Adele in Love "The woman in the crowd"

67|| bath

The next morning, Isy and Adele quickly jumped into the shower, still a bit flushed and sticky from last night. As they were pulling on their clothes, Maddie wandered into the room, half asleep, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, how'd you sleep?" Isy asked with a smile, crouching down to her sister's level.

"Good," Maddie mumbled, "but I wanna take a bath. Can you help me?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

Isy blinked, realizing she had no idea what to do in this situation. She shot a desperate look over at Adele, who immediately caught on and stepped in smoothly.

"Do you want a bath or a shower, Maddie?" Adele asked, kneeling down next to her.

"Bath," Maddie yawned. "Adele, can you wash my hair?"

Adele chuckled softly and nodded. "Of course. You can call me Delly if you want, by the way."

Isy's eyes widened in playful shock. "Wait, what?!" she laughed. "I thought *only* Emily could call you that?"

Adele shrugged with a grin as she began running the water for Maddie's bath. "Looks like I'm making an exception," she teased.

Isy smirked, shaking her head. "Unbelievable," she said, mimicking Adele's tone from the other day, and then leaned against the door frame, watching them. Adele gently helped Maddie into the bath, pouring water over her hair while Isy stood there, feeling a little out of her element.

Isy leaned in and whispered to Adele, "I have no idea how to do this."

Adele raised an eyebrow. "You mean washing hair or the whole bath thing?"

"Hair I can probably manage," Isy admitted, "but I've never actually given a kid a bath before."

Adele smiled warmly. "I'll show you. If Maddie's cool with it, we can do this together." She leaned in to plant a quick kiss on Isy's cheek before turning back to Maddie.

As they crouched by the tub, Isy gently asked, "Hey, Maddie, did Mom usually help you with baths, or did you do them by yourself?"

Maddie shrugged. "She did it," she answered casually, then added with a cheeky grin, "Is it okay if Adele helps me?"

Adele laughed softly at Maddie's mischievous look. "Of course."

"And Maddie," Adele said softly, holding a washcloth, "if you ever feel uncomfortable or need anything, you tell me, okay?"

Maddie nodded, smiling as Adele carefully washed her. After drying her off and helping her get dressed, Maddie rushed downstairs to play with the dogs, leaving Isy and Adele to clean up the bathroom.

"She's so sweet," Adele said, her eyes practically glowing as she picked up towels.

Isy smiled, her heart melting at the sight. "Yeah, and by the way, I hope you know you're never going to live down this whole 'Delly' thing," she teased, nudging Adele playfully.

As they tidied up the bathroom, Isy couldn't resist teasing Adele a bit more. "So, 'Delly' is okay for Maddie, huh?" she smirked, the mischievous tone in her voice unmistakable.

Adele rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yeah, well, she's special. You, on the other hand—"

"Oh, come on." Isy interrupted

Isy couldn't help herself—she moved closer to Adele, a mischievous glint in her eyes. As Adele turned to put the towels away, Isy's hands found their way to her waist, pulling her back gently.

"So, Addie," Isy whispered teasingly, her fingers tracing lightly over Adele's hips. "Or should I say Delly?"

Adele exhaled softly, already feeling her resolve weaken. "You're really pushing it," she murmured, trying to keep a straight face, though the warmth in her voice betrayed her amusement.