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I could tell she was tired by the time we got home. It was almost her bedtime. When there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, Elsie was a pretty good sleeper. She also never made a fuss about going to bed. She didn’t make a fuss about a lot of things. It was good luck to have a kid like that, but sometimes it bothered me. She deserved to make a fuss sometimes. She was no longer in Gino’s house. I would take her fuss.
Her obedience didn’t bother me tonight, though, because she looked happy. She even managed to get my mind away from what was waiting for me in the bedroom.
Luce usually dealt with most of her nightly routine, but Elsie didn’t look sad that I was doing it tonight. We brushed our teeth as I made jokes, and Elsie laughed, making the toothpaste fly everywhere. I quickly wiped her mirror and put her clothes into the dirty pile. I helped her put on her cat pajamas. After that, we caught the cats to give them goodnight kisses. Sherbet liked that quite a bit, but Wednesday was not a fan. Anyway, it took care of Elsie’s remaining energy. She didn’t need stories every night before bed. Luce told me it didn’t make her sleepy at all. Stories got her curious, and she wanted more instead of getting sleepy.
She was weird in ways, just like her mother or just like me, maybe. I loved it. This last week with Elsie was so amazing that I didn’t think I could imagine such a perfect little family for me. I had everything I ever wanted but couldn’t admit it.
When I put Elsie’s hair in a ponytail and put her to bed, she was yawning. Playing with her hair also made her sleepy. I was considering learning how to braid hair so I could do better. Ponytail was just not enough. She needed her hair away from her face while sleeping, and braids actually made her hair cute and wavy in the morning too. She really liked that.
“Did you have fun today, Peanut?” I asked.
Her eyelids looked heavy, but she smiled nonetheless. “Yes. Somuch.”
“You like spending time with Tony. Right?” I knew the answer was yes. They became best friends so quickly. I thought Elsie’s sparkling but shy personality would match one of the other kids like Rosetta or Clara, but she chose Tony.
Honestly, Tony was a bit of a know-it-all, especially for a kid that young. He was not icy like his father, but I could feel the essence of that. I could practically see him develop a sense of dry humor as the years passed, and I could also see he and Elsie were going to stay close for many years.
They were still young, and maybe projecting so far into the future was not right, but I was glad that Elsie chose Tony, and I wanted them to be close in the future as well. Even now, Tony was very protective of his sister and cousins. I saw him check on them constantly as they played. He was also destined to be powerful as Antonio’s heir, and I wouldn’t mind having a powerful person be protective of Elsie. I could always use the help.
As long as Tony didn’t hurt my Peanut, he was good.
“Yes,” Elsie answered my question, and then her cheeks turned darker. “And like spending time with you.”
Oh my heart, she was too sweet. I felt bad for not being around enough because of work this week. “I will try to find more time to play with you, Peanut.”
She nodded but looked a bit sad. “All the others have two. I want two.”
“They have two what?”
“Tony has a mommy and a dad. Rosetta and Clara do too. I just have a mama.”
Now I really felt like a jerk. My heart ached, but I managed a smile and patted Elsie’s nose with a finger. “You have me too.”
Her eyes shined like she didn’t look sad just a second ago. “I do?”
“Of course you do, Elsie.”
“So, can I call you daddy?”
My heart almost stopped at her giddy question. I was more than ready to be Elsie’s dad, but I didn’t want to push that into her or even into Luce. I dreamed of this, but I thought it was going to take some time. I was not expecting things to happen this quickly, but I was not complaining at all.
I was so happy I was smiling up to my ears. “You can call me whatever you want, Elsie,” I said. “I will be there for you no mater what.”
She nodded. “I will decide later. I will try daddy, papa, dad.”
I chuckled. “No rush.”
She nodded once with determination.
I kissed her forehead. “Now, get your sleep so you can make the best decision.”
“Okay.”
“Good night, Peanut,” I whispered and turned off her bedside lamp. I got up from her bed to leave with a huge, silly smile on my face. I couldn’t even comprehend how amazing this night was going.
Just when I was about to leave the room, Elsie answered me, “Good night, Daddy.”
In that second, so many feelings came over me, and I felt overwhelmed by the emotions Elsie was able to create inside me with just one small word. I forced my legs to move and somehow made it to the bedroom. When I opened the door, Luce was on the bed. She was wearing a black lingerie set that looked absolutely gorgeous on her. She looked good enough to eat, but I couldn’t focus on that.
