Page 7 of Lumberjack Daddy and Wild Child Little

CHAPTER SEVEN

Hannah

I hold my arms stiff out in front of my body and try desperately not to trip. All around me are voices and I feel dizzy. Every step in the darkness seems off like I step straight ahead, I list to the right. I have no idea what direction to go, or where I need to be. People laugh at me, and I do all I can to concentrate. Finally, I close my eyes to concentrate. Even though it doesn’t do anything because I already can’t see, it calms me as I orient myself.

Finally, it seems like the world stops spinning. I open my eyes to the darkness and put one hand down. I keep the other extended and walk forward. The voices quiet and my confidence grows. A moment later I stab the metal in my hand into something and hoots and hollers fill the air. I step back and tear off the blindfold.

I giggle like crazy. The tail is on the donkey’s nose. Everyone cheers and Victoria rushes over. “You got it on the donkey! You’re the winner!”

“Oh my God, Tori,” I say, “but that poor donkey isn’t going to be smelling very good for a while.”

Everyone giggles and Courtney says, “No donkeys smell good!”

“Girls, it’s almost time for dinner. Wash up and set the tables!”

I don’t know which Daddy says that but four of the nine little girls in the cabin call back, “Yes, Daddy!” Naturally, that means a whole lot more giggling but by some miracle, we get the table set before Lane steps in with a large tray of hamburgers and hot dogs. A few of the other Daddies walk behind him. Lane’s little girl beams at the sight of him. From what Jason says, Lane is a bit of a mountain man hermit. He and Kaylen live in a cabin far outside of town and don’t usually make it to DDlg barbecues or playdates.

I think if someone was in charge of finding an actor to play a lumberjack, Lane would be exactly what they looked for. If someone was supposed to find the perfect girl, that would be Kaylen. I like her a lot and she’s already invited me to go to her house to make bread for the community center in town, which distributes the bread to people who need it. I don’t know how to make bread, but it seems like a really fun thing to learn how to do.

I love these people.

I really do.

My whole life, I just don’t do what I need to do to develop real relationships but now I have them. I know my Daddy deserves my thanks for that, and I’m grateful to Jason for how he helps me engage with people in ways I never did before. I’m really a part of something now, and it’s a really great feeling. Courtney grabs Tori with one hand and me with the other and pulls us to the bathroom to wash our faces and hands.

While we wash, Courtney begins singing, “Scrub-a-dub-dub, scrub-a-dub-dub, I don’t want to be dirty, so I lather and rub.”

When she notices everyone else looking at her, she blushes bright red and says, “What? You guys don’t have washing-up songs?”

We all laugh and tease her lightheartedly, but of course, when we start washing again, we all join in. I can only imagine what the Daddies must think downstairs, listening to us laugh and play like that.

I don’t have to wonder for very long. When I head downstairs, Jason wraps me in a bear hug and kisses me hard. I pull away after a moment and say with a giggle, “Daddy, stop! Everyone’s watching.”

They’re not watching, though. Each of them is getting a kiss and a hug from their own Daddy and we’re all glowing when we sit for dinner.

The dinner is delicious. The steaks are grilled to perfection, seared on the outside and rare on the inside, juicy and flavorful and perfect. The sides are delicious as well, and I’m overjoyed to see the potato salad I brought is gone by the time the meal is over.

After dinner, the little girls head upstairs again, and we watch a popular children’s cartoon where animated sea creatures get into all sorts of silly trouble. Courtney, Tori, and I laugh along with the show and take turns pretending to be one of the characters. We try to do the voices, but we don’t do a good job, so we spend most of the time just giggling at each other.

When it’s finally time to leave, Courtney and Tori make me promise to come to visit soon and Daddy agrees to hold me accountable for that. On the way home, I smile at him and say, “Thank you for taking me, Daddy. I had so much fun.”

“You’re welcome, princess,” he replies with a smile of his own. “I’m glad you had fun.”

I lean against his shoulder and think the night couldn’t be any more perfect.

My perfect happiness ends sooner than I expect when Daddy asks me, “So how’s school going?”

I manage to keep the smile on my face and the exuberance in my voice when I say, “Good, Daddy! I have A’s in all my classes and I’m already registered for the next semester.”

“That’s wonderful, little girl,” he says. “I’m so proud of you. At this rate, you’ll have your AA in no time. Have you given any more thought to where you want to enroll for your bachelor's degree?”

I force myself to remain enthusiastic as he tells me about different prestigious universities that have online degree programs. The truth is, I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I have my own home. I have a full-time job. I’m happy where I am. I don’t think I really even need this AA, let alone a BA.

I don’t tell Daddy this of course. I’ve spent the last nine months letting him believe I’m super excited about school and everything else he’s pushing me to do. There’s no reason to pull the rug out from under him now. Besides, it can’t hurt to have a degree. If he’s happy, then I’m happy.

At least I should be.