(Make sure you check out my book besties, bvmchloe update after this one!)
Hazel POV:
Getting Mila off the plane was the easy part. Getting her into her carseat is the challenge I'm currently facing. She keeps insisting that she's a big girl, and can ride in the car by herself. I'm trying to be patient, but it's hot as hell out here. "Mila Era Thomas, you get your hiney into that car right now, or we'll head back home without seeing Briella!" I finally snap after standing in this hot parking garage for the past ten minutes.
My pea looks up at me through watery eyes and plops herself down on her butt. Guilt hits me right in the chest, making me lift Mila up into my arms. She burrows her face into my neck while I rock her. "Mama's sorry for snapping at you, pea. Can you get in the car now, please?" A tiny nod is what I get in answer. Kai, who's sitting in the middle seat, helps me buckle her. Sighing, I straighten up out of the backseat, then open the passenger side door to hop in.
The air conditioning is on full blast, hitting my slightly sweaty face right away. "Hotel, and then we'll head to Camden and Scarlett's house after Mila has a nap." Theo and I completely agree on the nap part. Hopefully, she won't be too excited. That hope is diminished the second I open our hotel room door, and Mila starts bouncing over everything. Somehow, she ended up on top of the coffee table. She's shaking her little booty to a made up song she's singing.
"Mila, can you get down from that table?" I ask, my arms crossed over my chest. She shakes her head and continues to do her wiggle. Reaching up, I rub the frustration out of my eyes, then head to the first of the two rooms in this hotel. Kai and West are sharing one, while Theo, Mila, and I are sharing another. Which means that there will be no adult time between my husband and I on this small vacation.
"Ladybug, get down now and go find Mama, so she can change that stinky bum!" Theo demands from the living room. Not even a second later, Mila runs into our room. She climbs her way on top of the bed, then lays flat on her back with her legs spread. "Miwa pewpie." She kindly tells me as I retrieve a diaper and some wipes out of her diaper bag.
"I know, I can smell it." Chuckling, I strip off her shorts and get to work changing her diaper. "You nearly blew this one out." Goodness, this child stinks to high heavens. As soon as Mila is only in her crop top and clean diaper, she takes off into Kai and West's room to go bother them. They're cuddled up on the bed together while looking at something on Kai's phone.
"Brobbers! Miwa es hewe!" She announces as she runs her chunky self into the room. "Aren't you supposed to be taking a nap?" West questions as he helps Mila up onto the bed. I watch as she begins to jump, startling her 'brothers'.
"Come on, pea. Let's go get some milky and have some quiet time." If I thought my words would work, I was sadly mistaken. Mila shakes her head at me, then continues to bounce. I'm tired and just want to take a nap, so I'll let Theo deal with this one. Making my exit from the room, I walk off to find Theo. He's in our room unpacking our suitcases. "Can you come tame your toddler?" I ask him.
Theo's eyes meet mine and he chuckles, standing up to go get Mila. I can hear them arguing from the other room. "Nu, Dada! Chu gu take nap!" I can almost picture her stomping her tiny, chubby foot while she argues with my husband. "Mila, you get your tiny butt in that room, drink some milk, and take a nap!" Theo argues right back. Eventually, Mila says something that makes me run into the room. "Nu, fwuck chu!"
As soon as I step into the room, I see Mila pointing at Theo. He silently scoops her up into his arms and carries her into our room. Without a word, he sets her down in the corner, then says, "You sit right there with your nose to the wall. That was a naughty word and you know better." The water works start almost instantly. Mila's shoulders shake pitifully as she cries. The sound is almost silent, but I harden my heart against it. She needs to learn that we don't tolerate swear words from our sweet baby girl.
***
Mila sniffles and rubs her eyes as she suckles on my breast. Theo and I just got her out of timeout. We explained that swearing is bad, and she apologized tearfully. Now, Mila's nursing while trying to calm from her overflow of emotions. I keep whispering reassuring words to help her calm down. It seems to be working as her body slowly relaxes into mine. She's still fighting her nap, but between my breastmilk and the warmth of my body, she's losing that fight. Laying down, I pull the blanket over the top of us, and close my eyes.
