Daddies Little Girl

Chapter 3- "I love you too.... Daddy"

Well just as I expected; something was going to go wrong. It wasn’t a big deal, it’s just Abby was put on bed rest since the baby was only a few months away, and Kelly wasn’t able to take care of Lillie because of work.
I had to get to leave for Carolina in two hours, and I had Lillie bouncing off the walls. Then I remembered Pipers offer. So about a half an hour later I showed up at Pipers door step, with Lillie in one arm, poorly dressed but still ready for school, her book bag swung over my back, and her tiny ballerina suitcase in the other hand.
“Hey” I said as Piper answered the door wearing a pair of red plaid sleep shorts and a black tank top, which I could clearly see she wasn’t wearing a bra, with her glasses on.
“Hey” she said stepping aside to let me in. She took one look at Lillie. “Dear Lord Jon” she said taking the toddler who was eating a piece of toast and that Nutella crap, from my arms. “How is this little girl even dressed? Did you even brush her hair?”
“Of course” I said setting Lilies stuff on her dining room table.
“Sweetie did your daddy brush your hair?” Piper asked the toddler that had her mouth full of toast.
Lillie shook her head ‘No’.
“Little liar!” I said laughing.
“Yeah sure” Piper said grabbing the toddler’s hand leading to the bathroom. “Let’s get you fixed up darling. We don’t want those rich snooty kids thinking your daddy is a retard do we?”
“No” Lillie laughed.
I looked around her apartment. It was smaller than mine, but she decorated it nice, and classic. I could hear Lillie giggle as Piper was talking to her; probably making jokes about me.
A few minutes later Piper and Lillie came back hand in hand, with Lillie hair back in a pretty ponytail with a white ribbon around it, and her chubby face washed of any excess breakfast crumbs. She was smiling for the first time this morning.
“Everything she could possibly need is in her suitcase. She has two play outfits in there, and an extra outfit if something happens she gets dirty or something. Her school outfit for tomorrow is in there. She has two set of pj’s. I packed some coloring books and toys in there for her to play with tonight. And if you want to take her back to my place so she can go to bed her normal time, here’s my key” I said handing her the key and telling her the address. “Am I forgetting anything?” I said.
“Jon if you don’t hurry up and leave, you’re going to miss your flight” Piper said.
“I know sorry” I said.
“Now give daddy a hug and kiss before he leaves” Piper said.
I scooped up Lillie in my arms.
“Jonathan?” Lillie said muffled because her mouth was covered by my coat.
“Yeah babe?” I said.
“How long are you going to be gone?” she asked pulling back and looking at me.
“Only a night” I said running my hand down the back of her head. “I’ll be back late tomorrow night”
“I’ll miss you” she said.
“I’ll miss you too baby girl” I said. “But you’re going to have so much fun with Piper, you won’t even miss me” I said. “Now give me a kiss so I can leave” I said pulling her back she could give me a kiss. She pecked my lips and hugged my neck again. “I promise to bring something back for you”
I set her down, and she grabbed Pipers hand, and looked up at me with her big puppy dog blue eyes.
“Bye baby girl” I said as I closed the door.
I leaned against the door, long enough to hear Piper say. “Well who’s ready for a girl’s day?”
“ME!” I heard Lillie squeal.
I smiled then walked to my car.
When we landed in Raleigh it was around one our time, so it would be noonish there time. I waited till we got to the Hotel before I texted Piper asking about Lillie.
I felt a vibration in my pants. So I pulled my phone out too see a picture of Lillie in her cute school uniform getting her nails done, and smiling her cheesy little smile. I smiled, and quickly made that my phone background.
I texted back. ‘You’re going to turn her into a spoiled brat lol’
She quickly sent another picture of Lilies and Pipers nails painted red with a thin white and black line across the tip of her fingers, and a little ‘19’ on the middle finger.
The message with the picture read ‘Sorry couldn’t resist lol’
I dialed her number, and she answered on the second ring.
“Hello”
“You’re going to turn my daughter into a high maintenance brat” I said laughing.
“I know I just couldn’t resist. I don’t have a younger sister or a niece”
“How’s she doing?” I asked.
“She’s doing good” Piper said.
“Good”
“We’re getting lunch at the White Palace, and then heading over to Millennium Park…”
“Oh um, can you hold off on the park?” I asked. “I kind of wanted to take her there”
“Oh sure, yeah I understand”
