“Daddy?” she asked after a few moments.
“Hmm?”
“Do you think I could possibly . . . if you don’t mind getting it . . . could I try that pacifier?”
He stiffened and she thought he might say no.
She should have known better. She had a feeling that unless he deemed it dangerous or bad for her health then he would rarely tell her no.
She just might become the most spoiled Little there was.
“Of course, baby doll.”
He shifted from the bed, leaving her feeling at a loss and she had to stop herself from calling him back. It was crazy, how much he’d come to mean to her in such a short time. As though he really was a part of her.
Soon, he was back, nestled in close to her. The pacifier was slipped between her lips. It felt strange and she thought she might have made a mistake. But as she sucked, a soothing feeling came over her. Okay, she could kind of like this.
The longer she lay there, the more relaxed she grew until she drifted off to sleep.
39
“What are we doing, Daddy?” she asked as he walked into the living room.
He’d been outside for about an hour, telling her he was setting up a surprise for her. It had been hard to wait around inside without sneaking out to peek. But she also didn’t want to ruin his surprise. He’d seemed so excited.
“We’re going on a picnic.”
“A picnic! Yay!” Then she bit her lip worriedly. She hadn’t been having much luck with eating. She knew that Hack had sent over some protein powder, but Spike hadn’t given her any yet to try.
What if she couldn’t stomach that either?
Hack told Spike it was likely the stress made it difficult for her to eat and she guessed he was right. He’d also set up an appointment for her early next week with a therapist.
Spike walked into the kitchen and came out with a picnic basket. Where had that been hidden? He took some things out of the fridge and put them in.
“Daddy, you’ve been sneaky.”
He winked at her then came over and offered her his arm. She slipped her good hand into the crook of his elbow.
“Mr. F
luffy, you want to come on a picnic?” she called out.
He heaved himself out of his dog bed and padded after them.
“Some of your other friends are already waiting,” Spike told her.
“Really, Daddy?”
“And this is a special picnic. It’s a fairy picnic.”
“Ooh,” she said excitedly.
“You know all that fairy juice you’ve drunk? Well, hopefully this means you can see the fairies living in my garden.”
“Daddy, this is so much fun.”
“Just walk slowly,” he warned her. “I don’t want you falling over.”