Page 28 of The Captain's Little Girl

CHAPTER10

Buttons insisted on playing in her nursery the next morning. Cricket felt better than she had for a long time. She’d woken up sprawled over Mark’s chest in the early hours of the morning. He’d made love to her, making her cry with the sweet, tender way he touched her. Her daddy had simply wiped away the tears with kisses and reassured her that everything would always be this good.

He’d reported for early maneuvers before she’d even gotten out of bed. With the house quiet around her, Cricket had fallen back to sleep, which she suspected was her daddy’s ultimate plan. He seemed to think she needed a lot more sleep than the five or six hours she normally got after working.

“I feel really good, Buttons. Maybe he’s right. Just don’t tell him, okay?”

The stuffie looked back at her with knowing eyes. Instantly, Cricket backtracked, “Of course, if he asks you directly, you’ll have to answer, but if he doesn’t… You could just not mention it.”

Cricket relaxed a bit as Buttons seemed to agree with simply omitting the insider information. “Thank you, Buttons.” She hugged the agreeable stuffie and gave him a kiss.

The sound of the doorbell made her jump. Cricket scrambled to her feet and peeked out the window of the nursery, checking to see if she could spot who was there. Hope!

Dashing down the hallway, she threw open the door. “Hi!” Cricket greeted her, bounding through the door to give her a hug.

“Hi, Cricket. I texted Mark for permission to visit your nursery today while the guys are busy. Want some company?”

“I’d love it,” Cricket smiled. Leave it to Hope to smooth over any possible problems by getting permission.

“Who’s that?” Hope pointed at the leopard in her arms.

“Buttons. He’s a great buddy.”

“Yay!” Hope reached out a finger to stroke Button’s luxurious pelt. “So soft.”

“I know. Come in. Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“No, I’m fine. Unless you have coffee?”

“You can drink coffee?” Cricket questioned in shock.

“Not at home,” Hope said with a laugh.

“Smart!” Cricket admired her friend’s sneakiness. “No coffee in the house. I might have looked this morning, but I’ll never admit it.”

“Did you find anything in your nursery?” Hope asked.

“Thank you for the cricket! It’s so cute. Everyone left something in there for me? I haven’t explored it yet.” Cricket looked down the hall.

“I’m here, too.” River’s voice sounded out of breath.

“You’re jogging?” Cricket questioned as the other little girl ran up to join them.

“Not really. Doniphan’s house is about two blocks away. Unless that counts as running?”

“Totally,” Hope confirmed. “Rosie and Ember are working today. We’re going to pick Ember up at work and then go to Rosie’s bakery for lunch later.”

“Yum! Come in. Who organized all this?” Cricket asked.

“Me,” Hope confessed.

Excited to show them her nursery, Cricket ushered her friends down the hall. River and Hope loved the light, airy room. Her friends helped her search the space to find the gifts they’d hidden. Rosie had hidden two chocolate bars in the toy bin in case Cricket needed a snack and her daddy didn’t want her to ruin her dinner. Ember had added a fake plant on the windowsill. It danced when Cricket clapped her hands. River had created a Buttons-sized Harbor Bar and Grill T-shirt for Cricket’s stuffie. After admiring everything, the women sprawled on the carpet.

“This room is gorgeous. Looks like Mark decided before you read him the riot act that he wanted to be your daddy,” River observed.

“I didn’t do that,” Cricket protested. “I simply told him I was making the decision if he wouldn’t.”

“That’s a good way to get a daddy to pay attention. Don’t let them decide,” Hope commented with a laugh.

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