Page 56 of Trained By Her Daddy

Chapter 20

“Daddy, where are we going?”

“Remember the stuffed bunny that I bought for you at the amusement park?”

“Who could forget? And you know I’ll be sleeping with Pinkie the next time you go out of town for work.”

“Well, I was thinking she might like a friend.”

“How thoughtful of you,” I offered through a jagged smile.

“Well, I happen to know there’s a company called Build-A-Bear. Have you ever heard of it?”

“No, should I know who they are?”

“Build-A-Bear is a brand which has been in the business for twenty years, and their tagline is that they make special memories—one furry friend at a time. To shop, we can drive to one of their brick and mortar stores, or I can order your new friend online and guess which animal you’d like to have.”

I peered at him out the side of my eye. “Apparently, we’re going to the store…”

“My first inclination was to surprise you with a friend for your pink bunny, but then I thought it might be even more fun for you to choose your own. I checked out the store, and they were so helpful and friendly as they explained what kind of experience their young shoppers might expect.”

“Are you going to give me an outline of what I can anticipate, or do you want me to be surprised?”

“Well, we’re here,” he said, parking the car. “So why don’t we go in and explore. I think it will be more enjoyable that way.”

John opened his door and then ran to my side to open mine. As he took me by the hand, I almost started to cry. My new Daddy was always so intent on not only making me feel loved and cherished as a woman, but he also wanted to fill some of those dark empty holes from my childhood which were still gaping wide open.

“Hello,” the young greeter at the door said cheerfully. “Can I help you find something?”

John squeezed my hand while smiling at the young clerk. “I’ve been here before, but my fiancée hasn’t. Could you fill her in on how this purchasing process works?”

“I’d love to. Our goal is to satisfy all our customers—young and old, because we recognize that a hug is understood and appreciated by all ages.”

Okay. This woman was close to becoming my best friend. “But I noticed the furry animals haven’t been stuffed yet, so do you perform that function here?”

She was probably wondering what spaceship I had just landed on. There was no doubt I was wet behind the ears when it came to knowledge about this kid-friendly company that had been in business for two decades. But nevertheless, she remained polite and friendly. “Your first step is to pick a furry friend from one of our shelves, and then we have several sounds for you to choose from which we can insert in her paw. After deciding on whether you would like her to have a silent or beating heart, we’ll stuff and sew her closed. And when you’re all done—you can create a birth certificate on our store computer. Now then, will this be a gift for a niece or nephew?”

If my face had grown any hotter, it would’ve melted off. Of course, it never occurred to our salesperson that this new friend was for me, and thankfully John came to my rescue. “I’ve heard there’s a tradition for a new mother to pass a beloved stuffed animal to her baby. But unfortunately, my fiancée never owned a furry animal friend as a child.”

The woman immediately threw a hand over her mouth and gasped. “Never?”

I did love telling people I’d been raised by wolves, but it didn’t seem appropriate at that juncture. This was clearly a woman who spent her days selling toys to happy children with loving mothers and fathers—so, I simply shook my head and listened as John continued. “I thought it would be meaningful for us to pick out a new stuffed toy while she’s pregnant, so we could pass it to our first child.”

“Oh my, I guess congratulations are in order!” the clerk politely exclaimed, trying to see how far along I was in the pregnancy.

My hand flew to touch my tummy. “I’m not showing yet, I only recently found out we’re going to have a baby.”

She bobbed her head and grinned. “Wonderful news! Just let me know when you’ve made some choices. Obviously, we have shelves and shelves of furry friends and plenty of sounds which you can choose from.”

“Thanks for coming to my rescue,” I mumbled to John through one side of my tight lips as the clerk walked away.

He looked up and down the shelves and then casually whispered in my ear. “You know, I came up with that idea off the top of my head, but I really like the notion of handing down a special new friend.”

My eyes pooled with tears as I joined in the search for my new toy, scanning rows of brightly colored and pastel shaded stuffed animals. “Do you think it’s the hormones, or am I really choked up over choosing a new friend?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say you’re dealing with an abundance of emotions right now. But either way, I’m glad you’re not holding back your tears. And I wouldn’t worry about anyone watching—a release is probably what you need.”

As I wiped my wet cheeks with the flat of my hand, the clerk joined us once again. “Maybe if you decided what type of friend you’re looking for—I can help you narrow the search.”

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