Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
COLBY
Lottie reclined against my chest as I fed her forkfuls of the lasagna I made for dinner. The French doors leading out to the deck were wide open, and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filled the space around us.
"Thank you for this," Lottie said quietly.
I set the fork down on the plate and rubbed my hands up and down her arm. "You're welcome, but what are you thanking us for this time?"
Somehow we still hadn't fully broken Lottie of her habit of saying sorry and thank you for the smallest things.
It pissed me off to no end that she'd been hurt in her past so much she felt the need to do it.
"For the weekend." She let out a sigh, absently trailing her fingers over my forearms. "It's been really stressful lately, so I think this is exactly what we all needed."
Kaleb grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled Lottie's glass before his own. "I'm sorry about my mother. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure she never upsets you again."
"Daddy K, no." Lottie scrambled away from me to climb onto Kaleb's lap. I let her go without any hesitation. "That's not your fault, remember we talked about that? You can only control your own actions, not those of anyone else."
Kaleb smiled gently as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Right you are, little one. How could I have forgotten that?"
"That's okay, Daddy." Lottie scrunched up her nose. "That's why I'm here to remind you."
"Ah." He tapped her on the tip of her nose. "Is that what you're here for?"
“That and a lot more things.”
“Like for tickles?” I asked and attacked her sides until she screamed for mercy.
“I give up! I give up! Please!”
Andrei stepped between just and gathered her into his arms. “I’ll rescue you, kroshka.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to his powerful form as he carried her back over to the other side of the couch. When he sat down, she snuggled against his chest and narrowed her eyes at me.
"Are you being a sassy brat, Charlotte?" Kaleb asked, using his best Daddy voice.
Lottie's eyes widened, almost comically and she shook her head vigorously. "No, Daddy Sir. No brats here."
I hid my laugh behind a cough. This girl was too much sometimes.
She was sharp and witty, and always kept us on our toes.
The past three months with her, despite the troubles we faced with David and then Viktor, were the happiest of my life.
I'd fight a hundred battles if it meant she would stay by our sides.
"Let's keep it that way, or else there won't be any ice cream the rest of the trip." Kaleb crossed his arms over his chest, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Not the ice cream," Lottie gasped. "I'll be good, Daddy K. I promise."
I'd believe that when pigs flew, but I wasn't about to say it out loud. We loved Lottie's sass, and wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
We loved her, yes, but we also knew she was a brat and wouldn't ever be fully good.
But I knew we all loved it that way.
"Come back and snuggle with me, little girl." I patted the couch beside me. "You need to finish a few more bites before we watch TV."
She nodded, hopping off Andrei's lap and moving to the spot next to me. "We need to watch the episode of Hell's Kitchen we missed."
She got straight to the point, saying exactly what she knew was going to happen.
"I dunno," I tapped my finger against my chin. "Have you been a good enough girl today to warrant the reward?"
Lottie's lips parted and her braids bounced as she shook her head. "I've been good all day."
I gathered her into my arms and pressed my lips to the top of her head. I inhaled the fresh scent of her shampoo, taking it deep into my lungs. "Daddy is messing with you. Of course we'll watch the episode we missed."
"Good." She wriggled until her head rested against my chest, but she retained her view of the TV.
So much for a few more bites of food. I wasn't going to move her now that she'd gotten comfy. She felt too good against me to bother with that. She ate most of her plate, and that was all I could ask for.
Kaleb gave me a knowing smirk as he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.