Page 44 of A Little Christmas: Rivi

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Briar

After breakfast, the guys spread out for various activities, many of them outdoors.

“Would you like to go for a walk around the grounds?” I asked Rivi.

“Sure.”

“Go get your boots and change into pants that aren’t pajamas.”

“Okay.” He ran upstairs so fast he was a blur.

We met by the front door this time. Trent’s estate was huge but there were many paved pathways. Some of the snow had melted and we found it pretty easy-going.

Rivi skipped ahead, enjoying how his breath made white clouds on the air, and pointing at every tree and rock he saw. When he tired, he came beside me and gently took my hand, swinging it a bit.

“I can’t wait for our date.”

“Me, too.”

“Will we take your car?”

“Yes. Unless you want to drive.”

“I’ll let you. You already know where we’re going, right?”

“I made the plans last night after you went to bed.”

“Even though I’m a little, going on a grown-up date is special.”

“You can still be little even on a date.”

“I can?”

“You can do whatever you wish. I think I’ve said it before, I don’t make many rules.”

“But some rules?”

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

He was so curious.

“Honesty. That’s one rule. I want you to tell me whenever you’re uncomfortable. But also, when you like things. We have to have open communication. That’s my first request.”

“No pretending, then.”

“No.”

“Except when I’m playing make-believe with my stuffed toys.”

I chuckled. “That is acceptable.”

“But I am pretending to be little.”

“I think that’s different. Don’t you? Isn’t it true to being who you are? What makes you feel the best, the safest. And isn’t it mixed in with your adult self?”