Only You ✔️

9- Remembering

Spencer

It took me hours to get the apartment all cleaned up, but I knew it was going to be worth it. Nova was going to be worth it. I finally had her, she was finally mine.

I grab a water out of the fridge before sitting on the couch. I was exhausted. It was a lot of work making room for two people in my apartment.

I lay my head back on the couch and close my eyes. I wanted to take a short nap to reenergize myself before Nova got back.

But my nap is short lived. Hallie comes barreling out of her new bedroom and jumps onto my lap causing a loud grunt to come out of my body.

"Pencer, why did you paint a room purple?"

"Mommy said purple was your favorite color. Don't you want your room painted your favorite color?"

Hallies eyes widen.

"My room?"

Did she not know yet?

"Uh Yeah, didn't mommy tell you? Im going to be your new room mate."

Hallie smiles before wrapping her small arms around me.

"Yay!" She screams

"We're going to have so much fun Pencer! Wanna play with my dollies?"

I was really tired, but Hallie wanted me to play with her and she was to cute to say no to.

"Sure why not."

She beams at me before jumping off my lap and grabbing my hand, pulling me in the direction of her backpack that was laying in the corner of the living room.

She yanks my arm so I sit on the floor with her. For a five year old she was very strong.

She hands me a Ken doll as she picks up a Barbie.

"Okay Pencer, the king is sentencing princess Hallie to be a slave in the kitchen. But princess Hallie doesn't want to cook, she wants to eat cookies."

I blink a few times trying to understand her.

"Go Pencer. You're the king"

"Oh right"

I grab the doll and stand him up, I talk in a high pitched voice, which causes Hallie to topple over in a fit of giggles.

"Princess Hallie, you cannot have cookies I forbid it! Instead you must polish the the table and scrub the floors!"

Hallies face suddenly turns serious. She clears her throat before speaking in a deep voice.

"But I want cookies! I wanna be like Santa! And nobody, even you king Pencer can take them from me" She screams

I laugh at her attempt at a deep voice. She was to cute for her own good.

She pauses and starts laughing with me. But suddenly her face changes and her body sags.

"Hallie? What's wrong?"

"Pencer, tell me what mommy was like."

I chuckle vaguely remembering when Lacey and Nova were this young.

"Well let's see. Mommy and auntie Lacey always played house, it was their favorite game."

"What did mommy play?"

"She was always the mom, and auntie Lacey was the sister. They lived together in a tiny house in the middle of the woods. Auntie Lacey was a cake maker, and mommy was always carrying her dolls around pretending they were her children."