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“I can try.”
It doesn’t escape my notice that she’s stopped calling me Mommy. The loss is an ache beneath my breast, but one I’m willing to ignore for now. My sweet girl has had a hard morning, and if she needs a bit more time to come to terms with such a big life change, then I can give her that.
Once her face has been washed and properly moisturized, I help her fix her clothes, biting back a smile the whole time as she whines about her panties rubbing against her freshly spanked bottom. Her Daddy has a preference for diapers, so the panties won’t be a concern much longer, but I know he’ll be disappointed if I take that step without him so I keep that information to myself for the time being.
“There. Much better.”
“Thanks.” Peeking up at me through her lashes, she offers up a shy smile. “You’re pretty nice for a pilot.”
I can’t help but laugh at that as I take her hand and lead her out into the main cabin. “We aren’t all arrogant assholes, you know.”
“I know. But most of you are.”
The cabin is empty, which I assume means Maxwell and his Little wife are in her nursery. I don’t want to interrupt whatever “playtime” they may be having, so I ignore the closed door and look around for the kitchen area. “Where’s the fridge, little one?”
“Oh, I can get you whatever you need.”
“That’s very sweet, angel, but you can just show me where it is for now.”
I can see the struggle playing out on her face, a struggle that tells me she takes her job as seriously as Maxwell said. After several long moments, she nods slowly and turns to lead the way to the small kitchen.
Opening the fridge, I scan the contents and smile when I see exactly what I’m looking for. Three bottles, one with my babygirl’s name painted on the side in swirling letters. My breasts ache at the sight of it, of my milk so lovingly prepared for my sweet angel.
“What’s that? Is that for me?”
She sounds so adorably confused my heart almost can’t take it. “Yes, angel. Mommy needs to get back to the cockpit, but you can have your bottle while you wait for my next break.”
“But I’m not Little like Victoria and the others. I’m not a baby.”
Sweet, naïve Little girl. “Of course you are. You’re Mommy and Daddy’s baby.”
Her nose wrinkles. “But I’m not actually a baby.”
If we weren’t several thousand feet in the air, I’d be more than happy to bare her bottom again so I could prove just how wrong she is. But I need to get back to the cockpit and I don’t have time to argue the point with her.
And I have no doubt her Daddy will be more than happy to impress upon her exactly how Little she is when we get home.
For now, I’ll need a different tack. “It would make Mommy very happy if you drank the bottle, angel. Could you do it for me?”
Nibbling at her bottom lip, she glances from the bottle to me. “Are you sure it’s okay? I don’t want Mr. Stone to get upset.”
“Your Uncle Max brought this aboard just for you, little one. See, it even has your name on it. I promise he won’t be upset.”
“Oh.” She frowns slightly, and I swear I can see the gears turning in her brain. “I don’t think I can call him Uncle Max at work.”
“Of course you can, little one.” Grabbing the bottle from the fridge, I take her hand and lead her back to the jumpseat. “You’ll sit right there unless Uncle Max needs something, understood?”
Ducking her head, she nods, but even with her gaze lowered I can see the color blooming on her cheeks. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Good girl. I want you to drink this entire bottle. You had a really big cry back there and you need to rehydrate.”
Taking the bottle from me, she stares down at it, and for a long moment I’m convinced she’s going to continue arguing. But then she gives a soft sigh and I know I’ve won. “Okay. I will.”
My heart constricts in my chest as I bend down to kiss the top of her head. If I had it my way, I’d sit and let her nurse instead of leaving her with just a bottle, but I’ve already been away from the controls far too long. And while I know Max will understand, the FAA won’t be nearly as sympathetic to my situation.
So even though it kills me, I leave my babygirl in her seat and return to the cockpit. Graham looks over, a wide grin stretching across his handsome face. “How did it go?”
“Wonderfully. I don’t think we’ll have to worry about our Little girl using any grown-up words for a while. She’s in the jumpseat now, drinking her bottle.”
