Owen
Ayla cries on my shoulder as I carry her into the house. My poor baby is heartbroken. It tears me apart seeing her like this. She must feel so betrayed by her own mother.
I know exactly how she's feeling because it's exactly how I feel. Betrayed, anger, sadness. I feel it all.
Iris has done a number on our daughter. Ayla has gone through so much in these past few weeks. Now she has to deal with her mothers affair. It's just not right.
"I know, princess. Papa knows how much you're hurting. You know I'll always be here. No matter what. My sweet baby girl." I coo while rubbing her back.
She sniffles next to my ear and hiccups, wiping her eyes on my shirt. It almost makes me crack a smile. She's done that since she was a little girl. Every time she cries and I lifted her up, it would end with my shirt covered in snot.
I guess it's good that Ayla's a daddy's girl. She's been since the moment she was born. Iris never connected with her like I did.
My daughter is my shadow. Everywhere I went, she was attached to my hip. Even at almost eighteen years old, Ayla is still my baby.
That's what makes this whole situation that much harder. It breaks me to see my baby so heartbroken. I feel powerless. There's nothing I can do to make Iris step up and admit she's wrong.
There's nothing I can do to change the fact that my wife cheated on me. It's not only a betrayal to me, but to Ayla as well. Her reality has been shattered.
"My heart hurts, Papa." She whimpers.
"I know, baby doll. You know what? You'll always have me and Henry, Otto, Ethan, Lyle, Mae, and Alice. They'll always be there for you. Okay? It's okay to cry. Just remember, you have all these people that want to be in your life."
Every person I've mentioned nods and hums their agreement. Ayla actually manages to crack a smile. She sits up in my lap and wipes her eyes on the backs of her hands.
"Turn that frown upside down. We're not going to let this ruin our day. Why don't you go with them and play?" I offer.
Being upbeat and positive is hard right now. Nevertheless, I put on a smile and happy face for my child because that's what any parent should do.
"Okay, Papa. I love you." She kisses my cheek and hops off my lap, skipping to Ethan.
The giant of a man lifts her up and tickles her under her chin. Ayla shrieks with laughter and wraps her arms around his neck.
I'm grateful for these guys and girls who have uprooted their lives to help with Ayla. They've been extremely helpful during these past few days. Without them, I'm sure Ayla would've seen me at my worst.
I will admit I haven't been the past since I came to my parents house. Between my lack of sleep and arguing with Iris over the phone, I haven't had time to worry about Ayla.
They've picked up my slack without complaint and distracted Ayla from the ugly reality of this situation. I'm fighting to keep my daughter in my care. There's only a few more months until she turns eighteen, which means Iris still has legal rights to her.
The last thing I want is Ayla to be in that house, living with her cheating mother and a strange man.
These people have made Ayla smile and laugh. Don't get me wrong, I had my doubts at first. Six caregivers to one little girl? That's a lot. It wasn't until that I saw how much they cared for her and how their personalities all suited her that I finally relented.
So, I watch as Ethan plays with my girl. He dangles her upside down by her legs, swinging her to and fro as she laughs until her face turns red.
Lyle steps forward and tickles her exposed belly, Henry watching from the sidelines to make sure Ethan doesn't let go of her. I know he wouldn't. They're all too protective for that.
"My undies are showing!" Ayla screams through her giggles, trying to pull her dress down.
Ethan pulls her back up, setting her back down on the ground. Lightheaded, she stumbles over to Otto. He leans down and kisses her head.
"I'm hungry." My girl complains. Knowing Ayla, she probably wants some fast food.
It's one of the few things she gobbles up without complaint or bribery.
"And what would you like?" Mae leans forward from her spot on the couch to ask.
"Burger and fries, please." She reaches up and rubs her temples, squeezing her eyes shut.
I recognize that look anywhere. She's slipping. For some reason, she tends to get headaches when she slips into her headspace. We'll have to tell her doctor about that at her next appointment.
It makes me wonder if it's because she fights it.
"Come here, baby girl. Is your head hurting?" Alice opens her arms and Ayla stumbles into them.
She rubs her eyes and I can instantly see the change in her demeanor. I've only seen a couple Little's in my lifetime. Whenever they fall into their headspace, it's almost like an air of innocence surrounds them.
That's exactly what happens to her now. Ayla's features become softer and a cute smile shapes her lips.
"Is your head feeling better now?" Alice questions.
"Mhm." She nods and bounces on her toes.
"Go get your shoes on. We'll go get you a burger. Do you want fries too?" Henry chimes in.
My baby turns and faces him, running into his arms without warning. He lifts her with ease, tossing her slightly into the air. She laughs and points to the floor.
