Page 57 of Protected By Duval
Noelle hugged her tight and pressed kisses to her face. “I love my little pony.”
“Nena?” Her mother called from the kitchen. “Can you give her a bath?”
“Yes, I can, Ma!”
Noelle dropped her bag off on the couch and headed for the bathroom with Ciela giggling and pressing kisses on her cheek now.
“See, mama? Kisses! Horse kisses!”
Oh boy.
Noelle switched on the light and lowered Ciela down to the floor.
She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s head. “Pick out three toys and put them into the tub.”
“Okay!”
Noelle heard the lid to the toy hamper fly open and hit the wall.
Wow.
She put the plug in the tub and turned on the water, reaching her wrist under it to test the heat. It took a moment to get warm enough to feel it and then she let it run while she stood and reached for the soaps. “What do you think? Strawberry? Or Peach?”
Her daughter’s voice split the air. “Peach!”
“Softer, baby.”
Her daughter theater-whispered. “PEACH.”
Noelle rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”
“Welcome.”
Her phone rang and she took it out of her pocket, tapped the pick up button and then the speaker button and set it down on the bathroom counter. “Hello?”
“Noelle? This is-”
“Mister King!” Ciela was suddenly at her side, hovering near the phone. “Are you coming for dinner?”
“Uh… Hello, Ciela. How are you?”
“Nekkid!”
Noelle’s face went red. “It’s bathtime! It’s bathtime.”
McCrae’s laughter relaxed her. “I had a feeling.”
Ciela had dropped her panties on the floor, but in trying to get her t-shirt off, she’d gotten stuck.
“Let me help, baby.”
Ciela grumbled through the t-shirt. “Big girl, mama. I’m a big girl.”
Noelle didn’t argue with her daughter. She turned her head toward the phone. “Did West tell you I finished the reconstruction?”
“Yeah. He told me and I went into the office so I could take a look.”
She smiled and tested the water one more time before she helped Ciela into the tub.
