Owen
As it turns out, taking two minutes to use the bathroom was the end of the world. Ayla is sat in the corner of the living room, crying silent tears when I finally finish washing my hands.
Rushing over, I lift her into my arms and get her settled on my hip. With a small sniffle, she sticks her head in my neck.
I pace the length of the room as I rub her back in an effort to calm her. She was a very emotional six year old. I guess that's the same when she's in headspace.
"Daddy's here, little princess. It's okay." I mumble.
It would be truly nice for her to find some comfort in her caregivers. She's had small moments of trust, but nothing like the kind she places in me. Which is understandable. I've been her Daddy for almost eighteen years now.
"How about we have a little snack? Hmm? How does that sound?" She pulls back from my neck and I tap her nose.
It's slightly pink from crying, making her all that much cuter. She gives me that smile that I love so much and nods.
"What would you like?" Mae stands, ready to get her snack.
And my shy girl is back in her shell again. Biting the inside of my cheek to avoid saying something I shouldn't, I whisper and ask Ayla what she would like.
Theoretically, having this many caregivers should be a good thing. She would always have a set of eyes looking after her. Only if she would actually embrace that part of her. As her father, I do see her ever-so-slowly working towards it.
But that's not a change that comes overnight. It'll be a slow, gradual transition that a stranger might not notice. All that matters is I see it.
"Gummies, Daddy." Ayla whispers back in my ear.
"Sounds good to me." Not the healthiest. At least she's eating something.
"Can I put you down or do you want me to carry you?" It's a stupid question to ask when I already know the answer.
She points to me and rolls her eyes playfully. "Silly, Dada. I want you to carry me."
"Far be it for me to deny you. Let's go." Walking towards the kitchen, I enter the pantry and let her pick which fruit snacks she wants.
As I'm opening the pack for her, three knocks sound on the door. I swear to God if it's Iris at the door I'm going to flip. With the hand that's not holding Ayla, I rub the stress from my eyes.
As I walk back into the main room, I see everybody whispering amongst themselves. They seem jittery and concerned. Who the hell is at the door that's making them this nervous? I mean, tapping feet and bouncing knees type of nervous.
Otto answers the door to a man and woman, both wearing suits and carrying clipboards. My forehead wrinkles as I take in the scene in front of me.
"Hello, we're from the Little's Protection Agency. We're here to do our first check on Miss Ayla. Is it alright if we come in?" The woman introduces the pair.
"Sure. Come right in." Otto waves them in and right away their pens start scribbling on their clip boards as they observe the house.
My baby girl pauses mid chew, the small pack of fruit snacks frozen in her hand as she watches the two strangers enter her house. After watching them for a moment, she returns to eating only slower.
After what seems like an eternity of them walking around in our space, they take their seats on the couch.
"I'm Joanne and this is Isiah. I know this visit seems random, but we like to pop up unannounced. It's all part of procedure. I hope you understand." She turns to me and raises a perfectly manicured right eyebrow.
"That's fine. I understand." In reality, I don't. I won't voice that to the only people that could potentially take my child from me.
I'm not a hundred percent sure how the LPA works with all it's ins and outs. However, if they deem me or any of the caregivers unfit, they could remove Ayla from our care. That's the last thing I want.
"I'm glad. What we're here to do is make sure the house is baby proofed, Ayla is mentally and physically okay, and to observe how she is with her new caregivers. Can you show us to her room?"
Nodding, I wave them forward down the hall. Ayla watches them from over my shoulder, silently judging the whole way. That's something she did when she was a kid. Although painfully shy, she never was afraid to judge people from a distance.
"This is her room." Throwing open the door, I let them enter my baby's sanctuary.
The bed is unmade with her bear right by her pillow. Besides that, everything is neat and in it's place. While Isiah goes around the room, scribbling on his clipboard, Joanne stands by Ayla and I.
It's awkward for a few moments until the older woman finally asks, "How are you doing today, sweetie?"
If she thinks she's getting an answer, she would be wrong. Ayla hardly talked to her caregivers today. I doubt she would talk to a random woman that's invading her space.
"It's okay. I understand you don't want to talk. While Isiah goes through your room, why don't we go to the living room and play with some of your toys. I saw you had some cool building blocks."
Joanna gives her a big, genuine smile. Despite the woman invading my house, I can tell she cares for my daughter. It's hard not to with her sweet features and seemingly cuddly demeanor.
Ayla shakes her head and sticks it in my neck. Joanne's face falls and she writes something on that clipboard again. I have a feeling whatever she just wrote wasn't good at all.
"She's a tad bit shy today." I explain.
"Owen, is that right?" She inquires.
Nodding, I adjust Ayla as she discreetly eats more of her snack right next to my ear.
