Book 4 of Let Me Be Little Trilogy
After a year of being together, Jessica and Layla have been through it all. It's finally time to plan their wedding. Nothing could tear them apart, right?
Is their trauma going to get the best of them? Will Layla...
* Layla's POV* "No way! This is so cool!" Hadleigh says looking around my nursery. "You think so?" I ask. "I had a bigger one back in Louisiana. But Mommy did a good job on this one too!" "Girl, it's so much prettier than mine! Daddy doesn't know the first thing about decorating!" she giggles. "I love the white aesthetic. So ... baby-like. And it's way cool that it's up in an alcove. You've got such an awesome crib! And view! And so many toys!" I feel very proud for a moment. "Can I show you some of my things?" I ask. "Uhm, duh!" "Well....
This my cwib, and dis my changing table, and deez are my puzzles , and deez are my diapers, and dis my puzzle mat, and dat my tv, and dat my scentsy, and those my toys.... And dis my kitten cat, Tigger!" I pick up Tigger and shove him in Hadleigh's face. "Awww!" She says. "He's so cute!! He reminds me of my cat, Theo!" Tigger rubs against her face and purrs. "Hadleigh ," I ask, "how old are you?" "I'm 26. But as a little, I'm about 4-6. How about you?" "I just turned 21 last week! My little age is like... I don't know , I guess. I mean, I go up to about 2. But I regress very very deeply. I think I'm like... an infant!" "Awww, so you a real baby, huh? That okay! I think you're very cute, Baby Layla!" I giggle a little. "Thank you! I love your overalls by the way!" "And I love your whole... aesthetic. You've got good energy, Baby Layla! I like you."
I smile a bit. I've never been good at friends... much less, little friends. I am just ... happy. For the first time in my life, I think I'm really content.
*Jess's POV* I hear the girls upstairs giggling. I smile. "So, how neat is that?" I ask Mark. "Very neat, Jessica. I figured you had a baby. When I'd go for a run, I'd hear a very sweet giggle coming from your yard. Funny how little they can actually be." "It truly is. But God... that little girl has me wrapped around her finger," I sigh. "I know what you mean. If it weren't for my Hadleigh, I don't think I'd be here. I was on the wrong path before I found Hadleigh. But God... one look into her sweet , brown eyes, and that was all it took" "Oh, Mark," I put my hand on his, "Heaven just knew we needed little babies. And God knew what He was up to when he gave us our little angels." "He definitely did, Jessica. I thank Him everyday. Say, y'all should come down the hill sometime. I love to do football cookouts and bonfires. We love to host. You think Layla would like that?" "I think that sounds fun! She's very very shy though, as you can probably tell. But I think she would maybe warm up to the idea!" "We've got a pool in the backyard and everything. And Lord help me, enough damn toys to fill up the North Pole!" "Oh, my! I understand that. Gotta spoil our little ones, don't we?" "Oh, without question. Hey, if you don't mind me asking, how old is Layla anyway?" "She turned 21 a week ago... but I wouldn't bring that up. She's been a grump since turning into a 'real' adult. When she's in little space, which is most of the time, she's such a little bitty thing. I don't know of many littles that regress as young as she. She gets so deep in the headspace. Goes nonverbal at times. Sometimes , I could swear she's an infant just trapped in a 20 year old's body. But God, I love her. What about Hadleigh? How old is she?" "I don't know if I could handle an infant, but I've always wanted to try. But I will say that Layla is adorable as hell. Hadleigh is 26. Regresses to about a 5 year old. Doesn't really do the diaper thing much. Sometimes I'm curious about it. I think it would be fun to have a baby baby. But she's so sensitive to textures. She has autism. And I love being that little one's daddy. Marrying her was the best thing I ever did." "That is just so sweet, Mark. Layla and I are engaged, but we're having trouble picking out the date. Any suggestions?" "Well, Hadleigh and I got married on her grandparents anniversary. Her granddaddy passed away about a year prior, so she wanted it to be special for her Granny. My advice : pick a date that is special for her. Or to the both of you. One that will make you smile every time you see it on your calendar."
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I hear the girls giggling again. Mark and I stand up off the sofa and try to look over the railings in the alcove. "Baby girl?" I ask, "What are you two doing up there?" "Uhhhh... nothing, Mommy! Nothing!" I look at Mark and he has the same look on his face. "Well, Jess... Do you think we ought to go see what 'nothing' means?" "Oh, dear. Way ahead of you!" We run up the stairs to investigate.
"Ok, you two," Mark says in his best "Daddy" voice, "what are you up here giggling about?" The girls continue to giggle and won't move. "Nothing, Daddy!" Hadleigh chirps. "Layla... what are you two hiding?" I ask. "Absolutely nothing, Mommy. Nothing at all!" Mark and I exchange glances. "Mmmhmmm... " we say. "Well , alright... we'll just be going then. Sorry to bother you, ladies," Mark says. He winks at me. "Yep. We're just gonna go back down stairs..." I glance over at mark. The girls keep laughing. At the same time, we lift them up off the floor.
