Page 241 of His Sunshine Baby

“I think we’ll try to contain it to her bedroom for now,” I whisper.

“Welcome to the world of a four-year-old,” she whistles, amused.

I guess she had to go along with it long before me.

Elena turns around to check the other rooms, but as expected, she picks one of the ones I mentioned, leaving her backpack in it. Then, she turns to Estelle.

“What are you going to do with Daddy today, baby star?”

“We will finish painting my room! And then, we can build the princess castle Daddy brought!”

“Daddy opened his wallet, huh?” says Elena, sending me an annoyed look.

“Stop buying her everything, I don’t want my daughter to be too spoiled.”

“I’m just making up for missing the last four years. And she isn’t spoiled. She is well-behaved and reasonable. Like her mom.”

“Mhmm…”

“Come on, baby, let’s go change before Mommy gets really mad at me,” I say to Estelle, taking her to the bathroom.

We pick three of my T-shirts and spend most of the afternoon ruining them with paint. It was the most fun I had in years, thanks to them. We had to be careful because Elena’s arm isn’t fully healed, and though she won’t admit it, I can tell it’s painful for her.

She’s relieved when we finish painting the wall, and heads to the living room to watch another Disney movie, at Estelle’s demand. Elena actually picks her favorite, one with Greek gods and a lot of catchy songs for our daughter to learn. Thank Moon Goddess I subscribed to that new channel.

“Daddy…”

I hear a little whisper coming from the other side of the counter. I finish putting our plates in the dishwasher and turn to her.

“What is it, baby? You want more veggies?”

She frowns. I did notice she wasn’t fond of the carrots in the casserole.

“No. Daddy, Mommy fell asleep.”

“Oh, okay, I’m coming, baby. The movie is over?”

She nods, and walks back to the living room, with me following her. Indeed, Elena is profoundly sleeping on the couch, while the movie’s closing credits are playing on the TV screen. I gesture for Estelle not to make any noise, and she smiles and covers her little mouth.

I pull a blanket on Elena and take Estelle to bed. Because of the fresh paint in her room, she’ll have to sleep with her mom tonight, but I don’t think it bothers either of them.

“… Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Mommy will live here too now?”

I chuckle. She sure is smart for her age, isn’t she?

“Yes, baby, I think so. I hope so, baby star. But it’s Mommy’s choice, okay? So now, do you want me to read your book? Where did we stop last night?”

After reading a few pages of another Disney princess story, Estelle is deep asleep, and I silently leave the room. I clean the living room a bit, turning the TV off and putting Estelle’s toys aside.

Suddenly, I hear a cry. On the couch next to me, Elena is frowning in her sleep, looking in pain. Shit, where are her meds? Can she take more? I kneel at her side, unsure what to do, panicked. It’s surely her shoulder wound, she keeps moving in her sleep, looking for a better position. Is it too late to call Tonia for advice?

“You got some alcohol?”

Damn it, she’s awake.

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