Molly
"Molly wanta play a dollys?" I'm not sure if I'm still sleeping and dreaming or waking up but I swear I can hear the cutest little voice. "Molllly!" The voice gets louder and I open my eyes to see Sophie, Tom's niece sitting on the bed next to me smiling wide. It takes me a moment to remember where I am as I rub the sleep from my eyes and slowly sit up.
"Good morning Miss Sophie." I smile, she smiles back and I have to admit she is a cute little thing. I pick my phone up from the bedside table and check the time 5.05 a.m. As usual, I've not slept much, It seems that whenever I'm in a bed alone the nightmares like to hunt me and it's fucking tiring.
"Wanna play dollys?" She asks again smiling and as much as I'd like to go back to sleep I seem to find it impossible to say no to her.
"Where's your daddy?" I ask.
"He sleeping." She jumps off the bed and stands by the door as her Disney princess nightgown falls to her ankles.
"I love your nightgown!" I say to her and this instantly gets her excited.
"It's pwincesses, uwkle Jack, uwkle Callum, uwkle Tom, uwkle Zack and daddy call me a princess." She smiles as she answers me looking proud.
"I love it. Who's your favourite princess?" I ask her as I crawl out of bed and watch as her face lights up when she sees me in my dumbo pyjamas.
"Elsa and Aweril and Snow wite!" She beams and her cute toddler talk is adorable!
"Who's your favourite pwincess?"
"Belle is my favourite and Ariel!" Her little face lights up at my answer and I'm taken back a little when she walks over to me and pulls on my hand. She pulls me through the house until we get to the lounge and excitingly starts showing me all of her princess dolls.
We sit on the floor together and she starts to empty one of the toy boxes that's kept in here I swear this girl has a doll for every princess and she's insanely proud of it. She sits down next to me and tells me all of their names before we start playing a game with her taking the lead of course.
"Can I have some milk peas?" She beams while placing a pink plastic beaker in my hands and I quickly get to work on that, I may not have any kids of my own but I was good friends with one of the solider's wives while Archie was in the army and I used to help her look after her kids so I know how to do the basics for them.
"Sophie!" I look up from the floor where we have started playing with her princess dolls again when I hear someone call her name. "Sophie, where are you, baby?"
"Wivingroom Daddy!" She calls back hell she's cute when she talks.
"Sophie what have I told you about coming down here by you- oh hi Molly!" Christian appears at the living room door in just a pair of pyjama pants and a face full of worry and I suddenly feel guilty for just coming down here with Sophie and not checking she was allowed first but in my defence, it was 5 in the morning and I didn't want to wake him.
"I wanted a play dollys with Molly she likes em to Daddy!" She says all excited and I watch as he stifles a smile. He walks over to her and gets down on his haunches in front of her.
"That's nice baby but you know you're not allowed out of my bedroom in the mornings without me or an adult don't you huh?" She nods her small head as she puts her thumb in her mouth and cuddles her Ariel doll.
"I'm sowwy daddy but I was wiv Molly!" Awe bless her heart she sounds so sweet and it's nice to know that at least one of them acknowledges my presence because clearly, Christan doesn't.
"It's ok baby. Now, how about we go and get you dressed and you can come to say good morning to Elsa with me yeah?" I don't know who Elsa is but she instantly gets excited.
"How come your up wandering around the house so early anyway?" I'm taken aback by his question for a moment as it doesn't feel like a friendly question but more like an accusation of some kind.
"I wasn't wo-"
"I woke Molly Daddy!" Sophie shouts out but his raised eyebrow tells me that he doesn't believe her.
"You woke Molly?" He asks her gently.
"Yeah I wanted a play with my pwincess dolls so I woke Molly daddy, I wanted to play with agirl!" He instantly softens up after hearing her words but still, he gives me a look of dislike. I'm not sure what I've done to make him dislike me so quickly but I was afraid that this would happen.
"Ok let's go get dressed and Daddy's going to get that new gate up today so you're not wandering around the house in the morning again." He's seriously acting like she didn't have anyone with her and I know that he doesn't know me so I get if he doesn't trust me with his children yet but Tom loves his nieces and nephew and he wouldn't have me in this house if he thought I'd do any wrong by them and I'm pretty sure Christian knows it.
He looks at me before turning and heading for the stairs with Sophie in his arms, he doesn't say a word but he doesn't have to I know exactly what that looks says. It says don't do this again and I get it, he's her dad and I'm a stranger to both of them but yet I can't help but feel a little sad by this as I watch them head upstairs before I do the same and crawl back into bed.
Tom convinced me to move here with him for a fresh start and yet it's not even been 24 hours and it seems like I've made an enemy even if I don't know what I've done. I try not to think too much about it as I lay in bed despite knowing that I won't get back to sleep but I decide to try and let it go for now and speak to Tom when he gets up.
I'm sure there'll be a reason for all of this. I hope there is any way otherwise it will mean that he just doesn't like me and I'm not sure what that will mean for me and my future here.
So much for my fresh start!