Avery giggles, which I find oddly calming. It reminds me she also lives in some sort of age play arrangement. She grabs her husband’s arm as they step inside. “Andrew and I have been looking for a house. He saw yours and set up this appointment without telling me where it was. I didn’t fully grasp where we were heading until he parked out front.” She giggles again.
Daddy shakes Andrew’s hand. “Come on in.” He turns toward me and reaches out a hand, still speaking to Avery and Andrew. “You haven’t met my better half.”
I take a deep breath and approach, trying to plaster a grownup smile on my face. It’s jarring, and I’m nervous. I kind of like how Daddy referred to me though. As soon as I’m in his reach, he wraps a possessive arm around me and pulls me into his side. “Leah, this is my ex-wife Avery and her husband Andrew.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, sounding ridiculous to my ears.
Avery smiles warmly. “So nice to meet you too.” She shifts her grin to Daddy. “I’d heard through the grapevine that you’d met someone, but we haven’t spoken in a long time. I’m so happy for you.”
She seems genuine, so I try to relax.
I also notice she’s not any more adult right now than me. Daddy told me she’s a middle, but I don’t know how much of her life she spends in that space. I’m guessing a lot because even though I know she’s the same age as Daddy, forty-five, she doesn’t look it. She has on dark purple leather tennis shoes, black leggings, and a flowy brightly colored shirt with swirls of red, pink, blue, purple, green, and yellow.
Andrew sets a hand on her shoulder and tips her head back. “We might be intruding, honey.”
She scrunches up her face and shifts her gaze back to me and then Daddy. “Right. Sorry.”
Daddy shakes his head. “No worries at all. I’ve been meaning to get in touch with you and let you know I was selling the house, but we’ve been so busy. Come on in. Look around. I remodeled the entire house in the last few years.”
Avery glances around, seeming to take everything in for the first time. “Wow,” she says as she wanders a few steps toward the kitchen. “You did an amazing job. I love it.”
“Thank you. I wish I’d had the time to do all these renovations ten years ago, but it couldn’t be helped.”
“Yeah. You can’t renovate a home from the Middle East,” Avery says. There’s no malice in her voice. She’s just stating a fact.
Daddy doesn’t release me.
Avery wanders into the kitchen to look at the cabinets and counters closer. “Craig, you outdid yourself. I love it.” She giggles. “Imagine me buying my home back from my ex-husband.”
I smile. That would be funny.
Andrew joins her, also looking around. “I mean, it’s got everything we’ve been looking for and it’s in our price range. It’s not a bad idea.”
Avery grabs his arm and looks up at him. “Kinda crazy.”
He shrugs and then tips her head back with a finger under her chin and kisses her as if she hangs the moon. Their obvious love is palpable. It calms me considerably. That and the fact that they haven’t judged me. They must assume I’m not just little but take on a very young role since that was the precise point of contention between Daddy and Avery that truly split them up.
Daddy chuckles. “It is pretty coincidental, but hey, I’d love for you to have it if you’re interested. At least I’d know it was in good hands after all the work I’ve done.”
“Do you mind if we look at the rest?” Avery asks.
“Nope. Go ahead. Would you like us to leave or at least step out back? That had been our intention before I saw it was you.”
“Goodness no. You’re fine.” Avery drags her husband down the hallway.
I turn around so that I’m facing Daddy. My heart is pounding. When strangers come to see the house, they’re left to assume a young girl lives here. But Avery and Andrew are about to learn something about me that I don’t share with many people.
Daddy rubs my back, his brows coming together. “You okay, sweetheart? We can leave or go outside if you’re uncomfortable.”
“I’m okay, I think.” I mean that. I’m stressed but it’s not too bad.
Daddy leads me to the sectional and sits in the corner, pulling me onto his lap. He kisses me as he wraps his arms possessively around me and pats my bottom. “I’m proud of you,” he whispers.
“Thank you, Daddy.”
A few minutes later, Avery and Andrew return. Avery is gushing. “Craig, I just love it. The bathrooms are fantastic. You did such a great job.” They round to our side of the sectional.
“Thank you. I’m happy with how it turned out.” Daddy motions to the couch. “Please. Sit.”
Andrew lowers cautiously in the opposite corner while Avery plops down next to him with far less finesse. More like a tween, which I suppose she is. She’s grinning when she looks at me. “I adore your room. It’s perfect.”
“Thank you,” I manage, my face heating. I wring my hands and look away.
“Please don’t be embarrassed. If you saw my room at our condo, your eyes would bug out of your head.”
Andrew chuckles, his voice deep. “She’s not kidding. It’s like a hurricane. The colors are so bright they hurt my eyes. She has more boy band posters than wall space. And I can’t see the floor for all the discarded clothes and art supplies. No amount of discipline seems to convince her to clean her room.”
