She blanches, glancing over her shoulder back the way we came. “I can try.”
“It’s okay if you can’t hold it, babygirl. Mommy knows you’re really just a Little girl. I won’t be mad if you have an accident.”
Her jaw firms, taking on a stubborn set. “I’m a Big girl; I don’t have accidents.”
We’ll see about that.
Five minutes later, the sound of rushing water is so close it’s more like a roar, and the Little girl beside me is still doing her “I have to pee” dance. It’s almost enough for me to take pity on her and help her find a bush somewhere to relieve herself.
Almost.
Instead, I smile down at her and give her hand a squeeze. “Mommy wants to climb up to the top of the waterfall. Do you think you’re up for that, baby?”
Once again, Mia glances over her shoulder, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth. “Um, if youreallywant to, Mommy.”
Someday, we’re going to have a conversation about speaking up for herself when someone is trying to make her do something she doesn’t want to do. But that’s for another day, when I’m not so intent on getting exactly what I want from my sweet babygirl.
Pretending I don’t notice how desperate she’s getting, I pull her toward the rocks that will take us up to the top of the waterfall. Before we get more than a few steps, however, Mia yanks her hand free of mine and takes off.
Alarm grips me by the throat as I watch her run. “Mia! Stop right there, little girl!”
But she doesn’t stop. Not until she reaches what I belatedly realize is a group of portable bathrooms. Wrenching open one of the doors, she disappears inside.
Dammit. Thwarted again.
Moving to stand just in front of the bathroom she’s disappeared into, I cross my arms and wait for her to reappear. She does a few minutes later, a bright, relieved smile stretched across her face.
“Feel better?” I ask, as nonchalantly as I can manage.
“Yes, Mommy. Ireallyhad to go.”
“Well, it’s lucky for us someone put a potty here for Little girls who can’t hold their bladders.”
My words are meant to humiliate, and judging by the way her cheeks darken, they’ve hit their mark. “Um, yeah, I guess.”
“Come on.” Holding my hand out, I wait for her to take it and pull her close, leaning down to press a kiss to her hair. “Let’s go see our waterfall.”
Hand in hand, we make our way up the rocks. The view really is beautiful, and as I stand there with my Little girl, staring out over the crashing water, I find myself actively wishing Ethan was here with us. He loves hikes, and the thought of watching him with our babygirl, hoisting her onto his shoulders to see better or giving her a piggyback ride when she gets tired has my heart twisting painfully in my chest.
He’ll be home soon, though. And I plan to spend every second he’s away making sure our babygirl is ready for her Daddy.
CHAPTER 14
MIA
“All right, baby, time for bed.”
Without taking my eyes off the cartoon characters playing out the drama-of-the-day on the screen, I shake my head. “I’m busy.”
“Mia Grace. Do you want to lose tv privileges for the next week?”
“No,” I whine, managing to draw the word out into several long syllables. “But I wanna finish my show!”
“I told you ten minutes ago we were going to bed in ten minutes. You made a choice to start your show knowing it was close to bedtime.”
Okay, she has a point, but I’m not giving up that easily. Glancing up at her, I puff my bottom lip out into a pout. “Can I please finish this episode, Mommy?”
Arms crossed, she seems to consider my request. And when her lips curve up into a wicked smile, I know I’ve made a grave mistake. “All right. But for every minute we go past your bedtime, that’s one minute longer Mommy will make you wait before you’re allowed to come tonight.”
