“No, baby.” Sliding her arms around me, Mommy’s gaze finds mine in the reflection. “You look beautiful. The most gorgeous Little girl in the world. And you’re all mine.”
“I’ve never really felt beautiful before. I know it’s just the dress, but?—”
Her arms tighten around me, cutting off my rushed justification. “The dress is beautiful because you’re in it, Alexis Paige. Not the other way around. You are, and always have been, the most beautiful girl in the world. I hope someday you’ll learn to believe me when I tell you that.”
Meeting her dark gaze in the mirror, I can almost believe it. “Thank you, Mommy.”
“You’re welcome, little imp. Do you want to come help Mommy get dressed and put on her makeup before your uncles arrive?”
“Can I have makeup too?”
She hesitates, but just for a moment before her lips curve. “Of course, baby. But just a tiny bit. Little girls don’t need all that gunk on their faces.”
“You don’t, either, Mommy. You’re so pretty.” The words come out as a sigh, because I mean every bit of it. Catharina Montgomery is easily the most stunning woman in the world, with or without makeup.
Chuckling, she presses a kiss to my cheek. “What a sweet girl you are, Alexis Paige. Come, let’s go get ready for our guests.”
Catharina
Getting dressed for dinner with my Little girl wandering around, touching everything in sight and asking a million questions is everything I’d ever dreamed of. She’s adorable, and when I settle onto the seat in front of my vanity, she plops right down on thefloor beside the stool, staring up at me with a hint of awe in her eyes as I begin the process of putting on my face.
Every few steps, I pause and include her in the process. Swiping a single coat of mascara onto her already long lashes, dabbing a bit of color into her cheeks. Not so much that she doesn't still look like the sweet Little girl she is, but enough to highlight her features.
It’s… cozy. Surprisingly so, given how much she fought me at the beginning. But she seems to be settling into her new life here on the island, with me, better than I ever could have dreamed.
I’m almost loath to pierce our happy little bubble by bringing the others into the mix. But there are traditions to be upheld, and I am eager to get my cock into my pretty Little girl as soon as possible.
“There we go.” With one final little dab of blush to the end of her adorable nose, I smile down at her. “My pretty little baby.”
“Really?” Rising up onto her knees, she presses herself against me so that we are both visible in the reflection of my vanity mirror. “I guess I do look kinda pretty, huh?”
“You look beautiful, my love. Come with Mommy now.”
Rising from my stool, I hold out my hand and she happily takes it, allowing me to pull her up to walk beside me as we head downstairs.
As I’d expected, some of our family has already arrived. Maxwell, Jasper, and Gideon are all settled in the parlor, their Little ones playing at their feet. My heart leaps at the sight of them, my family in my house, waiting for our final “Welcome to the family” dinner.
“Auntie Cat!” With a squeal of excitement, Victoria jumps to her feet and races toward me, prepared to throw herself into my arms.
Out of sheer habit, I brace to pick her up, to twirl her around as I always have. But my conversation with Alexis from thismorning is still fresh in my mind, so I crouch instead, wrapping my arms around Victoria and pulling her into a hug without picking her up.
When I pull away, there’s a flicker of confusion in Victoria’s large eyes, but she doesn’t question the change. She simply steps aside for the others to have their hugs, though I can feel her watching me the entire time. Guilt pricks at my chest, but I quickly shove it away. As much as I love Victoria, she isn’tmyLittle girl. Alexis is my priority now, and if it helps her even a little bit to not see me picking up the other girls, then it’s a small enough sacrifice to make.
Hugs given, I rise to my feet again and smile down at my Little one. “Do you want to go play with your friends, little imp?”
She hesitates, just a moment, before nodding. “Yes, Mommy.”
“Good girl. Mommy will be right over there on the couch if you need me.”
Nudging her toward her friends, I watch as Victoria takes Alexis by the hand, dragging her over to where they’ve all been playing, seemingly no worse for wear.
Maxwell, however, is watching me with carefully blank eyes that give no indication what he might be feeling as I claim the tall wingback armchair they all know I prefer. Settling back, I lock my gaze with his, one brow slowly raising in question. “Something you want to say to me, Maxwell?”
“Just wondering if there’s something we should be aware of.”
I start to brush him off, but I hesitate, weighing the options. If it were my Little girl suddenly being treated differently by one of her uncles, I would want to know why.
“Alexis is a bit… sensitive about the fact that she’s not as petite as the other girls. So I’m trying to not rub it in her face by picking the others up when I can’t do the same for her.”
