Hold a Smile (Demi Lovato) COMPLETE

Forty-Four:Preparing

Demi's POV

"Hey," I answered my phone with a smile.

"Hey, Hermosa. I'm coming back into town soon. I was wondering if you would maybe like to get together sometime. We could go to dinner," Wilmer proposed.

"Yeah, that would be great," I immediately answered, but soon changed my mind. "Wait, I can't leave Avery. It would be too soon. I can't let her out of my sight."

"Take her along with us," he suggested.

"Really? You would want a kid to come along?" I asked. I never saw Wilmer to have the same love for kids as I have.

"Of course. She doesn't seem like a lot of trouble," he responded.

"She isn't. And I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you," I told him.

"How about this Saturday evening at seven o'clock? I'll pick you and the little one up, and we can go to dinner," he said.

"Sounds great. I can't wait," I said, still a smile present.

"See you then. Bye, Hermosa."

"Bye." We ended our phone call, and I had a feeling I haven't had in a long time. It's hard to explain. It's the good kind of butterflies you get in the pit of your stomach.

But I wasn't in love with this man. We were just friends, and I missed him.

That Friday night, I went shopping with Avery to try and find the perfect outfit for both of us. I carried her most of the time since she was too afraid of her surroundings. She was constantly looking behind her, fearing that someone was going to snatch her away. I must admit, I had a nervous feeling as well, but as long as I held her in my arms, nothing could take her way from me.

I loved watching her try on all of the outfits. She had a special look in her eyes when we found one she really liked. She would twirl in front of the dressing mirror, the biggest smile plastered on her face. It was something I hadn't seen in a long time. For just a moment, she was living like a seven year old on a shopping trip, but once we were out of the dressing room and around other people, she clenched tightly to me, wanting to be carried so no one could sneak up on her.

We prepared all day Saturday for our night. I took Avery out again to get our nails done, but she had to sit in my lap the whole time. After her nails were done, she admired them for quite a while with a smile on her face.

As it got later, we started to get dressed. I curled Avery's hair as well as mine. Avery couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror. She was all done up, and she loved it. She looked so happy, which I loved. That's what I've been wanting for so long.