Avery rolls her eyes at him, but when he lifts a brow in warning, she squirms and tucks her hands under her butt.
I’m fascinated by their dynamic.
“Would you like to apologize, sassy girl, or would you like to leave here with a bottom so sore that you can’t sit still in the car?”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
He pats her thigh. “I thought so.”
Suddenly, any nervous tension I felt disappears. Avery and I are no different except I’m closer to five and she’s closer to twelve.
Daddy shudders dramatically. “And that, Andrew, is why you’re married to her instead of me,” he jokes. “The two of us may have learned the ropes of age play together, but when Avery took a right turn and headed toward the teen aisle, I couldn’t back up that train fast enough.”
Andrew laughs. “Not gonna lie. It’s challenging.” He pulls his wife in closer to his side and kisses her cheek. “But it’s rewarding too.” He pats Avery on the thigh. “We should go, honey. If you really like this house, we can make them an offer, but we’ll discuss it at home.”
“Of course.” Avery jumps to her feet as Andrew rises next to her.
Daddy stands next, still holding me for a moment before he lets me ease to the floor against him. We follow our guests to the door.
“It was so nice meeting you, Leah,” Avery says.
“You too.”
Andrew shakes Daddy’s hand. “We’ll call you.”
“Sounds good.” Daddy holds me to his front as we watch them walk to their car. As soon as Daddy shuts the door, he shakes his head. “That’s just crazy. What are the chances?”
I stretch my arms and he picks me up so I can wrap my arms and legs around him, putting us face to face. “Very weird, but I’m glad I met her. She’s nice. I was so nervous at first.”
He pats my bottom. “I know you were, sweetheart, but you were perfectly polite and gracious, and I’m glad you’ve met Avery and Andrew too.” He carries me down the hallway and into the master bedroom. The expression on his face is unreadable. His eyes are twinkling with some sort of secret mischief.
He leans over the bed and drops me onto the mattress.
I giggle as I bounce, thinking he must be really pleased with whatever just happened if he wants to have sex the moment they leave.
But he doesn’t start pulling off my clothes. Instead, he reaches for the bedside table and opens the drawer. A moment later, he’s holding out a small jewelry box and smiling from ear to ear.
“Daddy?” I can’t breathe as I sit up, shaking.
&
nbsp; “I don’t like floundering for a way to introduce you to people,” he says.
I smile. “You mean as your better half? I thought it was endearing.”
He chuckles. “Well, I’d rather use fiancée or wife if you don’t mind.” He pops open the little box to reveal a stunning pink diamond solitaire.
I gasp. “Oh my God.”
He drops to one knee on the floor next to the bed. “Leah Sherwin, will you marry me?”
I shift my gaze from the ring to his face. He looks so serious and the most nervous I’ve ever seen him.
He clears his throat when I don’t answer him immediately. “I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person, sweetheart. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. I don’t care what that looks like. I love all your personas. I know over time we may shift our dynamic until it looks nothing like it does right now, but I’m going to love you just the same, no matter if you’re my little girl or my equal adult wife. Please say yes.”
I smile so wide it hurts and nod. “Yes.” The word comes out breathy. I’m so stunned and so happy.
Daddy takes the ring out of the box and eases it onto my finger. “Beautiful.”
I stare at it on my hand for a moment. “It really is. Stunning. I love it.” I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and almost knocking him to the floor. “And I love you.”
He comes to his feet, taking me with him before lowering me over the bed and hovering over me. “I love you too, sweetheart. I can’t wait to start this new adventure with you.”
I giggle. “We still have no idea what we’re even going to do with that giant house.”
He shrugs. “We’ll figure it out. No rush. We’ve got time. Whatever we do, it’s going to be amazing.”
“It really is.” I tug him toward me. “Kiss me, Daddy.”
“Where?” he teases as his lips come to my neck. “Here?” He switches to my shoulder. “Here?”
He slides his mouth down, pushes my sweater up, and kisses my tummy. “Here?”
I’m laughing as I pull on his biceps. “Yes. All of those places. But first my mouth please.”
The moment his lips meet mine, I melt into the kiss, into his arms. I know a lot of changes are coming our way, but I’m so happy, and I’m certain we can handle anything. Together.
Want to learn more about Avery and Andrew’s story?! You’re in luck! Rewarding Avery will be included in the 2021 Dirty Daddies Anniversary Anthology! I’m so excited to join the amazing authors in that anthology and hope you enjoy finding out how Avery and Andrew met and follow their path to a rewarding happily ever after.
Coming Spring of 2022: Blossom Ridge. Blossom Ridge is a spin-off series from Surrender featuring Craig and Leah, their staff, and all the Littles and their Daddies who come to visit Blossom Ridge!
