Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry, too, Baby girl. I didn’t realize you were so upset. If I’d known, I would have said something sooner. I wasn’t entirely sure you actually wanted me to be your forever Daddy.”
She jerked her gaze to his. “I do. So much.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“What happens now?” she asked, eagerly.
“Now I feed you and tuck you into bed for the night so you can get a good night’s sleep.”
She frowned. That sounded boring.
He chuckled. “I promise first thing tomorrow I will be here to get you.”
She lit up. “And take me home with you?”
“Yes. We’ll need to sign some paperwork with Dr. Farwell, but then you’ll be free to go home with me. How does that sound?”
“Like the most amazing thing in the world.” She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.
Chapter Nine
Annie was surprised she’d slept at all. She’d been so excited. But somehow she’d managed, and she was even more excited when she awoke to find Theo leaning over the side of her crib.
His smile was worth all the fretting she’d been through for several weeks. She wiggled and giggled and reached for him. “You came back.”
He chuckled as he lowered the side of the crib and lifted her into his arms. “Of course I came back. Where else would I be?” He kissed her neck, tickling her with his nose and lips.
“Are you really taking me home with you today?”
“Yep. If that’s what you want. If you need more time to think about it, you can do that too.”
She shook her head violently. “No way. I want to be with you.”
“I’m so glad because I want to be with you too, sweetie. I took this week off so we could spend it together before you start going to daycare while I work.”
She grinned. That sounded heavenly too. She was a little worried about the daycare, but she’d heard it was similar to the nursery. Besides, she would know other Little girls there—the ones she’d met in the past several weeks who had already been adopted and gone home with their forever Daddies.
Theo—Daddy—when would she get used to thinking of him as her Daddy? He took her to the changing table where he removed her jammies and diaper, cleaned her up, and put a fresh diaper on before pulling a pretty red dress over her head.
“I love it,” she said as she looked down at herself. It was frilly and kind of fancy, but she didn’t care. It was so pretty. It was also short. The kind of dress a newborn would wear, and Daddy lifted up the cutest diaper cover. It was white and covered with red hearts.
She had to lie back down for him to put it on, but the finished product made her feel so very Little and pretty. “Thank you…” She lifted her gaze to him.
He must have read her mind because he responded with the exact word she was thinking. “Daddy. I’d love it if you would call me Daddy from now on.”
She smiled, her cheeks heating. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“I love the sound of that.” He hugged her tight before lifting her into his arms. “Nurse Kay will pack up anything you’ve grown fond of in here and have it sent to the house.”
“Okay.” Annie glanced around. It was weird to think she was leaving this room for good. Even though she’d been frustrated waiting for Theo to declare his intentions for weeks, she’d also learned how to accept her full-time Little side in that time.
She’d been comfortable in this room. Happy even. She’d let go of life’s worries and learned to just be. She played and laughed and ate and slept. It was almost too good to be true.
She wrapped herself tightly around her Daddy as he carried her down the hallway, retracing his steps from her initial arrival until they were back in Dr. Farwell’s office.
Dr. Farwell was all smiles as Daddy took a seat, situating her on his lap.
She loved being this close to him, and her heart was racing excitedly at the prospect of being with him like this for the rest of time. Was this really happening? It seemed too good to be true.
The next half hour went by in a blur as she and Daddy signed several papers to formalize their union. And then it was done. Just like that. She was his.
It wasn’t until they exited The Center from the rear, Daddy stepping into a parking lot, that Annie twisted around and stiffened. “Oh no! I didn’t get to say goodbye to Mindy.”
Daddy rubbed her back. “Don’t you worry. Someone will talk to Mindy. I have a feeling you’ll see her again soon.” He winked.
Annie’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yep. I happen to know someone who has their eye on her.”
Annie grinned. “You specifically didn’t indicate if that someone is a Daddy or a Mommy.”