“That she does, little thief. Your Auntie Cat did an excellent job with them.”
One by one, my friends grab their dolls from the cart, cooing over them as they show them off to their Daddies. Until there’s only one doll left.
“Don’t you like your doll, little imp?”
It’s the note of uncertainty in her voice that has me turning to her. “She’s perfect,” I whisper, the words thick in my throat as I rush forward to wrap my arms around her, my face pressed against her soft breasts. “Thank you, Mommy. I love her.”
“You’re welcome, my love. She isn’t quite as pretty as my little girl, but she’s as close as we could get.”
Rising up on my tiptoes, I tilt my head back, inviting her to kiss me. A smile curves Mommy’s lips before she leans in to brush her lips over mine.
It’s sweet. Almost chaste. And yet my entire body ignites at that simple touch and I press myself closer to her with a whimper.
The kiss changes in a fingersnap, Mommy’s arms tightening around me as her lips move on mine, harsh and demanding. Forcing me to open for her, which I do with another little sound of surrender. The world around us falls away as I sink into the kiss, intoher, my entire body on fire and aching for more of her commanding touch.
But before I can get more, we’re interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Dazed, I turn my head toward the sound and find Gavin watching us with a twinkle in his eye.
“Dinner… is served.”
Catharina
Watching my little imp strut around with her new tiara, clutching a mini version of herself to her chest is quite possibly the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen. Cute enough that I don’t bother to scold her when she pouts about being forced intoher highchair for dinner, or when she wrinkles her nose at the broccoli on her plate.
Spearing a green tree, I hold it up to her lips. “Open up, little one. You need to eat your veggies.”
“No, thank you.” She says it so primly, I have to fight the urge to laugh.
It takes significant effort to force my expression into stern lines. “Then Mommy will have to spank you, and you won’t be allowed any dessert. Is that what you want?”
Her bottom lip puffs out, trembling slightly. “No, Mommy. But broccolis aresoyucky. It doesn’t even have cheese on it!”
God, she’s adorable. Notquiteadorable enough for me to relent on the broccoli, however. “It doesn’t, but there’s plenty of seasoning to make it taste better. And you know how important it is for Little girls to eat their veggies.”
“Nuh-uh. That’s just a lie grown-ups tell to make us eat gross green things.”
Down the table, Jasper snorts out a laugh and I turn to level him with a glare despite the amusement bubbling in my own chest.
But Jasper’s laughter doesn’t last very long. Juliet sits back, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “I’m not eating any more veggies either!”
Indignant cries ring out around the table, and I bite back a sigh as I turn my attention back to my Little girl. Alexis is sitting up even straighter, a smirk tugging at her lips.
“Alexis Paige.”
Her eyes widen slightly at the steel in my tone.
“You have two choices. Either you set a good example as the hostess of this party by eating your veggies, or Mommy will bend you over this table right now and borrow your Uncle Evan’s belt to spank your naughty bottom until you can’t sit comfortably the rest of the night. Which is it going to be?”
For a moment, I’m almost sure she’s going to choose the second option. Her face screws up in defiance, and the entire table falls silent, waiting for her response.
But then she sighs, her shoulders slumping forward, and she nods. “I’ll eat my veggies, Mommy.”
Pride wells in my chest. “That’s my good girl,” I praise as I lift the little tree to her lips again. She does indeed take the vegetable, her nose wrinkling slightly as she chews, and I make a note to tell Gavin we won’t be having broccoli without cheese again.
Around the table, the rest of my nieces follow suit, solemnly eating little bites of broccoli until they’ve all cleared their plates.
Once everyone has finished, I look around, my gaze landing on each of my “brothers” in turn, excitement building in my veins with each subtle nod of their heads.
This is it. The moment I’ve longed for ever since Maxwell claimed his own Little girl at our very first family dinner. Rising from my chair, I unbuckle Alexis from her highchair and help her down.
