“What’s wrong, little imp?” I ask softly, pulling her attention up to me.
“Nothing.” Her mouth curves up in a smile, but there’s a tightness to it that matches the sadness still lingering in her eyes.
For once in my life, I’m not sure of my next move. Clearly, my Little one is upset about something. But it’s just as clear that she doesn’t want to share, and the thought of forcing her to bare her soul with our entire family watching doesn’t sit well with me.
Later, then. When we’re back home and it’s just the two of us, I will pull my babygirl’s secrets from her.
For now, we have a new stuffie friend to find.
Alexis
Taking my hand, Mommy smiles down at me, but it doesn’t look quite like her normal smile. It looks as forced as mine feels, and there’s a little twist of guilt in my tummy.
“Let’s go find you a new friend, my sweet little imp.”
She doesn’tsoundupset, so I tell myself that it was just my imagination. Doing my best to set my own jumbled feelings aside, I follow her into the largest toy store I’ve ever seen. Rows and rows of every toy a Little girl or Little boy could ever want line the space and a shocked gasp slips from my lips.
Beside me, Mommy chuckles softly. “It’s quite impressive, isn’t it, little one?”
“There’s somany,” I breathe, craning my neck in an effort to take everything in. “Oh!”
Dropping her hand, I rush forward, my fingers trembling slightly as I pick up the box I’ve been dreaming of my entire life. My parents wouldn’t let me have the little toy oven as a child, no matter how much I begged and pleaded for one.
And now here it is, in my hands. Clutching it to me, I look up at Mommy, putting every bit of pleading I can manage into my eyes. “Can I have it, Mommy,please?I’ll be so, so good, I promise!”
Her expression shifts, and my heart plummets into my stomach even before she speaks. “I’m sorry, little one, but no. You were very rude to Millie earlier, and rude Little girls don’t get extra toys.”
Blinking back fresh tears—I swear I’ve cried more on this damn island than I have in my entire life—I slowly return the box to its shelf.
“My sweet baby.” Mommy crouches beside me, running a hand over my hair, and for a moment I’d swear she almost feels guilty about denying me. “We can come back another time for the toy. But Little girls need consequences when they’re naughty so they can learn. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mommy.”
An emotion that almost looks like relief flickers over her face as she rewards me with a bright smile. “That’s my good girl. Would you like to go see the stuffies now?”
“Okay.”
At my dejected response, she sighs, but doesn’t relent. Rising to her feet again, she presses a kiss to my forehead before taking my hand in hers and guiding me through a door into a section of the toy store that seems almost like its own shop.
Every inch of every wall is lined with stuffed animals. From traditional teddy bears to more exotic animals like iguanas and what I think might even be a platypus, this section of the store is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
“Go on, baby. Pick out a new friend for us to take home.”
“I don’t even know where to start,” I say with a shaky laugh.
“We’ll help you!” Looping her arm through mine, Victoria drags me away from my Mommy, the other girls trailing close behind. “Picking out your first stuffie is serious business.”
Her expression is so somber, I can’t help but giggle. “Is it?”
“It is,” Natalie agrees with a nod, though her eyes are sparkling with a hint of mischief. “What kind of animals do you like?”
“Um, I don’t really know. All kinds, I guess.”
Juliet rolls her eyes. “That’s such a cop-out! You have to have a favorite.”
Beside her, Isabella frowns and swats Juliet’s arm. “Don’t be mean, Juju.”
“I’m not being mean!” Pausing, Juliet tilts her head, her nose scrunching in thought. “Am I being mean?”
