Page 58 of Hearing Little Hadley

“Daddy,” she whined.

“Baby love, this diaper won’t hold one more pee-pee. I’ll be super-fast,” he promised.

“Super-fast?” she clarified.

“So super-fast,” he promised again.

He kept his word and had her sitting on his lap on the couch in record time.

“This one?” he asked, holding the package she brought home from school a few days ago.

“Yes, Daddy! That one!” she squealed.

“You want me to open it?”

“Yes, Daddy!”

“Right now?”

“Yes, Daddy!” she giggled.

He carefully unwrapped the pretty packaging to find a beautiful frame with Hadley’s handprint turned into a Christmas tree inside it. “Our First Christmas,” he read.

“I made it for you at school,” she preened. “I only gagged a little bit when Miss Phoebe painted my hand,” she said honestly.

“I love it, Peeps. It’s perfect.”

“I got you other things too, but I just wanted you to have something special from Little me.”

Finn cupped her face and kissed her. “You’ve given me your heart, Peeps. It doesn’t get much more special than that, but this is a close second,” he said, hugging the frame to his chest.

“I have a few things for you to open too, little one.” Finn said, standing and handing Hadley several packages from around the tree before settling the others with his name in his lap.

“Your turn, Peeps.”

Hadley picked a small present wrapped in red and green paper. She opened it to reveal a pacifier that saidDaddy’s Little Girl.

“Oh, thank you, Daddy! I love it.”

“You’re welcome, baby,” he said, chuckling when she immediately popped it in her mouth. Thankfully, he’d washed it before wrapping it just in case she couldn’t wait.

“Open one of yours!” she demanded, bouncing on the couch.

He unwrapped a new leather wallet with his initials on it. “Oh, Peeps. Thank you.”

She beamed before unwrapping another one of her gifts.

In the end they both realized they’d spoiled each other silly.

Hadley was ecstatic about her new playroom furniture and Finn was the owner of a new pickup truck that was waiting for him at a dealership back home.

“Thank you, Peeps. I love it all, but I mostly love that you’re mine now,” he said, pulling her into his lap and kissing her.

“Merry Christmas, Daddy,” she whispered against his lips.

“Merry Christmas, Hadley,” he replied, laying her back on the couch.

“Daddy wants to unwrap one more present,” he said, pulling at the zipper on her Christmas tree sleeper.

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