Page 23 of Her Courage

Applause rang out and I glanced up to see Colby clapping with a shit eating grin spread across his face. "I agree with Lottie. Holy shit."

"I have to third that." Kaleb shrugged.

Lottie leaned forward to glance over her shoulder at me. "Outvoted." She stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. "Take that."

My brows arched and I grabbed her hips and flipped her over onto her back. Peals of laughter escaped her as I tickled her sides.

"Want to take that raspberry back, little girl?" I asked, lowering the timbre of my voice to make it more authoritative.

"Never!" She shouted between squeals. "Never give up, never surrender."

Oh, how I loved this nerdy little girl.

Chapter Sixteen

COLBY

Lottie reclined against my chest as I fed her forkfuls of the lasagna I made for dinner. The French doors leading out to the deck were wide open, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filled the space around us.

"Thank you for this," Lottie said quietly.

I set the fork down on the plate and rubbed my hands up and down her arm. "You're welcome, but what are you thanking us for this time?"

Somehow we still hadn't fully broken Lottie of her habit of saying sorry and thank you for the smallest things.

It pissed me off to no end that she'd been hurt in her past so much she felt the need to do it.

"For the weekend." She let out a sigh, absently trailing her fingers over my forearms. "It's been really stressful lately, so I think this is exactly what we all needed."

Kaleb grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled Lottie's glass before his own. "I'm sorry about my mother. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure she never upsets you again."

"Daddy K, no." Lottie scrambled away from me to climb onto Kaleb's lap. I let her go without any hesitation. "That's not your fault, remember we talked about that? You can only control your own actions, not those of anyone else."

Kaleb smiled gently as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Right you are, little one. How could I have forgotten that?"

"That's okay, Daddy." Lottie scrunched up her nose. "That's why I'm here to remind you."

"Ah." He tapped her on the tip of her nose. "Is that what you're here for?"

“That and a lot more things.”

“Like for tickles?” I asked and attacked her sides until she screamed for mercy.

“I give up! I give up! Please!”

Andrei stepped between just and gathered her into his arms. “I’ll rescue you, kroshka.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to his powerful form as he carried her back over to the other side of the couch. When he sat down, she snuggled against his chest and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Are you being a sassy brat, Charlotte?" Kaleb asked, using his best Daddy voice.

Lottie's eyes widened, almost comically and she shook her head vigorously. "No, Daddy Sir. No brats here."

I hid my laugh behind a cough. This girl was too much sometimes. She was sharp and witty, and always kept us on our toes. The past three months with her, despite the troubles we faced with David and then Viktor, were the happiest of my life. I'd fight a hundred battles if it meant she would stay by our sides.

"Let's keep it that way, or else there won't be any ice cream the rest of the trip." Kaleb crossed his arms over his chest, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Not the ice cream," Lottie gasped. "I'll be good, Daddy K. I promise."