“You…. You can come with us”
“Nah, its daughter and daddy time, not daughter, daddy, and random chick time”
“I promise, you won’t be a random chick”
“Let me think about it” she said.
The line went into an awkward silence for a moment.
“Did you get her a Halloween costume for her?” Piper asked.
“No” I asked. “When is Halloween?”
“Next Monday” Piper said laughing.
“Oh shit!” I said rubbing my eyes. “I totally forgot about it”
“Don’t worry about” she said. “I’ll come up with something”
“Thanks a lot for everything Piper”
“Jon don’t worry about it” She said. “I’m having loads of fun”
“Wait a minute” Piper said. “Lil wants to talk to you”
I smiled.
“Hi Jonathan?” She said in her mousy voice
“Hey baby girl. Having fun with Piper?” I asked as I laid on the bed, watching Kaner flip through the channels.
“Yeah, she’s so much fun!” She said.
“What have you been doing with her?” I asked knowing exactly what they had been doing.
“Well she picked me up from school, and we got our nails done now were sitting at the restaurant. Did you know there’s a TON of pictures of you and Uncle Patty at the restaurant?”
I laughed. “Yeah babe I know”
“So have you gotten my present yet?” she asked reminding me like I had forgotten.
“No, not yet” I said laughing.
Heard her huff. “Don’t forget ok?”
I laughed. “Ok I wont”
“Ok tell Uncle Patty Hi for me” I could tell she was smiling now.
I told him. “He’s says Hi and he misses his favorite toddler”
She giggled “Tell him I miss him too.”
This was getting ridiculous. I’m her dad for Christ sakes.
“Piper wants to talk to you” Lillie said
“Hello? Jon?” Piper said.
“I’m here”
“Ok good” She said. “Well I better let you go. You have practice in a few.”
“Ok”
“Bye Jon”
“Bye Piper”
I hung up the phone smiling.
“Well look at you big daddy” Kaner said.
“Shut up” I said plugging my phone into the charger.
“Come on dude, I never in my life expected you to smile this big, over a little girl!” he said. “And that girl being you daughter!”
“I know, that’s why I’m saying shut up”
He was quiet for a minute.
“So Piper huh?”
I groaned. “Dude what do you not get about shutting the fuck up”
“Whoa dude! Do you kiss Lillie with that mouth?” he remarked, which earned him a pillow thrown at his head.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
We ended up losing. Piper had told me she had taken Lillie back to my place so I didn’t have to wake Lillie up to take her back to my place.
I unlocked my door to see a dark condo; only light coming from the TV that was playing the game replay on NHL Network. I flicked the light hall way light on then grabbed the remote from the coffee table in front of the couch and turned the TV off.
“Jon?” Piper said rubbing her eyes then pulling the blanket tighter around her.
“Sorry for waking you”
“I wasn’t sleeping” she said. “I was just resting my eyes, your TV is so big”
“I guess you just drool when you watch TV?”
She looked at her pillow, and then felt the side of her mouth. “Oh shit” she said wiping her mouth.
I laughed. “I’m guessing Lillie’s asleep”. I said taking my suit jacket off, and setting it on the backside of the couch.
“Yeah she was gone before the beginning of the third”
I smiled, and grabbed the stuffed dog I got Lillie from Carolina. I pushed her door open, to see her curled up underneath her sheets and blanket, clutching onto the bear my parents got her.
I walked over to the side of the bed, and sat at the empty spot on the small bed. I ran my hand over the top of her head, causing her to stir.
“Hey baby girl” I said.
“Yourehome” she said slurring her words together. “Is it time to wake up?”
I smiled. “No, you got a couple more hours”
She smiled sleepishly. “Did your team wined?”
I shook my head. “No babe we didn’t”
She frowned. “I got you this” I said handing her the black dog I had bought her
She smiled and wrapped her arms around the dogs neck, then closed her eyes. “Thank you”
I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Love you baby girl” I said softly, thinking she was asleep.
“I love you too…. Daddy”
When she said that, I could feel my heart explode. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to hear her say I love you, let alone call me daddy. If I didn’t get out of that room, I was going to lose it right there and start bawling like a baby.
I walked out in the hall and I wiped the corners of my eyes to see Piper had already gone back to sleep, and just decided it wasn’t a horrible thing to let her stay. I walked over to the couch, and scooped her up in my arms, and carried her to another spare room.

I could get use to this life. I couldn’t remember what it was like not to have Lillie in my life, nor did I want to. That little girl was my life now.