He sets her down and she runs to me. I let her sit on my knee while she babbles about how she's going to get a burger.
"That sounds good. Do you want me to help you put your shoes on?"
"Nooo. Ethan." Pointing to the tallest of the group, she then points to her shoes.
"How do you ask nicely?" Mae chirps, her inner teacher coming out.
"Peassseee." She stretches out the word adorably and I chuckle.
"Sure. I'll get your shoes, princess. Thanks for asking nicely."
***
Ethan
Ayla is practically bouncing off the walls at the fast food restaurant we're in. We're lucky that most people recognize that she's a little. They stare at her with indulgent smiles on their faces.
"Are you going to sit and eat?" I question, pointing to her untouched kids meal.
She sits back down in her chair, takes a bite, then stands back up. I laugh as she bounces on her toes while chewing.
I'm blessed with the cutest baby girl in existence. My opinion might be a little biased, but I don't care. To me, Ayla will always be the cutest little ever.
"You're making a mess, baby girl." Otto chuckles, pointing to the smear of ketchup across her face.
Alice leans over into the diaper bag, grabbing the packet of diaper wipes in there. She reaches over and quickly wipes her face before the baby can pull away.
Ayla continues to dance close to the table, humming a little song to herself.
"She's so adorable! Oh my goodness. I've never seen a little before!" A woman a couple tables over shouts.
The shouting catches the baby's attention. She turns her head towards the woman and shyly waves before coming back over and jumping onto my lap.
Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her kids meal over and let her finish eating. As always, the shyness comes out as soon as a strangers around.
"Don't lick the ketchup from the fry, silly girl. You actually have to eat it." Lyle says from beside me, leaning over to poke Ayla's side.
She side eyes him and goes back to just eating ketchup. Sighing, I bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. I really can't with this child.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can still see that woman staring at Ayla. She has a pet sitting at her feet with a collar around his neck. He's looking at Ayla too with a look that makes me feel uncomfortable.
"Down, Ethan." My baby complains, pointing towards the floor.
"How about you finish your food and we'll go to the park? You can run around all you want there." There's a playground right down the road.
Ayla can run around and burn out that energy before her nap. When she's in headspace, she most definitely needs a nap time. Otherwise, she'll be cranky when the evening comes.
"Okay, Mr. big man." She states with a mischievous giggle, tilting her head back to look at me, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
My height used to be the only thing I hated about myself. Sticking out in a crowd because my height isn't a thing I enjoyed. It wasn't until I met the guys that I slowly started accepting that I'm always going to be this tall.
Now that we have a little in our lives, it's even better. I can lift and toss the baby and she treats me like her personal jungle gym. I love it.
We all finish our greasy burgers and fries, then load up into the car. There's no fight from the little lady as I put her into her seat. She hums to herself while playing with the toy from her kids meal.
"I don't wanna go to da park," She mumbles, "I wanna go ride my horsey."
"You want to go back to Grandma's and ride your horse?" Otto asks for clarification.
Her blonde hair moves up and down as she nods. "Okay, we'll go back home. You'll have to change into some play clothes. We don't want to ruin your pretty dress."
Back at the house, Alice helps Ayla change and then we're off to the stables where the horses are. The property we're on is beautiful.
The house sits on several acres of land. Behind the house is nothing but open space with wildflowers growing in the distance. If I squint hard enough, I can see a small pond way back through the trees.
It's quite peaceful here. With the breeze in my hair and the sound of crickets chirping, I can understand why Owen is finding peace here.
Ayla trots forward and heads straight into the stables. Her horse is at the end, his big brown head sticking out from his spot. He huffs when he sees her and lowers his head so she can pet him.
"Hi, Gus!" She whispers while petting his nose.
Gus huffs again and sniffs her pockets, looking for a treat. Knowing Ayla, she probably took something from the kitchen for him. She loves her horse and from the short time we've been here, I've learned that she never comes to the stables empty handed.
Reaching into her light jacket pocket, she pulls out an apple and holds it out to him with her palm flat. Gus takes the offering, biting down on the juicy apple.
"Good Gus." The baby hums as her grandfather opens the stable.
He pats the horses back and starts to saddle him. While Gus looks big next to Ayla, he's actually quite small. None of us could sit on him without injuring the animal.
"He's ready for you, angel. Remember, you have to respect Gus for him to respect you. Don't be rough with him." He taps Ayla on the nose before lifting her up onto his back.
Like a second nature, she grips the reigns and carefully walks him out of the stable. Even in her headspace, she remembers to be easy with him.
We don't walk too close to the pair as to not startle the horse. The only person that walks with her is her grandfather. He expertly guides Ayla through the yard while I take pictures with my phone.
No way I could waste an opportunity to capture Ayla in her environment.