Page 51 of Heaven Leigh’s Little Halloween

Heaven Leigh wasn’t going to argue. She nodded. “I think you’re right. Honestly, I never thought… I didn’t think I was anyone’s idea of a Little, but he seems to like me the way I am.”

“We all feel that way, you know? I mean, most of us do anyway. There’s this ideal that we think we’re supposed to fit into and if we don’t… we feel weird and out of place. But the truth is… everyone is weird in their own way. Any Daddy would be glad to have you, Heaven—but I’m glad it’s Angel.”

Heaven bit her bottom lip. She wanted to believe all of that. “Why Angel?”

Sadie hesitated and then looked around at their excited friends. They were talking about the pranks and what Heaven had done, but not really paying any attention to the soft conversation. “If you’re not going to eat that, let’s get out of here and go find you the perfect costume, okay?”

Heaven nodded and jumped to her feet to dump her tray. The excuse of having to get ready for Halloween was a good enough reason to bale, even though there was some good-natured complaining about it.

Once they left the cafeteria, Sadie hooked her arm through Heaven’s and leaned in so they could talk as they walked to the Littles’ Wing. “Did Angel tell you about um… his time before he came here?” It was clear she was nervous about breaking confidences.

“You mean about his wife dying? Yes, he did.”

Sadie let out a relieved sigh. “Good. It would have been awkward if he hadn’t. Him and my Daddy talk sometimes… you know deep stuff. And it took a long time for Angel to agree to let Daddy look for someone for him.”

“Well yeah, I mean grief is really hard to get past. Every time you turn around something else is reminding you of the person you lost. It hurts so much you feel like you can’t even breathe.” Just talking about it was doing that to her.

“I know, but it’s more than that, I think. You know they were kind of each other’s firsts. First loves but also first dynamics too. I think he was scared there would never be anyone who fit him just right. Before you…”

“Are you sure though? It’s all so new and we really don’t even know each other that well. We agreed last night. I mean he’s going to be my Daddy. I just… I hope it lasts.” If it didn’t, she was going to be crushed, so she’d been trying really hard not to even entertain the idea.

“I’m positive. And Daddy is positive too. He said he’s never seen Angel look at anyone the way he looks at you. He’s got an eye for this kind of thing and he’s almost never wrong.”

It was the “almost” that worried Heaven Leigh, but it was probably the closest thing to a guarantee she was going to get and she chose to accept it. She let out a long breath in a whoosh and grinned. “Well, then we better find the perfect costume, so he doesn’t have second thoughts.”

Sadie snorted. “As if.” She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “Is this really going to be your first Halloween ever?”

“Yep.”

“Wow. Okay, well, now I really wish I had been able to talk Daddy into all the extra stuff.” She sighed. They both knew the strike would never have worked anyway.

“That’s okay. I mean I’m not going to have anything to compare it to anyway so whatever we do is still going to be a lot,” Heaven said.

Sadie brightened. “That’s true! I hadn’t even thought of that. Well, it will be the best first Halloween, and we’ll just have to top it next year.”

That was somewhat alarming. “Oh, no. Really, it’s fine. You don’t need to—”

Sadie talked right over her. “You know… I think I remember a costume from a few years ago that might just be perfect in a really weird way. Let’s go check the closet and see if it’s still there.”

It took fifteen minutes of digging before she cried out, “Aha! Found it.” She popped up, waving it by the hanger, and Heaven put down a hat she’d been looking at to go and see.

It wasn’t a subtle costume, and she knew almost immediately what it was supposed to be. “Um… is this…”

“Yes! C’mon, you know it will be perfect.” And then Sadie’s smile dropped away, and she looked mortified. “Oh no… wait. Is this insensitive? I’m sorry. I know a little tiny bit about your history, but I didn’t really connect it…”

Heaven had been jolted when she saw the costume. Her stomach had clenched and not in a good way, but now she reached out a hesitant hand to take it from Sadie. “Actually…” She trailed off, thinking about it hard and fast.

Once the initial shock had drained away, new feelings emerged and it kind of did make a weird sort of sense. And aside from that, her parents would have been furious. Not that they wouldn’t already have been just knowing she was celebrating Halloween, but this would have sent them into a rage.

Her mouth slowly stretched into a grin. “Actually, I love it. And you’re right, it’s perfect.”

Sadie let out the breath she’d been holding. “Oh good. Um, there’s a bag of accessories hanging from the back. You’ll want the headband and tail.” She frowned. “There should be one more piece… hold on.” She dove back into the cluttered memories of prior holidays, and after a frantic scramble, emerged again with the final piece. “Got it! You’ll need this!”

Heaven snorted. The plastic was battered but it did top off the whole outfit. “Well, I guess I better go try it on and see if it fits.”

In the privacy of her room, she wiggled into the tight costume. It was a little too small for her generous hips, but once she got it over them, it seemed to settle into place. She’d probably need to be careful about bending over, but otherwise it would work.

She moved in front of the mirror on the back of the door. After a hesitation she gave in and took a good long look at herself. The blue eyes she saw reflected back seemed like they were filled with excitement for the first time in a while.

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