her bottom over her dress. “Baby girls don’t try to sneak cookies before dinner, and baby girls most certainly do not stand on chairs. You could have fallen and hurt yourself.”

“But…”

He swatted her backside twice. “Quiet, Hanna. You know you were naughty, and you know you deserve this spanking, don’t you?”

A defeated sigh left her and her shoulders slumped. “Yes, Daddy.”

Ben decided he’d scolded her enough, so he set into her bottom, spanking her with hard swats over her dress. As he spanked, he peeled back the layers of her skirt, slapping her backside a few times before lifting another layer and giving her more punishment. Redness showed through the last layer of the white fabric, and he flipped it up to reveal her panty-clad bottom.

“Such a naughty baby girl.” He yanked her panties down to her knees.

“Please, Daddy,” she said, squirming. “Please, that’s enough spanking.”

“I decide when you have enough.” With that, he laid into her reddened butt with rapid smacks. Her little legs kicked and she reached back to cup her bottom. Clucking his tongue, Ben gathered her wrists in one hand and secured them at her lower back.

Sobs broke through as her struggles ceased. Her shoulders heaved and her legs stopped kicking. Ben placed a dozen blows to her lower bottom to drive the lesson home before stopping to caress her glowing mounds. A string of apologies flew out of her mouth as she cried, and he lifted and turned her to sit in his lap, needing to comfort his baby girl. Her panties had fallen to the floor, and her heated bare bottom rested on his thighs.

“It’s all right now, baby girl,” he soothed. “Your spanking is over and all is forgiven, all right?”

She sniffled and nodded. “All right.”

He cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “Come on. It’s bath time.”

Ben led her to the master bathroom located in his bedroom. He wiped the last of her tears away with a tissue and dabbed her nose. Adoration shone in her eyes as she gazed at him, and he gave her another hug before tugging her dress over her head.

Hanna rubbed her sore bottom as Daddy tested the bathwater. She never should have left the living room, but she’d been on her way to ask Daddy if she could have one cookie before dinner when she’d decided to sneak one instead. She’d thought she had enough time before he came back. Of course, the thrill of possibly getting caught played a part in her naughtiness too. Her hands cupped her burning backside and she winced. Getting caught hurt.

“Do you have to go potty, baby girl?”

Though he’d taken her to the bathroom a few times today, and a part of her liked being taken care of that way, it still embarrassed her thoroughly. She covered her face and nodded. Daddy picked her up and sat her on the toilet, and she kept her face hidden as she peed.

“Next time we do a baby girl day, Hanna, I’m going to put you in diapers.”

She uncovered her face and stared at him in shook. Her pulse accelerated and her insides fluttered, and her face grew so hot that her ears and neck burned.

“I have never seen you blush so hard, Hanna.” He lifted her off the potty and cleaned her, then helped her into the bathtub.

Hanna sank down in the bubbles, gasping as her tender backside hit the warm water. She was grateful to be able to hide underneath the soapy water, and tried not to think about the shame she’d endure during the next baby girl day, though thinking about it caused heat to surge between her legs.

All the muscles in her body relaxed as Daddy scrubbed her gently with a washcloth. She sat up in the water when he instructed, and lifted her arms and even gave him her feet to scrub.

“All right, baby girl, stand up so Daddy can clean your bottom now.”

“My bottom is clean. I’ve been sitting in hot soapy water.” She was still reeling from his promise to put her in diapers, and now he intended to shame her further. It probably wasn’t smart to argue, but she couldn’t help it. “Please, Daddy, I’d just like to get out of the tub.”