Eyes round, she hesitantly makes her way over to the stack. “All of them?”
“Every single one,” Maxwell confirms with the indulgent sort of smile I’ve only seen him wear around the Little ones. “We had to guess at sizes on a few things based on the information your Daddy gave us, but I can take anything that doesn’t fit back to the island for adjustments.” His gaze returns to me, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Though Solene wasveryinsistent that you will need to bring her to the island for an in-person fitting sometime soon.”
“What island?” Lanie asks, a frown tugging at her lips.
“It’s where we live!” Her punishment seemingly forgotten already, Tori hops off her Daddy’s lap and hurries over to help Lanie open the first box. “It’s beautiful and always summer, which is kind of nice but I miss having real seasons. And snow. I miss snow so much. Can we build a snowman while we’re here, Daddy, please?”
“Of course, little thief.”
“I can’t.” Lanie’s bottom lip pushes out into a pout. “I’m grounded and I can’t go outsideat all.”
“Oh.” The disappointment is palpable both in Tori’s expression and that single syllable. “That’s okay. I’m sure there’s lotsa fun things to do inside. Like try on all these pretty clothes!”
As if to punctuate her declaration, Tori pulls out a set of denim overalls bedazzled with pink rhinestones. “I picked these out for you. Pink is my favorite color and I have a matching pair back home, though I usually only wear them to go see the animals on the farm.”
“You have a farm?” Lanie asks as she pulls an adorable gingham dress with what seems like a million fluffy layers free from the box.
Giggling, Tori shakes her head. “No. Miss Bridgette runs the farm. We just get to visit and pet the animals.”
“Oh!” Excitement has Lanie’s voice pitching up to a squeal. “I want to come see the animals.”
I slide my gaze toward Maxwell, just barely holding back a laugh. The “animals” Tori is talking about are actually human pets. But I have a feeling the thought of humans parading around as barn animals might be a bit much for my Little girl at the moment, so I keep that information to myself for now.
Giggles and happy shrieks fill the air as Tori helps my Little one unpack each of her boxes, separating out her clothes into different piles around the living room. There are more overalls, including a set covered in flowers, a cream-colored set with a teddy bear face on the front, and a pair with a gingham print that matches the dress. There is even, to my surprise, a snowsuit and several adorable beanies with matching scarfs and gloves.
“Solene ordered them a few weeks ago,” Maxwell explains when I shoot him a questioning look. “We’ve been talking about taking the girls on a ski trip next month so she had plenty of stock on hand for us to choose from. And your Lanie is about the same size as my Victoria, so we figured there was no sense in you waiting for the snow to melt for your Little one to have proper gear.”
“Thank you, Maxwell. Really. This is far too generous.”
“Nonsense.” Maxwell waves a hand, batting away my words. “Nothing is too much for my newest little niece.”
When I look back over at our Little girls, they have their heads together, whispering urgently, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “What are you plotting over there, girls?”
Tori turns to face me, her eyes impossibly wide in her sweet face as she clasps her hands in front of her. “Can Laniepleasecome outside and build a snowman with me, Uncle Axel? I haven’t built one inagesand I was looking forward to it the whole way here. Please, please, please Uncle Axel?”
Dammit. It’s one thing to tell my brothers no, but it’s another entirely to look down into that sweet face with those wide brown eyes and stick to my guns.
Biting back a sigh, I shift my attention to my Little girl, who is very deliberately not looking at me. “Come here, Melanie.”
Head down, she drags herself over to stand in front of me. “Yes, Daddy?”
Gripping her chin, I force her head back. “If I let you go outside and play, will you promise me that you will never, ever touch any of the vehicles without Daddy’s permission again?”
Hope, so bright it nearly makes me squint lights her eyes. “Yes, Daddy!”
“And you understand that if you break that promise, not only will you get another whipping with Daddy’s belt but you’ll be grounded for a whole week instead of just a day?”
Uncertainty dims the hope, just a bit. “Um. Yes, Daddy.”
I’m not entirely convinced. But if there is a Daddy in this world strong enough to turn down two wide-eyed Little girls, I haven’t met him yet. “All right. Let’s go build a snowman.”
CHAPTER 19
MELANIE
Tori might just be my new favorite person in the whole world. Not only is she lots of fun to be around, she’s hilarious, too. Watching her tease a bunch of giant lumberjacks, skirting the line between playful and disrespectful so effortlessly is actually kind of inspiring.
And there’s something about how…freeshe seems that pulls at me. Like she doesn’t have a care in the whole world. It’s almost childlike, and for the first time since I woke up in my new home, I find myselfwantingto be a Little girl, just to feel an ounce of what Tori seems to feel.
