“Isn’t she adorable?” Daddy cooed to his friend, knowing the picture had gone through.
“It worked? The facility you mentioned - I didn’t think it would actually work. Kim was so strong willed.” The mix of surprise and awe turned the corner of Daddy’s mouth upward.
“Willful,” he corrected. “We use the word willful to describe how she was.”
His little girl’s head popped up at that, her eyes wide. “I’m sorry I’m being willful, Daddy… “
“Even her voice sounds different!”
Daddy soothed her gently. “You’re not being willful, princess. Go back to playing, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Good girls aren’t willful… “
He smiled softly as he cupped her cheek, planting a tiny kiss on her forehead. “No, they aren’t, pumpkin. And neither are you. You’re a good girl.”
The way her eyes lit up at his praise melted his heart and he wished he could send Mark a photo of that expression. It said everything. How he had been right about everything.
Mark’s voice over the phone brought him back. “Wow… was that really Kim?”
“She prefers Kimmy now.”
“No way! She hated cutesy names.”
Daddy laughed softly. “She was also very, very unhappy. But we fixed that.”
“Can you send me that info again? Sarah’s been having such a tough time lately, what was it called?”
“Dolly Training Works.” Daddy’s voice was happy, proud. “They’re amazing, but you need to be ready to change some diapers.”
“Change? What, do you mean she actually uses them? I thought they were just for comfort.”
“One sec.” Daddy stepped around and snapped another picture of his precious princess playing with the kitten. “You tell me.”
“Oh my goodness,” Mark gasped, his mouth well away from the phone. “You’re not kidding! Isn’t she angry about that?”
Daddy called to his little girl, “Precious. How do you feel about your diapers?”
She stood up again, eyes bright and happy. “I love them, Daddy! I love my diapers. Look, they’re pink!” She lifted her skirt to show… and he saw fully how soaked they were. She’d need a change soon. “I love pink.”
“You sure do, sugar. Show me that dress. Do you like it?”
“Daddy, I love it.”
He snapped another quick pic, texting it over to Mark.
“She looks really happy, I haven’t seen her this happy in years. Is she… really still herself?”
“She hasn’t been this happy in years, Mark.” Daddy tried to keep the sadness out of his voice, remembering how awful things had been only months ago. “Our relationship isn’t the same… I’m Daddy now, but I love her just as much as I ever did and more.”
“That’s amazing… “
“When you get Sarah enrolled, just remember to follow the guidelines - it takes a while for everything to really take root and if you don’t normalize it, she’ll slip. Keep her in diapers at all times, no matter what. No pants, no mature clothing. Baby bottles for drinks, childish dinners. The first couple of weeks are hard, even though Kimmy wanted this, the brain tries to fight back.”
“Gosh, that must have been hard.”
Daddy smiled. “The hardest was getting her potty training completely gone, those first few days of diaper training was the worst - she cried so much, but trust me, it’s worth it. She’s my precious princess and this is the best decision I ever made.”
“Send me the link again, send me everything you can. Do you think Kim… Kimmy would want a playmate?”
He looked over, seeing the way his little girl was squatting. She was blissfully oblivious, lost in a game with a kitten and a string, and happier than she had ever been.
“I think she’d love a playmate. I have to go, my princess is going to need a change very soon.”
Mark’s voice was doubtful, concerned. “Does that part bother you? Changing her, I mean.”
“I mean, it’s not my favorite thing in the world… but the intimacy is incredible. It’s worth it. Her happiness is worth this and so much more.”
