Carrie picked up and sniffed each bottle, grinning at all the sweet, fruity scents. “You got me Minnie Mouse shampoo and conditioner? That is so cool! I love Minnie Mouse!”

My heart was so full seeing her happy little face. “Have you been to Disney World before?”

“No, Mommy said I had to wait till I was five.”

“Well, you’re almost five, so maybe we can plan a trip after football season is over. Then you can meet Mickey and Minnie. I think we can even have breakfast or lunch with them.”

“No waaaay!” she said, wide-eyed.

“Waaaay!” I replied, hoping I had that right. It seemed like one of the guys from Boston had talked about taking his kid to Disney and eating with the characters. If not, I would find a way to make it happen, even if I had to rent a mouse costume and wear it my damn self.

“So, what do you usually do when you get home from school?” I asked. I should have asked Blaire for a schedule or something.

“I change out of my school clothes and put on play clothes. Then I can play a little bit before we eat dinner and then watch a movie or whatever. Then I take my bath and brush my teeth, and then I go to bed and read.” Jesus, I’m grateful she inherited Blaire’s brains. I may not be an expert on kids, but I knew that a four-year-old who could rattle off her schedule like that was pretty fucking smart.

“Okay, just let me know if I do something wrong because I’ve never had a little girl before.” Seriously, I had no fucking clue what I was doing.

She patted my arm sweetly and said, “Don’t worry. You’re doing a great job, Daddy.” Her little face was so sincere, and her words were like soothing music to my ears. I picked her up and snuggled against her neck, savoring her precious, little girl scent.

“Thank you, baby girl. You’re the best daughter I could have ever dreamed of.” She honked my nose, and I beeped hers, and we both laughed. Fuck, this kid is so adorable. “Okay, explore your room, and I’ll go downstairs and get your bag so you can change clothes.” I put her down, and she skipped merrily into her bedroom and climbed onto her bed.

I went down and got her bag and the books we had bought and brought it all upstairs. “Do you want to put your books on your shelf while I get your play clothes out?” I put the bag of books on the floor beside the shelves, and Carrie plopped down cross-legged on the floor to sort through them.