I realize we don't have any pet supplies for Glitter, "Alright Belle, let's take a trip to the pet store so Glitter has everything she needs for tonight, It's her first sleepover!"

"Ok!" she says excitedly. I help her put on her coat and we head to the nearest pet store.

After we get back to the penthouse, I plop everything onto the living room floor. Toys, food and water bowls, a bed, litterbox, and a playpen. I was a bit lost at first but the person at the store was really helpful.

"Alright Belle, what shall we do for dinner?"

"Mac and cheese!" she shouts excitedly.

I chuckle, "Sounds good."

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"Mixy mixy mix," Belle sings to herself.

She's standing on a kitchen chair, using a big wooden spoon to mix together the sauce and macaroni noodles. "You're really good at cooking for someone your age," I praise.

She beams.

I help scoop the contents of the pot into a casserole dish. Belle sprinkles breadcrumbs on top, and I put it in the oven. "Ok, 20 minutes," I tell her.

We go into the living room. Belle takes out a colouring book and some crayons from her backpack. She flops onto the floor on her stomach and starts colouring. I put together the playpen and place Glitter in it, and set out food and water for her.

Soon the timer on my phone goes off. I grab some oven mitts and take the dish out of the oven. I bring the food to the dining table.

"Katie?" Belle asks quietly.

I look at her and try not to laugh, "Oh my gosh."

She's so tiny her chin is barely above the table when she sits. She's surprisingly small for a four year old. "Hm, do you know if Jason happens to have any booster seats?" I ask, hopefully.

She shakes her head.

I improvise and stack firm cushions onto her chair, and tie them to the chair to avoid risking her toppling over. I pick her up and place her onto the stack. "It's like a throne for a princess right?" I laugh, silently praying she doesn't manage to fall off.

We talk while we eat. Her manners are good, she never talks when her mouth is full, and she says please and thank you. To be fair, the bar is set pretty low for 4 year olds. "Jay Jay doesn't have a lot of not girlfriend girl friends," she says.

It takes me a second to decipher what she meant. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, he always just has new girlfriends."

"Do you know how many he's had?" I ask. I don't know if I really want to know the answer to that.

"Hm, I'm not good at counting yet but I remember Sarah, Megan, Leah.."

Her list continues, I count six. It doesn't seem like a ton, until I remember Belle is only four and she probably only remembers a year or two of girls. I try not to show too much of a reaction, I don't want to think about it too much, even though it hurts a little.

After dinner, Belle and I go into the theatre room. We watch a cute animated movie, the plot and characters are kind of ridiculous. I suppose that's why it's meant for kids.

After the movie, I bring Belle into the bathroom and help her with her bath. I fill the tub with bubbles and she has a blast. As I'm supervising her, I get a text from Jason.

J: how's everything going

K: it's going well. I'm getting Belle ready for bed.

J: alright, I'm gonna be home earlier than I thought

K: date didnt go well?

J: ugh, definitely did not.

I can't help but feel a tiny bit happy about that, and it makes me feel like a horrible person.

"Are you ok?" Belle asks, looking concerned.

I do my best to put a smile on my face, "Yeah I'm good."

She looks suspicious. "That's not a real smile."

She really is intelligent for her age. I sigh, "Don't worry about me Belle, let's get you to bed."

After I've gotten her into her pajamas, I tuck her into bed in one of the guest bedrooms. The bed is huge and it makes her look so tiny in it. "Could I get a bedtime story?" she asks, pulling a book out of her backpack. I'm pretty sure it's already past her bedtime, but she looks up at me with her big innocent blue eyes and I can't help but give in.

"Alice in Wonderland? Classic," I chuckle, and sit down next to her. I loved this book as a child. By the time I reach the end, she's drifted off to sleep. I very carefully get up and head to the door.

"Katie?" I hear her tiny and sleepy voice ask.

"Yes?" I whisper.

"I really like you, will you be here when I wake up?" she asks.

My heart sinks a little at the hopeful tone in her voice. I want to say yes but I can't lie to her. "I'm sorry Belle but no, I won't be."

I almost yelp at the sudden feeling of someone touching my back. It's Jason.

"Actually, Katie will be here tomorrow," he whispers, approaching Belle and kisses her lightly on her forehead, "now go to bed, it's late."

She smiles and closes her eyes again. We leave the room and head down the long hall to the living room.

"So how long were you spying on us?" I ask teasingly.

He gives me a warm smile, "Long enough to learn how sweet you are."

He pauses as we pass the dining room. He points to the chair with cushions tied to it, "What even?"

"Makeshift booster seat. You need to get one for her to use when she visits," I explain.

He smiles again, "Like I said, you're so sweet."

My heart flutters a little at his smile, "Anyways, how was the date?"

He rolls his eyes and sinks into one of the sofas. I take a seat on the sofa across from him. "That bad huh?"

"She's a vegan, and normally that's not a big deal or anything. But she spent most of the night talking about how evil meat eaters are, how they're basically the work of Satan. Then she started criticizing the couple sitting next to us for eating steak," he groans, running his hand through his hair. "They were not happy."

I can't help but laugh, "Well that sucks. I had a nice evening with Belle. We made mac and cheese with bacon bits for dinner, there's some leftover if you want any."

His eyes widen and he hops up from the sofa. "Yes please, Emma guilted me into ordering a salad for dinner." I follow him to the kitchen.

I lean against the counter as he puts a portion into the microwave. "So should I come over in the morning then?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd just stay over tonight," he says with a sheepish smile.

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I swear I have nothing against vegans.

Thanks for reading!