✅ My Cousin's Keeper [NaNoWriMo 2021]

58. My Forward Planning

I managed more house cleaning on Sunday than normal, but I was mostly just passing time. Something had come up, and then something else. It was only a few days since I had spent any time with Ffrances, but it was starting to feel like forever. I did my best to make sure Tess felt comfortable, but I knew that there was still something missing there. Almost like she wasn't quite trusting me enough, and I knew that was something I had to work on. But turning someone into a little is a delicate process, and I knew I couldn't rush. I knew that she was still wetting the bed whenever I told her to, but it was hard to tell if any of the triggers for daytime accidents had actually worked. And until I could be sure what was happening in her head, I couldn't make proper plans to ensure she was in the proper emotional state to accept more babying.

That was something else I wanted to talk to Ffrances about. But as luck would have it, I didn't even need to ask. It was one of those times that I was really thankful to whatever divine being had set my life on a collision course with hers; because we were exactly on the same wavelength, and thinking about the same things. It was almost the first question out of her mouth, when she arrived just after four and found me hovering around the front door.

"Wow, somebody missed me," she chuckled.

"You're addictive. I need my fix."

"Sure, I'll fix you. But I need to ask about Tess's plans. Would you like to skip the cutscene and go straight to action, or have a sensible conversation like adults first?"

"I... you know what I'd like," I answered. "But that's not the important thing right now. We need to make sure the little one is happy first, so if you think something needs discussing, that takes priority."

"Yes, Miss," she chuckled, and I knew that I would be paying for that comment later. I always did; Ffrances liked to dictate the agenda, and when she made it easy for me to seize control I always knew that there would be consequences if I took her up on that.

We sat at the kitchen table to talk. The lounge might have been a little more comfortable, but it also had more distractions. Especially given that I could hear the faint strains of music coming from the nursery. If we sat in the lounge we would be able to hear it more clearly, and we would spend some time just admiring how well she could play, rather than dealing with things that I should have organised earlier.

"So, I think we need to do something nice for Tess for Christmas," I said, once I had set the coffee machine running and got comfortable. "It's a holiday for children, which means it's even more important to littles. I should have organised something special, but I've been too distracted by work for the last few weeks."

"Distracted?" A raised eyebrow added more to that question than a hundred words.

"Something stressful happened. Mostly because of my stupidity; but I nearly got myself in a lot of trouble. I know better now, I won't do it again, and all the trouble has finally blown over. So there's no need for you to worry about it, and I think I'd be too embarrassed to say."

"I could ask you," she said, and I found myself getting more excited. She could, I knew. If she touched me in just the right place, it was impossible to lie to her. And that feeling of helplessness made me feel more alive than anything else. Being forced to confess that I was reading smut at work would be humiliating, but if it was Ffrances compelling me I could still get turned on by the proof of how much control she had.

"Tess," I said, bringing the conversation back on track. I didn't want to let all of my ideas slip away. "She needs something special for Christmas."

"Right," she nodded. "We can talk about the other thing later. First up, what's the schedule? She's put a sticker on the calendar for Friday, I assume that's her last day of school. Now, when I first met her she said the plan was for her to visit her parents for a few days. Do you know yet when her flights are going to be, and if we'll need to drive her to the airport?"