Page 51 of Coulda

“Ten?” she teased.

“Ten minutes can seem like forever, can’t they? You’ll remember to listen to me next time, won’t you?”

“Yes,” she admitted, knowing his ingenuity would always come up with some way to make sure she paid attention.

“I love you, Little girl,” he whispered to her.

Tears filled Amber’s eyes and she leaned back to look at his face. “Really? I’ve loved you forever.”

“I will never lie to you, Amber. My heart belongs to a beautiful, fiery redhead.”

Amber wiped under her eyes, sure her makeup was completely gone after the hours-long trip. “I can’t look too wonderful now,” she protested.

“My beautiful Little girl,” he corrected her. “Would you like to go home?”

“Please.”

“Let’s go.”

In a flash, Rio had their luggage and allowed Amber to only roll one small bag to the parking lot where their car waited. He tucked her in the car despite her protests she could help while he stowed the bags in the trunk. Closing her eyes to rest, she crashed into sleep.

“Wake up, Little girl. We’re home,” Rio urged.

Operating on automatic, Amber allowed him to steer her into the house. Within minutes, she stood under a warm spray of water as he spread creamy body wash over her skin. She loved feeling all the stress of traveling sliding off to disappear down the drain.

She dipped her head under the water to wet her hair. When she reached for the shampoo, he took it from her to squeeze a small amount onto his hand. Amber moaned as he worked the cleansing foam through her hair and scratched softly across her scalp.

“You can do that forever,” she mumbled.

“I think we’ll run out of hot water in twenty minutes or so,” he teased, tilting her head back under the water to rinse her tresses free of the suds.

“You could have used a cold shower before,” she reminded him sleepily.

“You, my teasing Little girl, are absolutely right. Unfortunately, my problem was not as easily handled as yours,” he answered, wrapping her in a thick towel before capturing her wet hair in another.

“Do we need to dry your hair before you climb in bed?” he asked, lathering his skin quickly as she lounged against the wall of the large walk-in shower.

“No, Daddy. That makes it frizzy. I do need Limey.”

“I’ll get him for you.”

“Thank you, Daddy. Could you make sure our picture is okay?” She’d stowed the tube very carefully in their luggage so it didn’t get damaged.

“Yes, sweetheart,” he assured her as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

When he’d smoothed all the moisture from her skin, Rio guided her into the bedroom. Finding Limey in her bag, he tucked the stuffie in her arms and helped her climb into bed. Her Daddy smoothed the crisp sheets and soft comforter around her and kissed her softly.

“Sleep tight, Amberella.”

“You’ll come to bed soon?” she pleaded.

“Very soon.”

“Night, Daddy. Thank you for taking me to Paris and showing me so many things. You’ll make my playroom a Monet again, won’t you? In the new house?”

“Of course.” He kissed her forehead.

When he slid into bed a little later, Amber rolled to lie against his chest. With his arms wrapped around her, she whispered, “I love you, Daddy.”

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