Keeping Kenzie - Pepper North Page 0,44
personal belongings. Combining a visit to see you and our housekeeping could work. Would tomorrow afternoon fit in your schedule?” Osiris answered slowly as he planned.
“I’ll work you in whenever you get here. Rita will be glad to see Kenzie again.”
“Thank you, Bart. We’ll see you soon!”
“We’re going to go back there?” Kenzie asked cautiously.
“I could go by myself, and you could stay with Shelby or one of the other Little girls,” Osiris suggested.
“No. I want to be with you.”
“Then, we go and be super careful to keep a low profile. My neighbors have watched for anything suspicious happening around the house. They say it’s been super quiet. Dean must have lost track of you. He’s probably keeping an eye on your old apartment to see when you return there.”
“No one can even get in there. They haven’t finished repairing the entrance and the stairs,” she commented.
“That’s the last place he has to look for you. We can pick up a new phone for you, too. I can’t believe a young woman has been able to live without her phone for so long,” Osiris joked as he texted Jeremy and Beau that they’d leave soon to start the journey back to the old house.
“I don’t know if I want another phone, Daddy,” she rushed to tell him.
“You don’t have to have one if you don’t want one, Baby girl.”
“You don’t use your phone very much either. Most people play games or talk on social media. I enjoy talking face-to-face, and I’d much rather play a game with you than something on my own.”
“There are a lot of fun things in the activity box I put together for you. What do you think about picking out a few things to leave for Deke’s Little girl as a present?” Osiris asked, changing the subject. He would pick up a prepaid cell phone that she could use in an emergency or when alone.
“I’d love to! Can we wrap it with a big bow?” Kenzie implored as she bounced happily on her seat.
“I don’t know if I have a big bow at home.”
“Then, we’ll get one. A present has to have a flashy ribbon on top.”
Chapter 22
After Bart treated Lollipop for an infected scratch and not a bite, their attention had focused on getting ready to move to SANCTUM full-time. Osiris looked around the house. Two enormous suitcases sat next to the garage door. He had boxed his other clothes and personal possessions. They would go into storage along with the furniture while their house was constructed. His firefighter buddies were coming tomorrow to move everything to a storage facility. That would allow Osiris to take his Little back to the safety of SANCTUM without gathering a lot of attention.
Kenzie had carefully packed the contents of the activity box in the living room while picking out a few fun coloring books to leave for Deke’s Little. All her scant amount of clothing had fit easily into a small section of one suitcase. Even though she hadn’t ever complained, he’d ordered a bunch of clothes for her. They would all be waiting for them.
He would bring her back when the fire marshal okayed everyone’s return to their apartments. Until then, the Realtor would take care of having the house cleaned and staged to go on sale. Osiris looked around the house. He’d done a lot of dreaming in this house. Over the years as he’d searched for his Little, the house had been his sanctuary. Now, SANCTUM would be their home. He hoped the house would be a refuge for the next residents.
A small hand slid into his. Osiris looked down at Kenzie’s sweet face. “Hey, Baby girl! I think we’re about done here.”
“Lollipop helped me choose gifts. Can we wrap them now?”
“I think this is the perfect time. I saved some pretty paper I had from wrapping a gift for my neighbor when she had surgery.”
Escorting her to the kitchen table, Osiris pointed to the pink paper with scattered multicolored daisies. “What do you think about this?”
Kenzie traced a fingertip over one flower before looking up to smile at her Daddy. “It’s perfect. Let me get the coloring books.” She tugged her hand loose and dashed across the carpet with Lollipop chasing her. In a flash, they were back.
“I chose these. One is easier and one is tougher. She should enjoy them, depending on her mood,” Kenzie informed him. She had obviously taken this extremely seriously.
Osiris let her wrap the present. It was really