Chapter 16

He approached Lily first, it seemed the safer bet to him.  He was fairly certain Stephanie wouldn’t make a scene in public but, erring on the side of caution, he started with the sure thing.

“Hey baby girl, look at you all sparkled up and ready to go!”  He crouched down in front of her and chucked her under the chin before pressing his lips to her forehead. 

“Daddy” she exclaimed and tugged on her mickey ears, “I gots ‘phia ears!”  Disney’s princiess-in-training, Sophia the First, was her latest obsession.

He smiled broadly, his dimples mirroring hers, “and they’re beautiful baby girl.”

He looked up at Stephanie and saw the softening of her expression, the irritation stated to fade from her eyes. 

“Hey.”

He rose from his crouch and held out his hand to her, a peace offering.  “Hey yourself Sweetheart.”

She slipped her hand into his, “what are you doing here?”

He tugged her closer, “can I just say you were right” he leaned down and his lips grazed her cheek, “and leave it at that for now?”

With his face shaded by his hat and his eyes obscured by his sunglasses, she couldn’t read him as well as she would have liked, but a smile danced around his lips.  She set her feelings aside, for the moment.  “You know we’ll be talking about it later, right?”

“Mama!”  Lily kicked the footrest of the stroller impatiently.

Stephanie shifted her attention to her daughter.  “Just a minute baby girl.”  She looked back at Richie, waiting.

He twined their fingers together and gave a gentle squeeze.  “I know.  But for now let’s just show the girls a good time and enjoy the day.”

She nodded, “okay.”

Lily continued to make her impatience known by angrily kicking the stroller footrest, and throwing her little body into rocking the stroller.  “Mama!  Daddy!  Let’s go!!”

Stephanie rolled her eyes and Richie crouched once more to soothe the savage beast he daughter was turning into.  “Lily, baby girl, look at me.”

She stopped her kicking and rock long enough to set her eyes on her father, “wanna go!”

“I know, but mama and I are talking.”

“No” her eyes welled and two fat crocodile tears slid down her little face, “no talking.  Wanna see princesses!” 

Richie rubbed her back, trying to calm her down, her tears ripping at him.  He hated when his girls cried.  “Okay baby girl, no more tears, okay?”

She sniffled and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, “’kay” her breath hitched and as fast as the tears started, they stopped.  “Go now” she turned her big brown eyes on him “please?”

He shook his head, god she killed him.   He stood and gripped the handle of the stroller, “where to first?”

They started the rest of the way up Main Street toward Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.  Fantasyland lie beyond the castle, so they’d start there and make their little girl a lot less cranky.

Ava and Shea broke from the party at the castle, heading toward Tomorrowland and Space Mountain, the Tomorrowland Speedway and whatever other trouble they could get into. 

“Meet us back at the castle, I’ll text you a time.”

Ava saluted her father, “sure thing papa bear” and took off with Shea.

Making their way through the crowd the little family headed toward the walk through of the castle and Lily spotted the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  “Princess!” she exclaimed. 

Stephanie looked at Richie, “maybe I should have made an appointment for a makeover for her?”

He perused the contents of the salon and the line of people waiting.  “Why don’t we just buy her a costume at one of the gift shops?  That’ll make her just as happy.”

“Yeah” she agreed.  “You’re probably right.”  She looked down at Lily, “how about we get you a dress after we ride the merry-go-round?”  Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel was about 20 feet in front of them.

“’Kay mama.”  She looked up and saw the ride, “horsey, mama!”

Stephanie smiled at Lily and then up at Richie, “you heard her, let’s go ride the horsey.”

They made their way around Fantasyland, managing to keep Lily happy with a new purple Sophia the First dress to match her ears, a storytelling experience at Enchanted Tales with Belle, a meeting with Ariel at Ariel’s Grotto, a meeting with several Disney Friends at Pete’s Silly Sideshow and a snack at The Friar’s Nook before standing in line at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 

Richie rolled the stroller back and forth, doing his best to keep Lily from throwing a fit.  “You know we should take her over to Disney’s California Adventure Park.  That’s where Hollywood Land is and where the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration and the Disney Junior show is.”

The line inched forward, “let’s see how she does here before we make any more plans.”  The last thing she wanted to do was deal with an overtired, over-stimulated three-year old.  Lily was a happy, cheerful little girl, 98 percent of the time.  It was that other two percent you had to watch out for.  Don’t make her angry, you won’t like her when she’s angry wasn’t an understatement when it came to Lily.  She had a hell of a temper.  Hopefully on this attraction she could roll, bounce and float off some excess energy from being strapped in the stroller for so long.

Lily was laughing and sitting on Richie’s shoulders when they exited the attraction.  She patted his head, “Cups, daddy!!”  She had spotted the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party when they came out of the Winnie the Pooh Adventure. 

He looked at Steph, “what do you think, can she handle it?”

She looked at the ride, it seemed tame enough.  “Just don’t get the cup spinning out of control and she should be fine.  And hang on to her.”

He lifted Lily from his shoulders, “what, you think I’m taking her on that?”  Just the thought of spinning around in crazy circles made his stomach churn.  “Uh, you should probably take her.”

Stephanie laughed at the green tint that his cheeks had taken on, and took Lily’s hand “really, you can’t handle teacups?”

He grinned sheepishly and shook his head, “nope, rides that spin were never my thing.”  He patted her on the ass as he moved by her, “go have fun, I’ll be waiting over here” he pointed to the exit area where there just happened to be an empty bench to sit on. 

He stopped at the Cheshire Café and got a lemonade before settling on the bench to watch his girls.  Lily waved the first time they spun past him.  She looked slightly fearful on the next pass but by the time the ride stopped she was laughing and begging for more. 

They finished their tour through Fantasyland, wended their way through Tomorrowland to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and finished back at the castle.  Richie shot off a text to Ava.  

At the Castle waiting.

Just getting on BTMR, be over when done.

“They’re getting on Thunder Mountain Railroad, then they’ll be over.”  Richie and Stephanie found a place to sit and wait.  Stephanie adjusted the stroller seat for Lily who had finally dozed off and she laid her head against Richie’s shoulder.  She should mad at him, but it was hard to keep it up.  Seeing him with Lily, their laughter and smiles, the absolute joy they got from one another trumped her anger.  “I’m not mad at you anymore” she murmured near his ear.   

He turned his head, pressed his lips to her forehead.  “Good.”

She angled her head up, her mouth a breath from his, “I’m glad you decided to join us today.”

He dropped his lips to hers.  “Me too.  It’s been a good day so far.”  And he made up his mind right then and there, with her pretty, mermaid-y eyes gazing into his that he wasn’t going to miss any more family days and moments if he could help it.