She spots me first, her face lighting up even as she rolls her eyes. “Finally. I didn’t think you were ever gonna get down here.”
“I am really starting to think your Daddy doesn't spank you enough,” Auntie Cat says with a shake of her head, but she’s not quite able to hide her smile. “What shemeansto say is, we’re all very excited to have you, Millie, and we have some presents for you.”
All eyes are on me again as Uncle Gideon steps forward holding a small box. “This is from me and your Uncle Evan, little one.”
“Go on,” Daddy encourages me quietly as he sets me on my feet in the middle of the room. “Open it.”
Despite my nerves over being the center of attention, excitement bubbles in my stomach as I rip off the wrapping paper and open the pretty velvet box inside.
“Oh! It’s lovely!” Nestled on the white satin inside is a locket engraved with a swirling “M”.
Lifting the necklace from the box, Uncle Evan drapes it around my neck. “All of our Little ones wear a locket just like this one. It’s very important that you don’t take it off without your Daddy’s permission, though. Do you understand me, Millie?”
I’m not really sure why it’s important, but I nod anyway, unwilling to mar this perfect moment by arguing with him. “Yes, Sir. I understand.”
“Good girl.”
Next up is Uncle Jasper, who hands me a much larger white box withLittle Treasures Boutiquestamped on the side. My hands tremble as I slowly lift the lid. I’ve been by that store dozens of times since I moved to the island, longingly staring in the window at treasures I know I could never afford.
Inside is the most beautiful tiara I’ve ever seen. Gems in every shade of yellow possible are wrapped in shimmering gold.It looks like a sunburst, and I’m reminded of my Daddy’s nickname for me as I stare down at it.
“This is too much.” Shaking my head, I hold it out to him. “I can’t accept this.”
“Of course you can, sweetheart. It’s a gift.”
“Yes. A very, very expensive gift.”
Uncle Jasper simply smiles and lifts the tiara from the box. “Nothing is too much for my pretty little niece. Besides, it’s tradition and you’re part of the family now.”
Well… I suppose if it’s tradition, then it would be rude to refuse, right?
Standing perfectly still, I let him fix the tiara in my curls. Uncle Max produces a large mirror from somewhere and a loud gasp escapes me before I’m able to smother it.
“I look like a princess,” I whisper. “Thank you, Uncle Jasper!”
He catches me when I throw myself at him, laughing as he swings me up in the air. “And what a pretty princess you are.”
When he puts me down again, I spin around, looking for my Daddy. “Look, Daddy! I’m a princess!”
“You certainly are. My beautiful princess of the sun.”
Taking my hand, he twirls me around, and I give myself over to the moment, giggling wildly as I twirl, my dress fanning out around me with every turn. It’s the best night of my life, and we haven’t even finished dinner yet.
“Thank you all so much. This is just… it’s all too much. But I love them. Thank you.”
Auntie Cat dabs at pretend tears. “Seriously, she is just thesweetestthing, Donovan.”
Daddy looks down at me, his expression brighter than I've ever seen it. “She is. She makes me very proud to be her Daddy.”
Love swells in my chest, and for a moment I’m tempted to give voice to it. To tell him, in front of all our family, how much I love him.
But then a man steps into the room and clears his throat, and the moment is lost.
“Ladies and gentlemen. Dinner is served.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Donovan
