Sneak Peeks

Told you so [alternative]

"Dada" Leigh-Anne tugged on Jamie's sleeve pointed to the kinder egg that Amina always brought her.

"Say Papa, squirt. Not dada. You're a big girl. What do you need?" She pointed again, letting go of Jamie's hand to touch it.

"Do you want it?"

She nodded with a big smile picking it up.

"You have to ask for it"

Leigh-Anne stared at him. For whatever reason she didn't speak much. They've been trying to break her out of it by making her ask for things.

"I guess you don't want it"

"Have it. Please papa"

"Can I have this please, papa"

"Can I have this please, papa?"

"Yes, you can. Very good" She put the egg on the conveyor belt while Jamie put everything else up she stood behind him. He paid and bagged the groceries and walked to the door.

"Bambina?" He called when he noticed Leigh-Anne wasn't with him.

She ran over grabbing his hand.

"Mommy?"

"What about her"

"See mommy?"

"You see mommy?"

"No"

"We see mommy?"

"Are we going to go see mommy?"

"Yes"

"Yes, we're going home." He bucked her into the booster seat and put the bags in the passenger seat.

"Mommyyy!!" Leigh-Anne ran to Amina who was sitting on a blanket on their lawn.

"Hi baby, did you have fun with dada?"

"Uh huh." She reached into her sweater pocket and pulled out three eggs. Handing one to Amina.

"Dada" she put the second one down for Jamie and held the third one up for herself.

"Baby"

"Thank you for sharing, sweet girl" she kissed Leigh-Anne's cheek.

"Hey babe" Jamie kissed his wife before sitting down.

"Hey, how was everything?"

"Good. Actually"

"So good she got three eggs?"

"Did you steal these, Leigh-Anne?"

"No."

"Yes you did. I only brought you one. How many is this?"

"Three."

"Very good bubba" Amina smiled.

"Where did these come from?" She climbed into her Mama's Lap. She didn't like when Jamie was stern with her.

"Store" Amina smiled, Leigh-Anne was so adorable. She could never stay mad at her.

"I know you got it from the store but I didn't pay for these. So you stole them"

"No"

"Yes you did. Do you remember what I said would happen if you stole something again?" Leigh-Anne hid her hand behind her back.

"Give me your hand"

"No"

"Nooo! Sorry. Sorry" The little girl screamed and cried when he held her hand on the grass, his pocket knife inches away.

"Nooo, sorry dada. Sorry!!" She cried trying to pull her hands away.

"Babe, we're outside"

"Will you do it again?"

"No"

"Good." He let her go.

"Because if you do. Mama won't be here to save you. You won't have any fingers" She began to cry again looking at her fingers.

Was he going to cut off her fingers? No. But did she need to know that? No.

"Go inside since you want to steal. Thieves don't belong outside." Leigh-Anne stood up walking to their front door.

"Here baby, have a sandwich" She handed Leigh-Anne a sandwich and her little egg.

"Mama will get you out" she whispered, patting her bum, sending her off.

"Babe, no."

"I will"

"I know but you can't tell her that or she'll keep doing bad things."

"She has good intentions. She came home and shared."

"Look at her" He pointed to Leigh-Anne who was sitting in front of the glass doors to the mansion waving sadly.

"Go get my baby"

"Come here, squirt" She perked up running back out to her parents.

"You're such a softy. That's the worst thing a criminal in the making can have is a soft parent."

"I can't help it. Leave me alone!"

"When's the last time you went to work?"

"Two months ago"

"You like being a mom don't you?"

"I love it"

"I thought about getting her a dog"

"Yes! Yes!! Want puppy!!" Leigh-Anne jumped around excitedly.

"Sit down and eat your food. Adults are talking yes?"

"Sorry" She sat down in her papa's lap eating her lunch.

[I figured if I make Jamie be mean to her she would be mean to Jade and Jesy but I never even got that far in the book.]