Author’s Note
Thank you for enjoying this ninth book in my Surrender series. The links for the entire series are listed below. If you’re a fan of my BDSM, and you’d like to try another series, I suggest you try my Emergence series or my Club Zodiac series.
Surrender:
Raising Lucy
Teaching Abby
Leaving Roman
Choosing Kellen
Pleasing Josie
Honoring Hudson
Nurturing Britney
Charming Colton
Convincing Leah
Surrender Box Set One
Surrender Box Set Two
Emergence series:
Bound to be Taken
Club Zodiac:
Training Sasha
Also by Becca Jameson
The Wanderers:
Sanctuary
Refuge
Harbor
Surrender:
Raising Lucy
Teaching Abby
Leaving Roman
Choosing Kellen
Pleasing Josie
Honoring Hudson
Nurturing Britney
Charming Colton
Convincing Leah
Surrender Box Set One
Surrender Box Set Two
Open Skies:
Layover
Redeye
Nonstop
Standby
Takeoff
Jetway
Open Skies Box Set One
Shadow SEALs:
Shadow in the Desert
Delta Team Three (Special Forces: Operation Alpha):
Destiny’s Delta
Canyon Springs:
Caleb’s Mate
Hunter’s Mate
Corked and Tapped:
Volume One: Friday Night
Volume Two: Company Party
Volume Three: The Holidays
Project DEEP:
Reviving Emily
Reviving Trish
Reviving Dade
Reviving Zeke
Reviving Graham
Reviving Bianca
Reviving Olivia
Project DEEP Box Set One
Project DEEP Box Set Two
SEALs in Paradise:
Hot SEAL, Red Wine
Hot SEAL, Australian Nights
Hot SEAL, Cold Feet
Hot SEAL, April’s Fool
Dark Falls:
Dark Nightmares
Club Zodiac:
Training Sasha
Obeying Rowen
Collaring Brooke
Mastering Rayne
Trusting Aaron
Claiming London
Sharing Charlotte
Taming Rex
Tempting Elizabeth
Club Zodiac Box Set One
Club Zodiac Box Set Two
Club Zodiac Box Set Three
The Art of Kink:
Pose
Paint
Sculpt
Arcadian Bears:
Grizzly Mountain
Grizzly Beginning
Grizzly Secret
Grizzly Promise
Grizzly Survival
Grizzly Perfection
Arcadian Bears Box Set One
Arcadian Bears Box Set Two
Sleeper SEALs:
Saving Zola
Spring Training:
Catching Zia
Catching Lily
Catching Ava
Spring Training Box Set
The Underground series:
Force
Clinch
Guard
Submit
Thrust
Torque
The Underground Box Set One
The Underground Box Set Two
Saving Sofia (Special Forces: Operations Alpha)
Wolf Masters series:
Kara’s Wolves
Lindsey’s Wolves
Jessica’s Wolves
Alyssa’s Wolves
Tessa’s Wolf
Rebecca’s Wolves
Melinda’s Wolves
Laurie’s Wolves
Amanda’s Wolves
Sharon’s Wolves
Wolf Masters Box Set One
Wolf Masters Box Set Two
Claiming Her series:
The Rules
The Game
The Prize
Claiming Her Box Set
Emergence series:
Bound to be Taken
Bound to be Tamed
Bound to be Tested
Bound to be Tempted
Emergence Box Set
The Fight Club series:
Come
Perv
Need
Hers
Want
Lust
The Fight Club Box Set One
The Fight Club Box Set Two
Wolf Gatherings series:
Tarnished
Dominated
Completed
Redeemed
Abandoned
Betrayed
Wolf Gatherings Box Set One
Wolf Gathering Box Set Two
Durham Wolves s
eries:
Rescue in the Smokies
Fire in the Smokies
Freedom in the Smokies
Durham Wolves Box Set
Stand Alone Books:
Blind with Love
Guarding the Truth
Out of the Smoke
Abducting His Mate
Three’s a Cruise
Wolf Trinity
Frostbitten
A Princess for Cale/A Princess for Cain
About the Author
Becca Jameson is a USA Today best-selling author of over 100 books. She is well-known for her Wolf Masters series, her Fight Club series, and her Club Zodiac series. She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and her Goldendoodle. Two grown kids pop in every once in a while too! She is loving this journey and has dabbled in a variety of genres, including paranormal, sports romance, military, and BDSM.
A total night owl, Becca writes late at night, sequestering herself in her office with a glass of red wine and a bar of dark chocolate, her fingers flying across the keyboard as her characters weave their own stories.
During the day--which never starts before ten in the morning!--she can be found jogging, running errands, or reading in her favorite hammock chair!
…where Alphas dominate…
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Convincing Leah (Surrender Book 9) Page 26