Destined For Them (Story 3)✔

~1~

My heart started to beating in my chest and I thought about all of the movies I had watched where children were taken from parks. It was any parents worst nightmare. "Lydia!" I called out with my friend and started forward. At the sound of our desperate calls for my daughter, several of the people in the park paused to watch us. Some even looked around themselves. "Lydia!" As the seconds passed my voice grew more panicked and it seemed like hours passed. 

I was getting ready to take my phone out and call Sol when her soft little voice called out behind me. "Mommy, I'm over here." When I spun around she was standing by a huge tree some twenty feet away and I rushed over to her on a mission. I bent down to her level when I was there and she just smiled at me. 

"What are you doing? Why didn't you answer me?" I demanded, taking a soft hold onto her arms and swallowing through a lump in my throat. Dear God, it only been a moment. One little moment and she had managed to get out of my sites so quickly. 

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I was just talking to that nice man. He took my nose and then gave me a lollipop. But he didn't really take my nose, did he Mommy?" Lydia giggled with her question and it was then that I noticed she had a big, red lollipop in her hand. Her words made my blood run cold. 

"What man? You can't take things from strangers, baby. Ever. Do you understand me?" I asked, looking around for this 'man'. No one was there...no creep out of place. When I looked back at her she had the candy shoved into her mouth. I grabbed it from her so fast and threw it away. "Do you understand me, Lydia?" I asked again. The look she gave me was enough to break my heart and when her lip started to quiver, I picked her up. For a four year old she was surprisingly light. 

When I turned around, Olivia was standing behind us, quietly. She looked as scared as I felt, as her hand was holding her belly again. Was she glimpsing into the life of what being a parent was going to be like? Not fucking easy, if you asked me. Not much was said as we walked to our cars that were parked beside one another. As I strapped Lydia into her seat, Olivia told me that she would see me later and we parted ways. 

The boutique I drove to then was little and expensive. I also happened to work there for the owner a few times a week; Penelope Rossi. She was from England and most of the things she sold out of her shop were imported from different countries. Beautiful attire and jewelry. Lingerie that was far from modest. 

"Are we at your pretty boutique, Mommy?" Lydia asked me when we pulled into the parking lot. There were few other cars that occupied the lot. When I glanced in the review, she was straining to look out the window.  I killed the engine then and unbuckled my seat belt. 

"Yes, my Love. Remember we have to get our dresses for Daddy's birthday party?" I reminded her but didn't bother correcting her on who's shop it was. No matter how many times I told her I just worked for Penelope she didn't seem to realize what I was explaining. In her eyes, it was Mommy's and more power to her, to let her think so. 

"Oh yea. The silver one with the pretty ruffles. Can I wear a bow with it Mommy?" She asked then, when I had her door open and was unbuckling her own belt. 

"Of course you can, Sweety." 

"I want to walk!" She exclaimed when I pulled her out and didn't make a move to set her down. I did then and locked the car up. Hand in hand we walked to the entrance, all the while she spoke about how exciting the party would be and that she couldn't wait to eat the chocolate cake we had picked out last week at the bakery. I couldn't wait either. 

We were greeted by warmth when we entered and Lydia let go of my hand to go look around. When I had started working here, four months ago, I couldn't stress to her how important it was not to touch the shiny jewels on the glass display shelves. Now she would just look, with her wide blue eyes and talk about how one day she wanted Daddy to buy her a pretty necklace, like all the ones he got me. It made my heart warm and I never got tired of it.