Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
I love it so much I almost start crying. It looks brand new. I haven’t had any new clothes in ten years. I don’t remember owning anything so pretty. It’s bright instead of drab. It’s not torn. There are no holes in it. And the sparkles…
“Arms up, Baby girl.”
I lift my arms and luxuriate in the way he pulls the shirt over my head and down my body. It fits me perfectly, reaching just to the top of my diaper. I’m leery about the diaper. It feels weird. I’m not sure I can use it. But Daddy acts like it’s perfectly normal, and I want to please him.
He lifts me into his arms and carries me to a large rocking chair where he sits with me across his lap, cradled in his arms. He grabs the softest blanket I’ve ever felt from a shelf next to us and tucks it around my body.
“There. Are you warm enough?”
“Yes, Sir.”
He groans slightly as he rolls me toward his chest and rocks me close to his body.
I snuggle against him. He feels so good. I worry I’m dreaming. This apartment is warm. This shirt smells good. The blanket is so, so, so soft. I don’t ever want this dream to end.
Finally, he leans me back. “I’m going to feed you a bottle, Little one, and then put you in that crib to sleep. I bet you haven’t slept well in a long time.”
He’s right. I’m always cold, and there are weird noises in the woods behind the house. I’ve never gotten used to them. And I always sleep in fear that I won’t wake up early enough to make breakfast to my father’s liking.
“In the morning, you’ll feel better, Little one. Then we can talk about our plans.”
“Okay.”
He reaches for a bottle on the shelf next to us and holds it to my mouth. “I promise you’ll like it. All the Littles on the island drink this exact formula, and they love it.”
My eyes go wide. “The Littles on the island all take bottles?”
He smiles. “Yep. Some of them graduate to soft foods if their Daddies decide that’s what’s best for them, but all of them take bottles at least part of the time.”
He’s rocking me. It’s soothing. I never want it to end. I open my mouth and accept the bottle. It takes me a moment to get the hang of the nipple, but soon I’m sucking, and it’s so yummy. It tastes like a vanilla milkshake. When did I last have a milkshake? I don’t know.
When I close my eyes, I start to drift, and Daddy jiggles the bottle. “Finish all of it, Little one. You need the calories.”
It’s hard to stay awake, but I eventually finish the bottle. I can’t hold my eyes open. I’m so warm and…safe. I’m safe. No one is going to hurt me tonight. I can sleep without fear of someone suddenly screaming at me.
Daddy taps my lips with the nipple again, but I’m full now. I turn my head and purse my lips.
He chuckles. “It’s a pacifier, Little one. Try it. I bet it will calm you.”
I open my eyes partway to see he’s indeed holding a pink sparkly pacifier. It’s so pretty. Do I want to suck it, though? I decide to give it a try and open my mouth.
Daddy pops it in and holds it in place while I relax into him again.
I’m almost asleep when he rises and lowers me into the crib. I whimper. I liked it better when he was holding me.
He tucks the blanket around me and rubs my tummy. “Sleep, Little one. I have a baby monitor. I’ll know if you wake up. You’re safe here, Baby girl. Oh, wait. You need Fluffy. I’ll go grab her.”
A moment later, he’s back. He tucks Fluffy under the covers with me and kisses my forehead before lifting the side of the crib.
Maybe I should think this room is far too weird, but I find I like it. I feel protected by the crib railings. I won’t fall out of bed. I don’t even have to get up to go potty. The pacifier feels good. Fluffy is in my arms. I’m so happy for the first time in forever.
Chapter Six
I wake up to the sound of someone whispering my name. Someone kind. It’s not my father. I lift my eyelids to find Brian leaning over me, smiling down at me. He has his hand on my tummy over the soft blanket.
“There’s my sweet girl. I hate to wake you, but you need to take a bottle, Baby girl. You’ve been asleep for twelve hours.”
I gasp, and the pacifier falls out of my mouth. “I slept that long?”
“Yes, Little one. I’m sure you need the rest. I’ll let you go back to sleep after you take a bottle. Plus I need to change your diaper.”