"I have some questions for you. How about we head to some place more private. Ayla is more than welcome to come along."
"Sure. Let's go to the dining room." I guide the way and let her take the seat at the head of the table.
Joanne folds her hands together primly on the dark wood, her clipboard facing down next to her so I can't see what's written. "Now, I understand you and your wife are going through a separation right now. Can you tell me about that and the custody agreement you have with Iris?"
I would question how she knew that information, but I know the LPA falls under the government. They probably know a lot about Ayla, Iris, and I.
Sighing, I look down at my girl. She's laying with her head on my chest and rubbing her eyes. I have no idea how she can still be tired after sleeping almost the whole day yesterday.
I would rather not have this talk around her. The only reason I open my mouth to respond is it doesn't look like she's paying any attention.
"My ex wife was cheating on me and got caught after coming home from the office late one night. As soon as I learned what she had done, I took Ayla and came here, to my parents house. Custody is iffy right now. I've filed for emergency custody, but the process is slow going.
"Iris has seen Ayla a handful of times since. She's already dating another Dom. The same one she was having the affair with."
Joanne nods and flips her clipboard back over, scribbling more bullshit.
"We have a couple concerns about Alya's safety. Particularly around Iris' Dom. He has a history and not a good one."
"Yes, I know that. That's why he hasn't been allowed around my daughter. Iris isn't happy with that." Shrugging, I lean back slowly as to not disturb my sleeping child.
"The LPA is willing to help file a temporary restraining order if everything goes okay here today. Is that something you would be interested in?"
Now that's a loaded question. Yes, I would like to file a restraining order. Would Ayla like that? I have no idea. She deserves to be included in this decision. This would block her from seeing her mother. It doesn't seem fair.
If I have to choose, I'm going to choose what I think is best for now. "Yes, I would like help with that, please."
"Good, good. One last concern. Is this your place of residence permanently? Ayla needs a foundation and not to be moving around constantly. I know with the divorce things are up in the air. All I want to know is if you plan on moving again?"
"I know Henry and the men have a place for Ayla once she's comfortable and of age, but as of now, I don't have any plans of moving in the foreseeable future. Everybody has a room here and my parents are happy that they finally have lot's of company."
Joanne smiles and adds one last note to her paper. Good timing too, because Isiah comes waltzing back in.
"There's a couple minor things that need done to Ayla's room. Other than those things, it's very safe."
My sigh of relief is audible.
"Does she normally nap during the day? On file it states she's having a hard time accepting her Little side. It can be very exhausting fighting that all the time." Isiah points out.
"Yes, sometimes, but she's regressed right now. She's around six years old."
They both nod and ask to go back to the living room. I show them the way and listen to them talking to the Caregivers.
Joanne and Isiah break them up and interview them individually. By the time they're done, an hour-and-a-half has passed and Ayla is starting to wake. She lifts her head off my chest and rubs her eyes.
"Hey, little duck. Did you have a good nap?" I question.
She flops her head back down and whines. That one slowly turning into a soft cry. I'm not a Caregiver at all. I'm a Dom through and through. That cry did sound a lot like how she used to cry when she was a little baby.
Looking towards Henry for advice, he stands and carefully pulls her out of my arms. He supports her head and leans down to kiss her head.
"What's wrong with her?" I'm about to start panicking.
"Nothing at all. She just regressed further from earlier. We have a little baby, huh?" He coos softly, asking Lyle to go grab him a bottle from the kitchen.
"I can nurse her if you would like?" Mae offers.
"Sure. That's even better." Henry passes her over to Mae.
Alice helps her girlfriend get comfortable, getting Ayla situated before draping a blanket over the pair.
Isiah and Joanne go into the next room to converse quietly. I hope they didn't find anything that could take my baby away. It would destroy me. Truthfully, I would grab her and run if they tried.
The next twenty minutes of my life are the longest I've ever been through. As they come back into the room, Joanne says, "While we've found a couple safety issues, we think Ayla is being well cared for. Isiah and I agreed to check in in about two weeks to make sure the safety issues that we listed are taken care of.
"We're also suggesting a counselor. Based off what we've been told about Ayla fighting her designation, we believe that some intervention is needed. It's also important to note that we noticed her gravitating towards Owen more than her caregivers.
"It's in her best interest that Owen takes a step back to allow her to get used to everyone else. While that is just a suggestion, it'll make things better in the long run.
"We'll be putting a temporary restraining order against Iris and Ryder. Here's a list of changes that will be needed for the house. I'll see you all in two weeks."
Joanne hands me the list and I roll my eyes at the small things that are noted. All that matters is my daughter is staying with us. If they think I'm going to step back, they would be horribly wrong.