* * *
“What do you think, Daddy?” Caley bit her lower lip as she held up the collage picture she’d made. She’d been cutting out bits of paper and gluing them onto a giant white piece of paper. Then she’d put more glue on top and sprinkled glitter all over it.
“What was that?” Issy walked out of the bedroom with a basket filled with what she assumed was dirty laundry. Mostly hers. Guilt filled her. She should be helping.
But before she could open her mouth and say something, he paused, his mouth dropping open slightly as he stared down at her. She looked around, at the glitter on the floor and her clothes and all over the coffee table where she’d been working.
And then there was the mess of paper, with small bits lying everywhere from what had been cut off.
Oh. Whoops. For someone with his OCD issues this was probably torture for him.
“Sorry, Daddy. I’ll clean it all up.”
He closed his eyes and his mouth moved. She was fairly certain he was counting. Then he opened his eyes again. She gave him a guilty look.
“It’s okay, baby doll.”
It was? It didn’t look like he actually thought that.
“But you will clean all this mess up,” he said sternly.
She nodded. Uh-huh. She totally would. It was okay if some got swept under the rug and sofa, right? What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
He gave her a skeptical look. “What did you make, baby doll?”
“Oh, it’s a picture for you!”
“That’s gorgeous,” he said in a much less strained voice.
“Are you gonna hang in on the ‘frigerator?”
He blinked then looked over at the fridge where all her magnets were now lined up in neat rows.
Seriously. They were lined up. He’d organized her fridge magnets.
“Never mind,” she said sadly, dropping her face to stare at the floor. “I know it’s not that good.”
“Hey now,” he said sternly, stepping forward to grasp hold of her chin. He raised her face. “That is a gorgeous creation and I would love to put it on the fridge.”
“You would? You don’t think it’s too messy?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, baby doll. I know I have a few, um, quirks, but I also know I need to find a line between tidy and psycho.”
She had to grin at that.
“And if it makes my girl sad then I am definitely not striking the right balance. You have my permission to point out what an uptight ass I’m being.”
Her eyes widened. “I get to call you an uptight ass?”
“Ahh, no. That’s not very polite. But you can tell me that I need to ease up.” He had set the laundry basket down when he walked over to her. He took the picture from her hand then walked to the fridge and put it up. She got up and followed him. “There. How does that look?”
“Great, Daddy.” She bounced excitedly on the tips of her toes. “Does you want me to do the laundry?”
“Certainly not,” he replied. “Littles do not use the washing machine. And my girl definitely does not use that washing machine.”
“I’ve used it lots before, Daddy.”
“Well, no more. You’re getting a new washing machine.”