I nodded.“Of course.”
Giselle mouthed a “Thank you” to me before Eve guided her out of the kitchen, quietly murmuring to her.
I looked at Carlo.And then at Stefan.
Their faces were blank.
Whatever.
I wasn't really sure about what had just gone on here, but it wasn't really my business.Not at the moment, anyway.
I had other things that I needed to do.And one of those things was looking at me with wide, frightened eyes.“Are you ready for secret cookies?”
Dani grinned and ran up to me and jumped into my arms.She said breathlessly, “Yes, please.”
I carried her to the secret cupboard and sat her down on the counter.I pulled down three boxes of chocolate cookies and showed them to her.She pointed at one, and I opened it and handed her a cookie with drizzled chocolate on it.
She took a big bite.“Mommy's preger-nant.Daddy says it makes her a little bananas sometimes.”
I grabbed a cookie, too, and laughed softly.“I bet having a baby in your belly would make anyone tired.Maybe even a little grouchy sometimes.”
Dani took another bite.“And she cries at everything.”
I nodded, and kissed her forehead.“That all sounds pretty normal to me.And I bet her feet hurt, too.”
Dani's beautiful eyes widened.“They do.All the time.”
I nodded and brushed her hair over her shoulder.“She's growing a whole new person in there.That's really special.But it also means other parts of her body get stressed out.Like, remember when you had your fever?”
She nodded and said, “When you married Uncle Stefan?”
I nodded, and she giggled.Little pieces of cookie falling out of her mouth.“Yeah.And then I barfed.On Uncle Nick.”She laughed at that.
And so did I.
“But there was nothing you could do about that.Right?You wanted to do one thing—but your body was doing something else.And you couldn't help it.You had a virus.And that wasn't your fault.”I tried to explain it in kid terms.
She frowned for a second, and I swear I could see the tiny gears turning in her little girl brain.“Is the baby a birus?”
That made me laugh right out loud.“Not exactly.More like a parasite, I guess.But after the baby's out of your mommy's belly, her body will go back to being normal again.No more sore, swollen feet.”
She took another big bite of her cookie and asked in a serious voice, “Will she still be grouchy?”
Gosh.
This kid.
She was way too cute.
“I think we can all be grouchy sometimes.Right?Especially if we haven't eaten or slept properly.But I think she'll feel a whole lot better after your baby brother or sister is here.So, hopefully that helps with any grouchiness.You'll have to help, though.”My index finger touched her button nose.
“Me?”Her free hand covered her heart dramatically, and I laughed.
“Yes, you.Your mom and dad will need help with all the babies.”
She nodded confidently.“Oh, I already do that.Daddy says I'm too bossy with them.But Mommy says they need tough love, or they'll never learn.”
I popped the rest of my cookie into my mouth.“Well, Dani.That's one way to go about it.Everyone parents differently.So, if it's working for you—” I shrugged, “I wouldn't change a thing.”I looked up into the secret cookie cupboard and asked, “What kind of cookies do you think your mom will want?”Dani stood up on the counter, and I kept my hands on her the whole time while she pointed at every box.