A shake on my shoulder is what wakes me. I startle awake, turning to see Theo standing there. "We have to get going, babe." Nodding, I gently unlatch Mila from my breast and stand. She whines at the loss of contact as I gather the shorts she was wearing earlier. I slip them up her legs as she sleeps, then carefully lift her up into my arms. It'll be easier to get her into the car while she's asleep. The boys follow Theo and I out of the hotel.
Once everybody's loaded up into the car, we start the drive to Camden and Scarlett's house. Mila starts waking up halfway there. She grumbles and reaches up to rub her eyes with balled up fists. "Good afternoon, sissy." Kai whispers while rubbing her tummy. Mila smacks her pink lips together, and yawns. That must've been a really good nap. West reaches over Kai to stroke the soft skin on Mila's cheek. She turns her head into his palm and tries to go back to sleep.
"Keep her awake, Kai." I tell my son. He nods at me while he continues to stoke Mila's belly. She pushes his hand away, making Kai chuckle. "If you keep sleeping, you'll miss seeing Briella." He warns my baby. That does it. Her eyes shoot open as her legs bounce with anxiousness and excitement. The rest of the car drive is loud with the sounds of Mila's excited babbling.
As soon as the car stops in front of Camden and Scarlett's house, Mila has her chest clip undone and she's trying to undo the rest of her harness straps. Kai helps, then pulls her out of the seat. He steps out of the car and places her down on the ground. I watch with an indulgent smile on my face as Mila runs up the steps of their porch. She bangs on the door with her tiny first, while I step up behind her and ring the bell.
Camden opens the door with a huge smile on her face. Mila doesn't waste any time inviting herself into their house. She runs under Camden's legs, yelling Briella's name. My eyes roll, making the woman in front of me laugh. "Come on in. Briella's just waking up from a nap." With a wave of her hand, Camden steps to the side and gestures for my family to enter the house. Scarlett is carrying a sleepy Briella down the steps. She lays her out on the couch, much to Mila's pleasure. My baby wiggles her tiny body onto the cushions beside Briella, then shakes her shoulders until she wakes.
Three people I haven't met are also in the living room, two of which are locked in a tight embrace. It's the type of kiss that makes my own cheeks turn red. Scarlett clears her throat, making the two adults jump back from each other, then approaches me, wrapping me up in a tight hug. "Introductions are due. The two adults who were just sucking face are Kelly and Henry. Their little girl who's now hiding behind her mommy's leg is Genny." Stepping back from Scarlett, I shake each of their hands. All except Genny's. She's shy like Briella when I first met her.
"Hello, angel. I'm Mila's mommy." I crouch down when I approach Genny. My height can be a little imitating, and this sweet girl is obviously a little like Briella. "Hi..." She mumbles adorably. Meanwhile, Mila screeches like she's lost her mind. Her and Briella are hugging and rocking back and forth like they haven't seen each other in decades instead of a couple months.
"Can I tell you a secret, Genny?" I whisper. Genny's eyes widen and she nods, slipping two fingers in her mouth. Adorable. Just Adorable.
"Mila's actually fifteen. She has a rare form of dwarfism. She regressed just like you and Briella." I wink when her jaw drops. Kelly laughs from above me. I'm sure Scarlett and Camden told her about Mila. "My little girl would love to play with you. Why don't you go introduce yourself to Mila?"
Genny hesitantly steps away from Kelly, approaching Mila and Briella. I hope my baby girl is nice. She can be a little territorial over her friends.
***
Mila POV:
A little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes steps a little too close to Brielle and I. Frowning, I move closer to Briella on the couch. "Hi.... I'm Genny." The new girl whispers. Frowning, I cross my arms over my chest and say, "Me Miwa. Dis Miwa bwest fwen." Genny nods and hops onto the couch on Briella's other side. Mama coos over us, while everybody takes pictures.
