Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
“Thanks, Daddy. Now, ride!”
Jordi dragged him back to the nursery and surveyed the rocking horse for a second before clambering on. She picked up the reins and held them as she rocked forward. “Whoa!”
“Careful there, Little girl. You may want to hold on to the horse’s neck or the handles on the sides until you get used to the motion.”
“Good idea!” Jordi wrapped her hands around the wooden pegs extending from the sides of the horse’s head and tried again. This time she rocked back and forth over and over.
“I think you’ve got it.”
“This is fun!” she cheered. “I could ride all the way to work today.”
“Five more minutes and then playtime is over until tonight.”
She rode quietly for a minute before asking, “Are you sure you want me back this evening?”
“No doubt in my mind. I’d keep you here in the nursery to play all day long, but we both have things to do out in the world,” he lamented.
“I like the nursery.”
“I’m glad. Fromage is happy you’re here now, too.”
“Do you think he’ll understand that Norwood is my best buddy? I mean, I’ll like Fromage a lot, but Norwood’s been with me for a long time.”
“Fromage knows there’s plenty of room in a Little girl’s heart for two stuffies. He’s looking forward to meeting Norwood. They may be best friends soon since they both love the same Little girl.”
“Fromage can’t love me, silly. We just met.”
“There’s not a time requirement for love, Little girl. It comes to surprise us sometimes.”
She rode silently for several rocks before saying, “Daddy? Do you think you’ll ever love me?”
“I’m already falling in love with you, Jordi. I hope you’re feeling that way as well.”
Brushing her fingers through the horse’s mane, she nodded slowly before peeking up at the man standing beside her. “I’ve never felt like this before. It’s kind of scary.”
“Come here, Jordi. I need to hold you.” Callen helped her off the rocking horse and wrapped her in his arms. Holding her tightly against his body, he rubbed her back to comfort her. “We’ll figure this out together, okay, Sunshine?”
“Okay. I’ll be brave for you, Daddy.”
“I appreciate that. If you get scared, tell Daddy so I can help.”
“I promise.”
Chapter Eleven
Arriving at work, Jordi dug into the next tasks on her list. Everything was coming together, and she was so pleased by the result. Checking her schedule, Jordi was glad to see that she was still ahead, thanks to her Daddy’s help in getting a ton of small tasks done. She rolled up her sleeves and got started.
When her phone rang, Jordi was surprised to see she’d been working for several hours. Usually, she stopped in the mid-morning to have a snack but her stomach hadn’t growled once. Must be due to that grub. She was laughing as she answered the phone.
“Hi, Daddy!”
“Hi, Sunshine. I’ve got an idea for you. How would you feel about having a play date with another Little this evening? We could go out to dinner first to get to know the Little girl and her Daddy before you play.”
Fright flowed through her like an icy river. “Daddy, I’m scared.”
“This is a big step, Little girl, but I will be right there with you. Wouldn’t you like to meet someone who feels like you do?”
“They’ll make fun of me.”
“The Little I’m thinking about is way too sweet to do that. And don’t forget, I’ll be right there with you,” he assured her.
“Who is it?”
“Sue from Little Cakes. I asked her Daddy, Davis, how she was feeling, and she’s been very blue lately. He wanted to cheer her up and didn’t know how.”
“Oh, no. I like Sue… So she really is Little?”
“She is.”
“Can I change my mind? If I get scared at dinner?”
“Of course. You can change your mind any time you want,” he assured her.
“Do you think this is important?”
“I think you need to know you’re not alone or different than other people.”
She hesitated for several breaths, hoping he’d say something and tell her he was just kidding or that she didn’t have to do it. Her Daddy just waited patiently for her to think it through. Finally, she swallowed hard and said, “Okay.”
“Good girl. Can you leave there at five?” he asked. “I can come over and help with a few tasks if you need to get ahead.”
“No, I’m caught up thanks to you. I could leave at five. I was going to go to my apartment,” she said hesitantly.
“I’ll set up the dinner date for six so you have time to stop by your apartment, grab some clothes, and come back here for a quick shower before we need to leave.”
“I could do that,” she agreed.
“It’s going to be okay, Sunshine. This will be fun.”
“I’m still scared,” she admitted.
“I know. That’s okay. It’s something new you haven’t experienced yet. Like before you ever had a Little Cakes cupcake. You didn’t know what that was going to taste like. It could have been dry and stale, but it wasn’t. It was addictingly delicious, and you’re so glad you tried it. You’re going to love having a Little playmate just as much.”