“Thanks for taking me on a sleigh ride,” she told Spike. She knew this whole party wasn’t really his thing. He’d only agreed to come because he knew it was what she wanted. “I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, baby doll. But you tell any of the guys I took you on a sleigh ride and I will spank your ass every night for a week.”
Umm. Whoops.
Too late.
9
Abby and Kent
9th December
“Umm, Kent,” Abby said carefully as he tugged sweater number three over her head. This sweater was one of his, since she already had two of hers on as well as long underwear and snow pants.
And she was starting to sweat.
Plus she felt kind of dizzy and yuck.
“Wait a minute, sweetheart.” He reached into the closet and pulled out one of her jackets. He held it up to her and shook his head, drawing out one of his instead and helping her put it on.
Considering she could barely bend her arms, that wasn’t easy. Finally, he bent to zip it up.
“Kent?”
“Yeah, little one?”
“I think I’m gonna pass out.” She swayed, black dots dancing in front of her eyes. Not good. Not good.
He picked her up and carried her to the sofa. Sitting her down, he tried to press her head between her legs.
“Can’t breathe! Too hot.”
He stripped off the jacket and two of the sweaters. Finally. She took a deep breath, sitting back.
“Are you still feeling faint? Wait. I’ll get a cold cloth.” Jumping up, he raced to the bathroom. She heard the water running then he was back with a wet face cloth. He wiped it over her forehead then placed it on the back of her neck. “Better?”
She nodded. “Just got a bit overheated.”
“I’m gonna call Doc then put you to bed. You can stay in there the rest of the day—”
“Kent.”
“Longer if Doc says you need to. I’ll get you some water as well—”
“Kent.”
“You might be dehydrated—”
“Kent!”
“What? What is it? Are you going to vomit? I’ll get you a bowl.”
“Kent, no!” She grasped hold of his hand. She swore he was going to work himself into having a heart attack if he kept going like this. She had a feeling the next seven months were going to require a lot of patience on her part.
Just as well he was so darn cute.
“I’m fine. I’m not sick. I just had too many clothes on and I was hot. That’s all.”
“That’s all?”
“I swear. I don’t need Doc and I’m not going to throw up.”
He stared down at her, looking as though he wanted to do something but wasn’t sure what.
“Some water would be great though.”
“On it.” He practically raced into the kitchen.
How was he going to cope with the birth? She had to grin, wondering if he’d faint again. It wasn’t very nice of her, though, and she quickly wiped that thought away.
“Here, baby. I got a straw for you.” He crouched down and held the glass up for her.
She gave him a grateful smile and took a few sips. “You’re seriously cute, you know that, right?”
“I’m not cute. I’m too manly to be cute.”
“Cute and manly?”
“I’ll take it. Now, keep drinking. I want that all gone.”
She sighed, but did as ordered. “I’m just gonna have to pee again.”
“That’s fine, since we have a bathroom.”
“I’m going to the party,” she warned.
Kent shook his head as he sat next to her and reached for her wrist, taking her pulse. “No, you need to rest.”
“I don’t need to rest. I’m fine. I just need to wear less clothes.”
“It’s cold out. I don’t want you getting a chill.”
“I won’t get a chill. I have plenty of clothes on without adding two extra sweaters.”
Kent looked doubtful. “I’ll call Doc.”
“Kent.” She grasped hold of his wrist. “I’m pregnant. Not ill. You’re gonna make yourself sick worrying over me like this. Lots of women around the world go through pregnancy and birth just fine.”
“Those women aren’t my woman. I don’t want anything happening to you or the baby.” He placed his hand over her tummy and tears filled her eyes. He really was so sweet.
“It won’t. I promise. Not with you watching out for us. But maybe just ease up a bit.”
He took a deep breath and let it out. “I’ll try. No guarantees that I won’t go overboard sometimes.”
She knew she’d be lucky if it was just a few.
He rubbed her tummy. “I just can’t believe we’re gonna have a little one in the house.”
They already had a little one. Her.
Easy, Abby. You’re being silly. The baby is more important than you. His or her needs come first. You’ll just have to let go of that part of you.
She’d been thinking about it most of the night and she couldn’t see a way for her to be Little and have a baby. Parents were supposed to be strong, and mature, and know everything, right?
They weren’t supposed to sleep with a stuffed toy and a nightlight. Or wear a onesie. Or play with toys.
“Abby, you okay?” Kent asked.
Tell him what you’re worried about.
She opened her mouth just as his phone rang. He answered it. “Clint . . . yeah, we’re just leaving . . . no, Abby felt a bit sick . . . she’s fine . . . no, she doesn’t need Doc . . . no, no ambulance . . . yeah . . . yep . . . see you soon.”
Kent shook his head as he ended the call. He gave her a wry grin. “You think I’m bad, wait until mother hen Clint gets his hands on you. That man is such a worrywart.”
And the moment to tell him was gone.
* * *
“I can’t believe you organized this all so quickly,” Abby said. She, Caley, Daisy, and Millie were sitting on the porch outside one of the empty cabins. This party was amazing.
