Page 17 of Hunting Little Hope
“There’s enough glitter,” I admonished.
He shook his head. “There is never, ever,everenough glitter.”
Hope peeked at me again. “He’s right, you know, Master Tyrell. Glitter is just one of those things no one but Daddies can ever get enough of. And even then, I’m pretty sure they’re just pretending because they have to.”
Perry burst out in deep belly laughs at that.
I stared at her for a beat, mock offense settling over my features. “I’ll have you know,” I said gravely, “that I take my responsibilities as a Daddy very seriously, and as such, I have to curb glitter overuse whenever I can.”
Hope’s eyes sparkled when she finally opened them fully. “Oh, I can tell.”
Dear Lord, help me.
I added one final sweep of silver along the edge of the butterfly and stepped back. “Alright,” I said quietly. “Now you may look.”
She reached for the mirror, and the second she saw her reflection, her breath caught.
The butterfly stretched soft and blue across her cheek, dusted in silver stars that caught the light when she moved. It wasn’t my best work, but the way her face lit up made it feel like a masterpiece.
“Oh,” she whispered. “I look... pretty.”
Perry scoffed at her. “No, silly. You look magical. I told you, you would.”
She turned toward him and, without hesitation, leaned in and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you, Perry. You were totally right. It’s magical.”
He froze for half a second, then melted into her hug like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I swallowed slowly, something tight and hopeful expanding in my chest.
“Judging will begin in five minutes!” someone called from the front of the room.
Perry perked up instantly. “Okay! It’s time to show everyone we have the best Daddy in the room.”
I inhaled sharply, but then relaxed when Hope didn’t outwardly react to Perry calling me their Daddy.
After we got the judging out of the way, I was definitely going to be asking his magical girl if we could see her again.
Chapter Eight
Hope
I practically floated all the way back to my room.
My cheeks hurt from smiling, and I adored wearing my face paint like a badge of honor. I was even preening like a loon every time I caught the glitter from the edge of my vision when it caught in the lights.
Every time I thought about Perry declaring me magical, or the quiet acceptance in Tyrell’s eyes when I’d laughed with them, something warm and fizzy bubbled up inside my chest. I’d totally gone into that room braced to feel awkward and out of place. Instead, I’d left with paint and a huge smile on my face, and the uncomfortable, yet undeniable realization that maybe there really was a part of me that liked being seen that way.
That therewasa Littleinsideme, just waiting for me to let her out.
I kicked off my shoes, flopped back onto the bed, and hugged my stuffed bear to my chest with a ridiculous grin, thinking of how Tyrell had taken me to one side after the judging—sadly, he’d not won—and asked me if I would be interested in seeing them again.
Then my phone buzzed.
I snatched it up before I could pretend I wasn’t waiting for it.
But a quick look at the screen told me it wasn’t from the couple I’d been hoping it was from. Instead it was theotherguy I’d been waiting to hear from. Was this really my life?
Troy:
