HEA Ch. 3 on Fanfiction.online
“What do you say, Charlotte?” I asked. “Want to hang out with Daddy?”
“Okay,” she said, getting off my lap and skipping out of our bedroom. I followed her and chuckled when she turned toward the kitchen.
“Where are you going, Charlotte?”
“Daddy, it’s tradition. When you give me a bath and put me to bed, we always share a glass of chocolate milk,” she smirked, looking so much like her mother. “Are you coming?”
If this was my daughter at five, I fear when she becomes a teenager. Lord grant me strength. “You are going to be a force to reckon with when you get older, Charlotte,” I deadpanned.
She gave me a crooked grin, walking to the kitchen and moving to sit on the stool at the island.
I opened up the refrigerator and pulled out the milk along with a jar of homemade chocolate sauce that was made by our staff. I tried to learn how to do it, but I couldn’t get the knack of it despite being shown several times the steps to make it. With a flourish, I added the chocolate to the milk and mixed it for her. “Use two hands, Charlotte. I don’t want you to spill the best chocolate milk in all of Gevalia.”
She giggled, taking the glass and sipping her drink. She looked up at me with a milk mustache. “Daddy, do you know anything about my Aunt Alice?”
I looked at my child, arching a brow. Alice’s name hadn’t been muttered in the palace since Bella and I flew to Gevalia after her accident. “Where did you hear about Aunt Alice?”
“Grandpa,” she answered simply. “When we were on the computer, he showed me a picture of Aunt Alice. He sounded sad.”
“Charlotte, your Aunt Alice and your maman did not get along when they were younger,” I said. “She moved out of the house when she was really young and then got into trouble when she was visiting us here at the palace. Anyway, it’s been a long time since we’d talked to her.”
“Grandpa said he missed Aunt Alice,” she shrugged. “I was just wondering if she was nice.”
“Hmmm,” I said noncommittally. “Maybe, you can ask about your Aunt Alice when you see Grandpa?”
“When are we leaving again?” she asked.
“In a couple of days,” I answered. “Are you done with your milk?”
She slurped the rest of her milk and pushed the glass back to me. I ruffled her chocolate curls before I put the glass into the sink. She scowled at me but squealed when I flipped her over my shoulder, running to her suite. I tossed her onto her bed, tickling her sides. “Daddy!” She pleaded in French for me to stop through her giggles.
“D’accord, ma petite fille,” I chuckled. “Go get your pajamas. Do you want strawberry or lavender for your bath, Your Highness?”
“I want to smell like Maman,” Charlotte said. “Strawberry, please.”