Abby wished she could join in more. But if Kent wasn’t hovering over her then Clint was. Or Zeke. Hell, even Jed had watched her at one time. She’d tried to move from her seat and he’d just raised his eyebrow, forcing her to sink back.
“It was easy with everyone’s help,” Caley replied. “Although I think Charlie is in trouble for not having a nap after she spent most of the night preparing all this food.”
Poor Charlie.
“I’m so glad we got to stay the night and come,” Millie said. “Congratulations again.”
Abby smiled at her. “Thank you. It was a bit of a shock.”
“Especially for Kent.” Daisy giggled. “Can’t believe he fainted.”
“He’s never gonna live it down,” Caley added.
Ellie skipped over to them in a bright pink jacket, pink snow boots, and a pink hat with a pom-pom. “Hey guys.” She plopped down on the last remaining chair with a grin.
“Having fun?” Abby asked.
“So much fun! I love sledding. I’m going on a sleigh ride soon. But I thought I’d come check on you. Are you okay? You haven’t moved off this seat. Are you having fun? Do you need a drink? Something to eat?”
“Whoa. Whoa,” Abby said with a laugh. “Slow down. I’m fine. I promise.”
“You sure?” Daisy asked. She reached a hand into her pocket, looked around then pulled out a handful of skittles. “Anyone want some?”
They all shook their heads as she stuffed them in her mouth. “Tell me if you see Jed.”
Abby grinned at her. She had such a sweet tooth.
“You do seem kind of quiet,” Caley said.
“Really quiet,” Ellie added. “Like you’re worrying about something.”
Darn it. Ellie knew her too well. “I’ve just been wondering how it will all work, you know?”
“What? Being pregnant?” Caley asked.
“Giving birth?” Ellie asked.
“Having a baby and being a Little?” Daisy said quietly.
Abby turned to her and nodded. “Yeah. Exactly.”
“Oh.” Ellie stared at her wide-eyed. “You can do both.”
“Can I?” she asked. “How? I mean I always thought I would have kids, but I wasn’t expecting it quite now. Not that I’m not happy, it’s just . . .”
“You’re worried, scared, unsure,” Millie said quietly. “I get it.”
“Yeah, me too,” Caley added.
“Have you talked to Kent?” Ellie asked.
She shook her head and they all sent her quelling looks.
“I’m going to,” she told them. “When the time is right.”
“Tonight. Talk to him tonight. No point stressing over things you don’t have to.” Caley patted her hand
“Caley’s right,” Daisy said around another mouthful of skittles. “Hiding things isn’t healthy.”
“That why you’re sneaking skittles around in your pocket,” Abby said dryly.
“That’s different,” Daisy said. “This is the only way to ensure I can sit tomorrow.”
“Oh, you won’t be sitting comfortably tomorrow, sugar,” a deep voice said from behind them. They all turned to find Jed leaning in the doorway, a stern look on his face.
“Uh-oh,” Daisy said.
Jed just raised an eyebrow and held out his hand.
Daisy stood and walked over to him, pulling candy out of her pocket and handing it to him. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, before stuffing the candy in his pocket. “Going home now. Say goodbye.”
Daisy gave them all hugs. Then Jed surprised Abby by walking over and pulling her up onto her feet. He gave her a gentle hug and a pat on the back.
“Talk to him.”
Damn. He’d heard everything? When he drew back, he gave her a stern look and she sighed with a nod. She needed to talk to Kent.
* * *
That evening, Abby sat curled up in bed with Boss Hog held in one arm. Kent was checking over the house to make sure it was secure.
She felt exhausted. It had been a big day and combined with her worrying, she’d worn herself out.
Kent walked into the room and pulled off his shirt, climbing into bed wearing just a pair of black pajama pants. To her surprise, he reached over and lifted her into his lap.
“Did you have a good time today, sweet girl?”
“Oh yes, it was amazing.”
“You seemed a bit quiet. Feeling all right?”
“Yeah. I feel fine.” She clutched Boss Hog tight.
“How about you, Boss Hog, are you feeling all right?” he asked.
“Boss Hog is a bit worried,” she admitted.
“What’s the matter, Boss Hog?” Kent looked down at the stuffed hedgehog.
“Boss Hog isn’t sure what will happen once the baby is here. About who will hug and play with him.”
“Does he think you won’t have time for him?”
“Maybe,” she whispered. “Maybe he’s worried that I won’t have any Little time because I’ll have a baby.”
“And why would Boss Hog think that?”
She stared down at the stuffed hedgehog, unable to say more.
“Having a baby is a big change. And one we hadn’t exactly prepped for. But we will always carve out Little time for you, Abby.”
“We will?” she whispered.
He gently tilted her chin up, kissing her forehead. “Yes. We will. Did you think that you had to give up that part of yourself?”
“I wasn’t sure. I thought maybe there wouldn’t be time or that it wasn’t possible to be a Little and a parent.”
“Sweetheart, you will still be my little girl when we are both old and gray. Doesn’t matter how many kids we have or how old we are. This is who you are. And it’s who I am.”
“But when the kids are older, what if they notice or wonder . . .”
