Page 83 of The Princess, the Prick & the Priest (Confessions 4)

When he got to the open door, Robbie did his best not to make a sound, so he could take a second to enjoy the sight that greeted him.

Priest was kneeling on the plush bathroom mat beside the bathtub with his sleeves rolled up, and water soaking through his shirt where Chloé had splashed him. He had a grin on his face and a small container in his hand, and when he scooped up some of the water and said, “Shut your eyes, shut your eyes, shut your eyes,” Chloé squeezed her eyes shut and angled her head up toward him.

Priest guarded her closed eyes with his free hand, as he tipped the water over the remaining suds in her hair, and when she opened them back up and swiped at them, she said, “Again, Papa. Again.”

Priest chuckled. “The soap is all gone, bichette, and we have to get you out and dressed for dinner.”

“That’s right,” Robbie said, and when Priest and Chloé looked at him, Robbie couldn’t have stopped his smile if he tried. The likeness between the two looking up at him was so unreal that at moments like this, when they were side by side, it never failed to stop Robbie in his tracks.

When they’d first discussed using a surrogate to have a child, both Robbie and Julien had shocked the hell out of Priest by agreeing they wanted the baby to be biologically his—and Chloé was a dead ringer, except her hair was a couple of shades darker.

“You want to help Papounet make pizzas tonight, don’t you?” Robbie said, and Chloé’s eyes lit up.

“Pizza?”

“All the pizza you can eat,” Robbie said as he pushed off the door and handed Priest a bath towel. “So you better get out and get dressed.”

When Chloé gripped the edge of the tub and tried to get to her feet, Priest moved up on his knees, scooped her out, and then wrapped the huge towel around her.

As he got to his feet, Priest kissed Robbie’s cheek and said, “Thanks, sweetheart.”

“You’re welcome,” Robbie said, as he looked down at Priest’s wet shirt. “Why don’t I get her dressed for dinner while you get changed? I think you’re as soaked as she is.”

“I think you might be right,” Priest said, as he looked down at the little girl and tapped her on the nose. “For someone who complains about taking a bath, young lady, you sure do have fun in them.”

Chloé aimed an it wasn’t me look at Priest that had him shaking his head. “She gets that from you.”

Robbie scoffed as he wrapped his fingers around Chloé’s, and they all walked out the bathroom door. “Kind of like she enjoys playing in her bath, like you?”

“Mhmm. Exactly like that.” Priest winked, and even after all this time, Robbie’s cheeks flamed, and as he walked off toward the bedroom, Robbie heard him chuckle.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, bichette?” Robbie said, pulling his eyes away from Priest’s retreating back.

“I want to dress up for dinner. Like a princess.”

Ah, I’m so proud. “Well, of course you do,” Robbie said as Chloé waddled along beside him in her enormous towel. “Let’s go and see what you’ve got, shall we?”

Robbie guided her into her bedroom, plopped her down on one of the little white stools that went with her tea party setup, and then opened her closet with a flourish.

“Right,” Robbie said, adopting his most fabulous voice, making her entire face light up with a grin. “Let’s see here. No,” he said, and tossed a little blue skirt aside, then he went for a pink one and did the same. “No, no, no.”

Robbie continued as Chloé laughed, then he paused on the sparkly purple princess dress that his mother had given her for Christmas, looked over his shoulder at her, and nodded.

“This,” he said, and pulled the dress out and held it under his chin. “This is the one.”

Chloé bounced in her seat, and when Robbie held a hand out, she jumped off her chair and raced over to him.

Robbie brushed out her soft curls and dried them, then helped her pick out some silver slippers to match, and once she was dressed and fit for receiving, Robbie heard the distinct sound of a cook in the kitchen, and made a show of sniffing the air.

“Mmm. I smell something yummy,” he said.

Chloé tugged on his hand, pulling him toward the door. “It’s Papounet!”

“Are you sure?”

“Oui,” she said, as she picked up her taffeta skirt and headed toward the door like a princess on a mission.

As she hurried off in Julien’s direction, Robbie followed. One of her favorite things to do was watch Julien cook. Not that that was a huge shock—she was a smart one, after all. But what was so endearing about it was the pure joy both she and Julien got whenever he let her help out.

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