Even my brobbers are smiling. Except I don't think I like Genny too much. She's gonna steal my friend away from me. Mama said I have to be nice, but I don't wanna be. "Let's go upstairs and play in my room!" Briella states loudly as she jumps off the couch. My legs are little, so I have to wiggle down on my belly. By the time I get myself upstairs, Genny and Briella are already playing with their stuffies.
Anger builds in my belly when I see them together. They're already smiling and playing. Stomping over,
I grab a stuffy out of the pile, and plop down on my butt. Briella and Genny are making their stuffies play princesses. "Do you want to be da queen?" Briella asks the new girl. She nods and takes the little crown from Briella's hand.
My stomach feels icky. I'm about to do something that'll get me corner time. Briella watches me as I stand and pull Genny's hair. She yells loudly, making the grownups run into the room. "Mila Era Thomas!" Mommy yells, running over and grabbing my hand that's still holding Genny's hair. As soon as I let go, Genny stands up and runs to her mommy. She's crying and rubbing the spot where I pulled her hair.
Briella looks at me sadly, and stands up to check on her friend. Daddy marches over to where I'm standing and takes my hand, walking me over to the corner. Before I can even sit down, he taps my booty. "Nu spankin'!" I cry.
"Yes, spanking. You can sit there until you're ready to come out. You do not pull your friend's hair!" Sniffling, I put my nose in the corner and stay there. My arms cross over my chest and my bottom lip sticks out.
"I'm so sorry, Kelly and Henry. I don't know what's got into her today." Mama apologizes while Daddy stands close to me to make sure I don't leave the corner.
"Hey, it's okay. She's littler than Briella and Genny. My guess is she was jealous." I huff at Mrs. Kelly's words, kicking my legs out. Daddy crouches down next to me and gently grabs my chin with his thumb and pointer finger. "Do you need more time in the corner?" I shake my head at his words and listen as he says, "Then sit still and stop throwing a tantrum."
My nose goes back into the wall while my eyes fill with tears. Mama didn't tell me Genny was comin. I don't wanna new friend. I just want Briella. A long, long time passes before Daddy asks if I'm ready to say sorry. My head shakes and he sighs, pulling me out of the corner anyways. He lifts me up and puts my head into his neck. "Why are you so upset today, ladybug? You're supposed to be having fun, but you're spending all of your time in the corner."
I'm quiet for a long time until I say, "Biwella Miwa fwen. Nu Gwenny." Daddy nods like he finally gets it and rubs my back. He carries me into the bathroom and sits me down on the counter. After wiping the snot and tears from my face, he gently says, "Baby, Briella can have more than one friend and so can you. She's not just yours. In fact, Genny is Scarlett's sister. She keeps Briella company when you can't be there. That doesn't mean she's any less of your friend. There's no need to be jealous. You would have a lot more fun with two friends instead of one. Trust Daddy on this. Okay, ladybug?"
Pouting, I nod and lift my arms. "You still have to apologize to Genny." He whispers as I'm lifted into his arms. I'm not ready to apologize just yet, but I still agree. Everybody's downstairs now, so Daddy goes down there. He sets me on the floor and I waddle over towards where Genny is sitting on her Daddy's lap. She whimpers when she sees me, placing her hand on top of her head where I pulled her hair.
"Miwa sowwy for pwulling chur haiwr." Genny peeks out from where she's hiding and says, "Apology accepted."
"I think it's better if the girls play down here for a little bit. Just so the adults can make sure everybody's getting along." Kelly suggests. Everybody nods and Genny slides off her Daddy's lap. Mommy helps Mrs. Camden bring stuffies and toys down from Briella's room. They set them on the coffee table, then sit down on the couches to talk about boring stuff.
Briella sits next to me on the floor and let's me be the queen this time. I take the crown and look at Genny who's still looking upset. Frowning, I stand and offer the crown to her. She smiles and thanks me. It made me feel a tiny bit better. "Good job playing nicely, Mila." Mommy praises. I smile big at her, then start playing.
It turns out Genny is that bad. She's really nice and makes playing with more than one person fun! I'm still a little bit sad that I'm not Briella's only friend, but two is better than one.