I can’t help but laugh at her dramatics. “Get used to it, kiddo. He’s not going to get quiet anytime soon, and he’s here to stay.”
“I know,” she sighs. Maybe she isn’t adjusting to having a new sibling very well. I guess some spoiling by my parents is just what she needs to feel better.
We pull into their driveway a minute later, my dad’s truck already parked in his spot. “Looks like Papa beat us here,” I tell Paisley as I put the truck in park. I hop out, then help her from her seat. She takes off running for the front door, and before she can even reach it, both of my parents are out and waiting on the porch for her.
I lean against the front of my truck, just watching the interaction between the three of them. She’s one lucky-ass kid to have my parents as her grandparents. They spoil her so damn much; she’s going to be in a world of hurt the first time they learn how to tell her no one of these days. I swear, they’ve never said it to her once.
“Are you coming in or just standing out here?” Mom calls out to me a few minutes later.
“Just letting the three of you have a moment,” I tease her as I join them on the porch. “Smells amazing, Mom; whatcha got cooking?” I ask as the aroma from the house reaches us.
“Meatloaf is in the oven, mashed potatoes and gravy are on the stove.”
My stomach picks that moment to rumble, which, in turn, causes Paisley to laugh at the noise it makes. “Daddy, you’s hungry!” she exclaims.
“Sounds like it,” I agree with her. I reach out, opening the screen door and holding it for all of us to walk through.
“Wash up now. Supper will be ready in just a few minutes,” Mom tells all of us. I follow Paisley into the hall bathroom, where we both wash up.
“We’s all clean, Nona,” Paisley calls out as we enter the dining room. She heads right for the table, taking a seat in her “special” seat right between my parents.
“Good, I don’t let no dirty birds at my table,” Mom teases her.
“I’s not a bird, Nona,” Paisley states matter of factly. Once again, the sass on this one.
“Oh, child.” Mom chuckles at her as she sets down a baking dish with the meatloaf. She makes quick work of cutting it into slices then serving all of us one. I pull Paisley’s plate over in front of me so that I can cut things up for her. She hasn’t quite mastered the use of knives just yet.
“How was your shift?” Mom asks once we’re all sitting down.
“Pretty good, just a couple calls,” I tell her between bites. My mom is one hell of a cook, and I take advantage anytime the offer is on the table to come over for dinner. When Paisley is with me, I make an effort to eat a well-balanced meal, but when it's just me, I’m a little more lenient on what I make myself, since it’s a pain to cook for only one sometimes.
“That’s good.”
“They were spaced out just enough, though, that I didn’t really get a good night’s sleep. Just a few catnaps, so I’ll be calling it an early night tonight.”
“Do you need us to keep her?” Dad pipes in to offer.
“That’s okay. I figure after a quick episode on Disney Junior, she’ll be ready to hit the hay.”
“If anything changes, you know she can stay here with us,” Mom reiterates.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” I say to appease them both, but don’t have any plans on pawning my daughter off on my parents for the night.
“Paisley.” My mom says her name once the table has been cleared.
“Yes, Nona.”
“Papa and Nona need some ideas about what you want for your birthday in a few weeks. Do you have any ideas yet?”
“Yes!” she exclaims, bouncing up and down in her seat. “I’s wants a puppy, a Disney princess, a bike, and a pink dress,” she tells mom matter of factly, like she’s been making her list for weeks.
“Wow, you’ve got quite the list,” Mom says as she pulls out a pad of paper to write down what Paisley told her.
“Yep,” Paisley agrees with her, and I can’t help but laugh at how serious she is about this conversation.
“You ready to go, P?” I ask her once she’s done talking to my parents about her upcoming birthday. “Daddy is tired,” I tell her, yawning again.
“Sure,” she agrees, hopping off the stool she’d sat down on. I watch as she runs off toward the door, stopping to slide her shoes on before she goes to give my parents both a hug and kiss goodbye.
“Thanks again for dinner, Mom,” I say as I hug her myself.
“Anytime, honey. Get some sleep, and we’ll see you later in the week.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I tell her as I wave goodbye to my dad.
“So, you want a puppy, huh?” I ask Paisley once we’re on the road to my house.
“Yes!” she says excitedly, but then immediately sticks her bottom lip out in a pout that I almost don’t see in the quick-second look at her in my rearview mirror.
“What’s that look for?”
“Mommy said no puppies,” she pouts, adding in some crossed arms as she really sells her disappointment at Lilly telling her no to a dog.
“Maybe not at Mommy’s house, but there's always Daddy’s house,” I tell her, not really thinking about what that is going to mean to her.
“Really?” she questions, her voice picking up in excitement.
“I’m not saying yes for sure, but it's something we can talk about, and I can look into. Getting a puppy is a lot of work, and with Daddy’s work schedule, it might not be easy to do. I’d have to see if Nona and Papa would be willing to help with it when I’m at work.”
“Nona would help,” Paisley insists.
I chuckle at her persistence and faith that my mom will help me out so that she can have a puppy. “Don’t go volunteering her for something now. I’d have to talk to her first and make sure that she’d be on board with helping.”
“Can I help pick the puppy out?” Paisley asks as if this is a done deal.
“Slow down, P. I didn’t say that we were getting a puppy. I just said that it might be an option.” I flick my eyes up to the mirror in time to see her little hopes flee her body as the bottom lip comes back out in a pout. “Hey, now, no need to pout. I said we’d talk about it, and I’d look into it. Okay?”
“Okay, Daddy,” she agrees with me.
I pull into my driveway and into the garage. Once parked, I help her out of her seat and grab both her bag and my own. “How about a bath or shower, and then we cuddle on the couch for an episode on Disney Junior before bed?”
“Yes! Can I have bubbles?” she asks, skipping into the house.
“Sure.” I chuckle at her back as I follow her into the house. I drop our bags off in our respective rooms before heading to the bathroom next to her room. She’s already dumping the bucket of toys into the tub before I can even get the water turned on. I get it all set up for her, bubbles included. While she plays in the water, I set out her vitamins and get her toothbrush ready for after she’s in PJs.
“I loves you, Daddy,” Paisley tells me once we’re cuddled up together on the couch about a half-hour later.