“Then we’ll decide what to tell them. Together. But you don’t have to worry about that right now. We can figure it out as we go along. There’s no rulebook. No right or wrong way to do this. There’s the Kent and Abby way. And as long as we stick together and talk to each other, everything will be all right.”
She hugged him tight, knowing he was right. As long as she had him, anything was possible.
10
Abby and Kent
10th December
Abby woke up alone, clutching Boss Hog. “Kent?”
He must be downstairs. It was Sunday so he shouldn’t be at work. She got up and used the attached bathroom. As she walked back into the bedroom, the door opened.
“Good morning, little one,” he told her, carrying a tray.
“Good morning.”
“Get back into bed. I’ve brought you up some breakfast. You need to eat plenty as we have a big day today.”
“What are we doing?” she asked as she climbed into bed, leaning against the headboard. She glanced over at the tray of food he set on the nightstand. There was a stack of pancakes covered in maple syrup, some fresh fruit salad, and a glass of orange juice.
“No coffee?”
“Coffee isn’t good while you’re pregnant.”
“What?” She gaped at him. “What kind of sadist made up that bullshit?”
“Watch your language, little one.” He tapped her nose warningly. “Little girls don’t need coffee anyway.”
“This little girl does,” she protested. “How am I supposed to live without coffee?”
“Tell you what, I’ll go without as well. How about that? We’ll get some decaf. Once you add your hazelnut creamer, you won’t even notice the difference.”
Yeah. Right. Whatever.
She was still sulking as he held a piece of apple up to her mouth.
“Don’t sulk, sweetheart, or you’ll end up spending some time in the corner. And you don’t want to miss out on what I have planned for today.”
She took the piece of apple, feeling curious. “What’s that?”
“I thought you could spend the day with Daddy. We’ll go do some Christmas shopping in Wishingbone. Been a while since I spoiled my girl. We’ll have lunch in town. When we come back, you can have a nice, long nap. I’ll put up the rest of the Christmas decorations while you have some playtime. And then we can snuggle on the couch with hot chocolate and a Christmas movie.”
“Really, Daddy?”
“Really.” Leaning in, he kissed her. “There’s always time for my girl, understand?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
* * *
“Come on, Daddy. Bring it in here.” She bounced around in excitement as Kent carried her new toy campervan into the house. It came with three figurines. She’d taken about an hour to decide what she wanted in the toy shop.
Because she was a good girl, she’d been allowed to choose anything she wanted. But that was a big decision to make.
“I’ll go get the scissors to open it.” She turned away.
“Freeze,” Kent told her.
She froze, not moving an inch.
“You can breathe, sweetheart,” he said dryly. “In fact, I insist on it.”
She let out a whoosh of breath.
“Turn around. Now just take a second and calm down.”
Staring up at him, she willed her body to relax. “Okay, Daddy. I’m all calmed down. Can I gets the scissors now?”
“Nope. First, we’re going to take off your coat and boots.” He helped her remove her coat. Then he had her sit, so he could take off her boots.
“Now, Daddy?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s well past time for your nap. You can play with it after.”
She got to her feet. “Daddy, no! That’s not fair.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared down at her. “Naptime. Then playtime.”
She huffed out a breath. “Can’t I just open it first?”
“No, because then you’ll want to play.” He pointed towards the stairs. “Upstairs. Use the toilet an
d I’ll be up in a minute to put you to bed.” He frowned. “On second thought, I don’t think you should go up and down stairs on your own anymore. I’ll take you.”
“Daddy, I can manage stairs on my own.”
“Abigail,” he said warningly. Walking over, he took her hand and led her to the stairs.
“I won’t sleep. I’m not tired. I’ll just lie there bored. Do you want me to be bored, Daddy? Being bored isn’t a good thing for a Little. Nuh-uh, that’s when mischief happens.”
“Lucky, I have a cure for mischief, huh?”
Ten minutes later, she found herself lying on her side, tucked up in bed with Boss Hog. Kent kissed her forehead and patted her bottom gently. With a sigh, she closed her eyes.
She wasn’t going to sleep. No way. She felt the bed move as he stood and walked away. After five minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up.
“Boss Hog, what do you think we should do?” She listened intently as he replied. “Boss Hog, I can’t do that. It’s naughty.” Boss Hog kept talking. “Well, are you gonna take my spanking if we get caught? You will? Okay then. Let’s just see what’s going on downstairs.”
Climbing from the bed, she crept over to the door and opened it quietly. She heard some murmuring from downstairs. Drat. Where was Kent? Then a door shut and everything was quiet. She bet he’d gone into his home office.
Moving carefully down the stairs, she walked into the living room where her toy was. Did she dare risk taking it upstairs with her? Well, Boss Hog was gonna take her punishment so . . . leaning down, she picked it up.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”
With a squeal, she dropped the campervan. Right onto her toes.
“Ow. Ow. Owie.” Tears filled her eyes as she picked up her foot, jumping around. Damn it. She was such a klutz.
“Hey, careful, sweetheart. Here, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Kent picked her up into his arms, carrying her to the sofa where he sat with her on his lap.
“I already did,” she wailed. “My toes are broken.”
A Little Christmas Cheer Page 7
