Despite everything we heard on the monitor yesterday, I’m inclined to believe her. She sounds so earnest, and her eyes are filled with what I could almost believe is remorse.
“Good girl. Now, take Daddy’s hand and we can go say hello to Tori and Uncle Max.”
Obediently, she slips her hand back in mine, and we take the last few steps together. Maxwell greets me with an understanding smile and a slight shrug, as if to say he understands all too well the struggle of keeping an excitable Little girl in line. Which he certainly does.
We each release our Little ones so they can embrace, and I can’t help but grin as we watch them jump up and down together as if they didn’t just see each other less than twenty-four hours ago. As pouty as she was after her visit with Doctor D, it pleases me to see it’s obviously not done her any permanent harm.
“Daddy, hurryup!”
We all turn as a group toward the new voice, to see Juliet and Jasper on the other side of the street, the former glaring up at her stepbrother-turned-Daddy and stomping her foot. Jasper simply shakes his head and laughs at his Little girl’s antics, then leans down to whisper something in her ear that brings an adorable red flush to her cheeks as she shakes her head vehemently back and forth.
Gripping Juliet’s hand, Jasper makes a show of looking both ways despite the lack of traffic on the street before crossing. Only once they’re both safely on the sidewalk does he release her hand so she can run and join the other two Little girls anxiously awaiting her arrival. After a few more minutes of jumping and hugging and excited predictions as to what their “surprise” could be, Maxwell clears his throat.
“All right, little ones. Are you ready for your surprise?”
Cheers erupt from the small group in front of us, and we all laugh at their exuberance. “Okay, then. Hands over your eyes and no peeking!”
The girls immediately cover their eyes, and we usher them into the building behind us. When we’re safely ensconced in the brightly lit store, I lean down to whisper in Isabella’s ear.
“Surprise, little doll. Open your eyes.”
* * *
Isabella
An odd combination of fear and excitement hums along my skin as I wait with my hands over my eyes and my breath stuck in my throat.
“Surprise, little doll. Open your eyes.”
Excited as I am, I still hesitate to actually remove my hands from my eyes. But it’s the excited squeals of my friends that convince me it’s safe to do so, and I slowly lower my hands.
My mouth falls open at the sight that greets me. It doesn't matter that I am well into my twenties, I don’t think anyone ever outgrows the joy of a toy store. Especially not one like this. It seems to stretch on forever, rows and rows of every toy a Little boy or girl could possibly dream of. To our right is a wall of stuffed animals stacked all the way up to the ceiling, from your everyday teddy bears to more extravagant unicorns and other fantasy creatures.
Turning around, I look up at Daddy, and my heart leaps in my chest at the indulgent smile stretched across his face. “You brought me to a toy store.”
“I did. Your nursery is well stocked but every Little girl should make a trip to pick out her own toys on a regular basis.”
I don’t want to feel gratitude, or this swell of affection for the monster in front of me. But my heart is a traitorous bitch, and it obviously has a mind of its own.
And despite everything else he’s put me through, itissort of a sweet gesture. Without really even thinking it through, I find myself stepping forward to wrap my arms around his waist. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome, little one. Now, go, find yourself something fun.”
When I turn back around, Juju and Tori are waiting for me. Tori holds her hand out to me and with a happy squeal, I run forward to grab her hand and we take off down the first aisle we see.
For what feels like hours, we browse the store, cooing over baby dolls and playsets and everything else we can get our hands on.
After a very serious discussion regarding an adult-sized play kitchen Tori has her heart set on, we make our way down another aisle. Giggling, Juju picks up a very realistic “doctor” kit, complete with a long white coat and everything an aspiring medical professional could want for a thorough exam.
“Anyone wanna play doctor?”
Wrinkling my nose, I shake my head vehemently. “No, thank you. I just came from Doctor D’s, and if I never step foot in a doctor’s office again it’ll be too soon.”
Sympathy flashes across my friends’ faces and Victoria rushes forward to throw her arms around my neck. “Poor Izzy! Doctor D is theworst.”
“I keep trying to figure out what the D stands for,” Juju says, her expression twisting into a scowl. “All I’ve come up with so far is Dickhead.”
The suggestion shocks a giggle out of me. “Deranged. Demonic.”
