“No!” With a loud cry, she dives forward, slapping her hand over my mouth, her eyes wild with worry. “I want my surprise, I do!”
Tugging her hand away from my face, I raise a brow, doing my best to look stern despite the desire to burst into laughter welling in my chest. “Alexis Paige. Did youlieto Mommy about not liking surprises?”
Pink floods her cheeks as she tugs on her hand, but I keep a firm grip on her. “Technically I saidmaybeI don’t like surprises. So it’s not really a lie. The possibility is always there.”
“This is what I get for picking such a smart Little girl,” I grumble, finally letting the smile I’ve been fighting curve my lips. “You are too intelligent for my own good, Alexis Paige.”
“But Mommy you’re the smartest, prettiest woman in thewhole world.” She bats her lashes at me, and I can’t help but give into the urge to laugh.
“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” I tell her, tapping a finger on her nose.
“Cute enough for you to tell me what my surprise is?”
The car slows and I gesture to the window. “Why don’t you look for yourself?”
Squealing with excitement, she clambers over me to stare out the window. “A farm? Oh! Oh! Are we going to get to play with the animals?”
“Yes, little one.” Though the “animals” aren’t anything like what she’s expecting, I’m sure of it, and I can’t wait to see her reaction to our little petting zoo.
With a happy bounce, she reaches for the door but I stop her with a soft smack to her hand. But if someone were to see her now, cradling her hand against her chest, her green eyes swimming with tears, they could be forgiven for thinking I’d hit her exceptionally hard. Hell, I’m the one who swatted her and even I think I must be a monster, she looks so devastated.
“Wait for Gavin to open the door,” I remind her, keeping my voice low and soothing to ease the sting of having her hand smacked. “Gavin will make sure it’s safe for you to get out.”
Sniffling quietly, she nods. “Okay, Mommy.”
“That’s my good girl.”
A moment later, the door opens, revealing a grinning Gavin. “Are you ready to go see all the animals, little Lexie?”
“Yes!” Now that the door is open, she clambers out, dancing in place as she waits for me. “Hurry, Mommy, hurry!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming, little one. Be patient.” But there’s no heat to my words, only the laughter I can’t quite suppress as I climb out of the car behind her. My own jeans feel odd against my skin, as they’re not an item I generally wear. But itisa farm of sorts, and the thought of coordinating outfits with my Little one was too much fun to pass up.
As was the look in Alexis’s eyes when she first saw my outfit. The hunger in her eyes nearly made us late, and I have plans to take full advantage of herappreciationthe second we get home.
The sound of tires scrunching on gravel distracts me from my thoughts, and I grin as the second car in our entourage pulls up beside ours. Maxwell’s driver opens the door and Victoria spills out with an excited screech, barreling straight toward me.
“Auntie Cat! You came, you came!”
Unlike before, when she vaulted herself at me, clearly expecting me to catch her, Victoria wraps her arms around my waist. Glancing up, I catch Maxwell’s eye and smile my thanks. Clearly he kept his word about telling Victoria I won’t be pickingher up the way I used to anymore, and I can only hope the others filled their Little ones in as well.
As if my thoughts have conjured them, four more cars pull in behind ours and one by one my nieces practically leap from their vehicles to run toward me, all of them throwing themselves at my waist as they chatter excitedly.
“Lexie!” Turning toward my babygirl, who is standing off to the side looking somewhat lost, Victoria squeals and races toward her, throwing her arms around Alexis’s neck. “Are you so excited for the petting zoo? What animal do you wanna see first? The cows are my favorite but the ponies aresoelegant. And there’s a barn kitty that Juliet keeps asking to take home with her, but I don’t think Bridgette is going to let her.”
“I’m thinking about it.” Striding out of the barn wearing her signature flannel and worn jeans, Bridgette grins. “Dinah has been extra bratty lately. I think she’s feeling restless, even though she has all this space to wander around. Some kitties just do better in a home environment.”
“See, Daddy?” Juliet tugs on Jasper’s sleeve, her expression pleading. “Sheneedsus!”
“And who is going to take care of her?” Despite his obvious reservations, Jasper’s eyes dance with amusement. “Make sure she has food and water and smack her bottom when she gets into mischief?”
“Daddy!” Wide-eyed with horror, Juliet slaps a hand over her chest. “You can’t spank a kitty! That’s—that’s animal abuse!”
Bridgette snorts out a laugh. “Trust me, Dinah is perfectly happy getting her bottom spanked when she’s in the mood for it. She’d be miserable in a home where she didn’t get swatted at least once a day.”
“Is that so?” Looking more intrigued now, Jasper hums beneath his breath. “I might know someone who would be interested in a kitten like that…”
“We’ll talk later, then.” Clapping her hands together once, Bridgette looks around at all our Little ones and grins. “For now, who wants to milk a cow?”
