Page 8 of Deciding for Little Dallas
Pike set the suitcase down and knelt to face his panicked Little girl. “Hey, Daddy wouldn’t dare let you sleep away from him or put you in the nursery for the whole trip. This vacation was for us to explore your needs, and we can’t explore them if you’re not with me, can we?”
She shook her head, blinking back tears.
“I’m sorry Daddy scared you, Bitty. I promise that minus some time in the Caterpillar Room, you’ll be with Daddy all of the time, okay?”
She nodded.
“Besides, the nursery isn’t open at night. Little girls and boys just visit there during the day,” he said, standing and then picking her up. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest and he made a mental note to be gentler with his movements and ideas.?
Grabbing the handle of her pink leopard suitcase, he pulled it to the door. “Daddy has his hands full, can you reach down and open the door?” he asked, referring to the door that separated the nursery from the main bedroom and the rest of their suite.
Dallas did as he asked and then immediately gasped in delight. Wiggling in his arms, she tried to get down to explore the new space.
“See, Daddy wasn’t taking your clothes to the Caterpillar Room, he was taking them to your nursery.”
Pike knew what the room looked like from the website, but even those beautiful photos didn’t do the room justice. It was magnificent. Hardwood floors matched the oak of an adult-sized crib, padded changing table, and rocking chair, plus a rocking horse Pike had ordered ahead of time just for her.? Dallas made abeeline for the horse. Pike walked over and helped her climb on it.
“Yee-haw!” she declared, making him chuckle.
“Well, aren’t you just the cutest cowgirl I’ve ever seen?” After he made sure she was steady on the horse, he started to unpack her clothes and new Little gear in the closet. He kept a close eye on her, making sure she didn’t fall. The ear-to-ear grin of her face told him he’d done the right thing and, for the first time in months, he didn’t feel the heavy weight on his shoulders. His Little one was going to get everything she needed.
CHAPTER 4
Dallas held her Daddy’s hand tightly as they took the elevator back downstairs. Her tummy danced with nerves and her heart was beating so fast she thought it might beat right out of her chest. She’d brought Teefs for emotional support, but the zombie baby was being very quiet too. Dallas thought maybe she had sympathy nerves.
“You’re being so brave, Bitty,” Pike told her.
She didn’t feel brave. She felt like she was gonna throw up.
She hesitated when Daddy went to step off the elevator, but Pike put his free hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the Ranch Shop in the lobby. The couple walked into the shop and Dallas was disappointed that Daddy wasted no time in going straight to the back of the shop where all the Little items seemed to be. Daddy must have asked where the Little girl things would be located when he checked in? because Dallas doubted he would have been able to locate them in the big store without some help.
“Hello! Welcome to the Rawhide Ranch Gift Shop. Can I help you find anything?” an older man with salt and pepper hair asked them.
“Yes, actually. That would be really helpful. I’m out of my element. My Little girl, Dallas”—he paused so Dallas could wave and greet the man—“is going to explore a younger headspace and she needs a few things. Can you help us with that, Tate?” Pike asked, reading the name on his nametag.
“Oh, how exciting! I would love to assist you. Let’s start with the basics. Are you thinking about diapers?”
“No!”
“Yes,” Pike answered at the same time Dallas did.
“Dallas Kate,” Pike said sternly, raising one brow in warning.
She swallowed the froggie in her throat. “Yes, Master Tate. We are going to be trying diapers.”
Master Tate smiled at her kindly. “Well, we have the best selection, let’s go look!” He encouraged, leading them to a big wall of diapers.
“So to determine her correct size you can go off the chart on the back. We find it to be accurate.” While Pike flipped a package of diapers over, Dallas studied all the packages.
“Daddy!” she gasped, pointing, “They have ghosties and jack-o’-lanterns!”
Both men chuckled at her excitement. “I see, Bitty. Do you like those?” Pike asked, looking at the diapers she’d pointed at.
She nodded frantically.
“Okay, so we will take a size medium in the ghosts and jack-o’-lanterns.” Pike said, studying the shelf. “Do you like the bat design, baby?”
Dallas nodded again.
