Page 69

“Yes. But first, you need to potty and get a bath.”
“Can I please use the potty like a big girl?”
“Do you really want to sit on that hard seat?” I ask, giving her bottom a firm pat.
Even through the diaper it must hurt because she winces, her lower lip pushing out into a pout. “Not really.”
“Then you should probably use your diaper, princess.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, she squeezes her eyes shut. Sooner than I expected, the sound of her filling her diaper meets my ears and I smile down at her. “Such a good baby. Let’s get that wet diaper off you and get you into the bath.”
Scooping her up, I carry her to the bathroom where I strip the soiled diaper from her and set it aside before lifting her into the tub. A low hiss escapes her lips as she settles into the water, but before long she relaxes, her eyelids drifting shut again as she leans back against the built-in pillow.
Inhaling deeply, she smiles. “Lavender. My favorite.”
“I know.” Kneeling beside the tub, I reach for a clean washcloth and the body wash, squirting a healthy dollop onto the rag.
Again she opens one eye, though now most of the sleep has cleared from the brilliant blue. “You know all my favorite things. How?”
“A Daddy pays attention,” I say with a shrug as I run the cloth over her arm.
“You haven’t always been my Daddy. But you paid attention anyway.”
It’s an uncomfortable truth, but one I can’t deny. “I suppose I did. I think… maybe on some level I always knew it was you. But you were so young when our parents married. Too young. There are some laws even I won’t break.”
“It’s good to know you havesomemorals,” she teases.
Laughing, I splash water onto her dripping breasts. “Brat.”
“Sadist.”
“Guilty as charged.” Sitting back, I watch her, watching me. “I need to ask you something, Juliet, and I need you to be honest with me. Can you do that, baby?”
“I suppose it depends on what you’re going to ask.”
“Juliet.”
She rolls her eyes toward the ceiling and my palm positively itches to connect with her bottom. “Yes, yes, I’ll be honest.”
Heart in my throat, I swallow hard, forcing the question I’m not sure I want the answer to from my lips. “Are you happy here?”
To her credit, she doesn’t answer right away. There are no platitudes, no easy answers, and I can tell she’s actually thinking it over.
“I am. I didn’t think I would be when you first brought me here. But I have a family, and friends who care about me, way more than anyone back in New York ever did.”
My heart aches for the child she was, and the woman who has spent so long thinking herself unloved. “You tried to leave.”
“I know. And I really am so sorry about that. I talked to Solene about it and?—”
“Solene? I didn’t think you two were friendly.”
A smile curves her lips. “I apologized for being such a jerk to her back in New York and I think we’ve struck a bit of a truce. For now, anyway.”
“I see. What did you two talk about?”
“She asked me pretty much the same thing you did. If I was unhappy here. And I realized, the problem was more that I didn’t think Ishouldbe happy. It’s a bit humiliating to know how much I love being your baby. But…” She hesitates, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “You want me to be honest, right?”
“Always.”