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Not wanting to risk another round of their tickle-torture, Michelle held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay! I was just worried about, you know, what happens if someone is feeling left out. I don’t want any hurt feelings.”
“That’s easy.” Rolling her eyes, Allie sat up on her knees and held her hand up in a three-fingered salute. “I, Allie, promise to be honest and tell you, Michelle, and you, Nick, if I am feeling left out or if I just plain feel like I am not getting enough attention. There. Now, you go, Shelly.”
Feeling more than a little ridiculous, Michelle sat up and mirrored Allie’s gesture. “I, Michelle, promise to be honest and tell you, brat, and you, Nick, if I am feeling left out.”
“Or if you are not getting enough attention.” Allie’s face was scrunched up into the look she got when she was prepared to dig her heels in about something, so Michelle didn’t even bother sighing.
“Or if I am not getting enough attention.”
“Guess it’s my turn, huh?” With a solemn expression, Nick sat up and repeated the vow in its entirety.
“There, now if anyone feels left out, theyhaveto tell us. Or they get a spankin’,” Allie said seriously.
“What if it’s Nick who doesn’t tell us?” Michelle asked, more out of curiosity as to what Allie might have up her sleeve than anything.
“Oh. Ummm. Then he owes us three bedtime stories that night!”
Judging by how he’d been with her so far, Michelle had a feeling extra bedtime stories wouldn’t be much of a “punishment”. But it satisfied Allie, and that was really what mattered. It wasn’t a perfect fix by any means, but it soothed the worries away enough for Michelle to focus on enjoying their evening.
A knock on the door had Allie scrambling out of bed with a happy squeal as she raced to open the door. “Hi! Oh, oh, Shelly, look! Santa sent an elf to deliver our books!”
Sure enough, the woman who stepped into the room was dressed up exactly like one of Santa’s little helpers in a dark green velvet skirt trimmed with fur and a bright red crop top that left a swath of her torso bare. There was even a set of pointed ears and a jaunty little hat to complete the outfit, but if it was meant to embarrass her, it had obviously missed the mark. With a wide, happy smile, she handed the stack of books to Allie. “Here you go, little one! Santa says to enjoy your stories but remember to return the books to the library. Merry Christmas!”
With that, the “elf” danced out of the room, closing the door behind her. “What in the name of Christmas just happened?” Michelle asked nobody in particular.
“I have no idea.” Beside her, Nick shrugged. “Whoever that was, she doesn’t seem too bothered by Derek’s punishment.”
“No, no she does not.” Eyes still on the closed door, Michelle tilted her head to the side, her curiosity over their “elf” running rampant. “I wonder what Derek thinks of that.”
“I bet it drives him crazy.” Nick’s voice was tinged with a smug sort of glee. “All right, little one. Time to pick a story and get into bed.”
“I don’t know if I can pick!” Holding the stack to her chest, Allie gave him the most perfect pout Michelle had ever seen. “Couldn’t we read all of them, Nick? Please?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Allie no, but Michelle forced herself to stay silent. Nick was the one who had made the agreement, so it was up to him to stick to it. And, if she was honest, she was curious to see how well he stood up to the pout.
Surprisingly well, as it turned out. “Not tonight, little one. But since we have five books and only four more sleeps until Christmas, you can have two stories on Christmas Eve. How does that sound?”
More than fair, as far as Michelle was concerned. But then, she wasn’t a Little girl testing her new Daddy to see how much she could get away with.
Fortunately, Allie didn’t seem inclined to push the envelope any more than she already had. Still pouting slightly, she nodded her head and looked down at the books in her arms. “Ummm. Okay. Well, then, I wantOlive, the Other Reindeertonight!”
“Excellent choice. Let’s get you two tucked into bed and I’ll read your story.”
Allie handed her chosen book over and climbed under the covers. Following suit, Michelle snuggled in with her. Being read to was a new experience. Well, new as an adult, anyway. She was the one usually doing the reading. But it wasn’t unpleasant. And in spite of her protests that it was too early for bed, with her babygirl in her arms and Nick’s deep, surprisingly melodic voice washing over her, she was asleep before Olive ever made it to the North Pole.
Chapter 18
Nick
“Morning, Mia!” With a wave for the woman currently manning the front desk, Nick strode through the lobby and headed for the guest wing. He was just about to turn the corner when a happy squeal reached his ears, followed closely by the sound of his own name.
Braced for impact, he turned and held open his arms just in time for Sadie to launch herself at him. “Hi, Mister Nick! I didn’t know you were coming today. I thought all the decorations and everything were done. Did you see my hair? Daddy took me to the salon and let me put Christmas colors in it!”
Sure enough, she now had one red and one green pigtail. The colors were a little hard to see over the brown, but it was obviously enough to satisfy her, so he gave an appropriately shocked gasp. “Christmas hair! Santa is going to love it.”
“I know! Are you busy? You should have breakfast with us. Chef made waffles and there’s all kinds of different toppings and you can put whatever you want on it, like a buffet!”
“Sadie, let the man have a moment’s peace.” Despite his scolding words, Derek was grinning at his Little girl’s antics. “I’m sure he has… something to do?”
