Closer 2

133.

"Daddy!" Elise squealed excitedly, holding her arms up to be picked up. She was so happy to see them, and just wanted all the hugs and snuggles and kisses.

"Shh Elise, see your brothers are sleeping," Eddy said with a smile, nodding to little Aiden still in the portable car seat. Luckily the boys hadn't taken notice of Elise's outburst.

"Bo...?" Elise half asked, looking at what daddy was holding. She thought it looked like a little doll, except this one was moving a bit on its own. She tried to look to grandma to ask her what this was all about, but grandma was already busy tickling this doll's belly like she usually tickled her.

"Hey there Li-Li," baba said when he came in behind daddy, and Elise ran over to him and hugged his leg. He was also holding a doll, but that was a bit bigger.

"Babaaaa," she said, a smile half showing up on her lips again. Baba ruffled her hair a bit, but didn't pick her up immediately like he normally would. She stretched her arms up to be picked up, but baba just put the doll down carefully on the floor and squatted down instead.

"See, Li-Li, it's your little brother," baba said, pointing to the doll. "You've got two little brothers. Isn't that nice?"

"Yeaa..." Elise mumbled, looking over at the doll. It seemed like baba wanted her to say it was nice. She tried to lift her arms up to him again so he could pick her up when he stood back up, but he just gave her a quick squeeze before standing up without her.

"I can't carry you right now, baby, I gotta carry Benjamin inside and help him out of the car seat," baba explained, ruffling her hair again.

"Noooo..!" Elise whined, stomping her little feet a bit. She wanted to be picked up! Why was baba refusing to pick her up?

"Come, Li-Li, we'll go inside and wait for baba and daddy," grandma finally said, offering her hand to hold. Elise took it, but looked up at baba again. She wanted to be carried.

"Go with grandma, I'll be right inside. Promise," baba smiled at her, and she reluctantly went into the living room after grandma. Everything was weird and nothing like she was used to when baba and dada came home, and it made her feel uncertain.

Elise was a good girl, though. She sat on the couch like grandma asked and waited patiently for baba and daddy to come pick her up like she wanted.

"Daddy?" she asked, holding her arms out towards him when he came into the living room. He smiled at her and then looked down at the smallest doll.
"Soon, baby."

"Baba?" she asked, crawling over to where he was sitting in the other end of the couch, trying to crawl into his lap.

"Careful, I've got your brother. Here, wanna see?" baba asked back, shifting the doll so Elise could see him.

"Oh," Elise mumbled, sitting back on the couch. She didn't know why baba and daddy was so much more interested in these dolls.

She looked over at daddy, trying to see if he was ready to hold her a bit now, but he was sitting with the other doll in his arms with grandma next to him. Both seemed to be looking at the doll. Stupid doll.

"Meow.."

Elise looked up, grinning to herself when she saw the black kitty walk across the floor.
"Kitty," she mumbled, pushing herself off the couch and getting down on the floor. She crawled under the coffee table and used it to help get to her feet once on the other side.

"Meow," she answered the kitty, following it over to her little corner by the window where Sharkie was too. The kitty laid down on her little mat, and she sat down next to it.

"Meow."