Before I go any further, I really need to thank GiveDaisyLove for following me and my story. I can't express my appreciation for all of my followers and everyone who reviewed, but I really need to give a shout out to GiveDaisyLove. Your stories were among the first ones I ever read on this site and have actually been inspiration for starting to write. It means a lot that you're following me and thank you so much!

Just to clarify, just because I'm giving GiveDaisyLove a shoutout doesn't mean I appreciate my other followers and reviewers any less. All of you are amazing! I would really appreciate more feedback from everyone. Thank all of you for being so great.

Without further ado, please enjoy!

Chapter 7

I woke up to a nice, sunny day. Instead of hopping up as usual, I took a second to think. It's been about two weeks since I brought Amber home; my god, how time flies. And she's been a true delight. She was very easy on me, did as I asked without much complaint, and she was just so sweet. I never really noticed how nice it was to have company. I mean, I loved it when I had people over, but I never really noticed how quiet it was before.

Amber is so good at baking, and that means a heck of a lot about a six-year-old. It's unbelievable how much she knows. And it's nice working with a small child with such a big imagination. She helps me out in the shop by coming up with the most whimsical and adorable decorations I never would have come up with on my own. The only time there was ever any trouble was a couple of days ago. I got a horrible migraine, and as I was napping, I woke up to a scream. Amber had decided to use the blueberry cobbler recipe and bake it into a rectangle-candy mold. And she decided to take it out of the oven with her bare hands and burned herself. Boy, she was hysterical. That was the only time I really had to scold her for using the oven without my permission or supervision, but she understood what she did wrong, we ran some cold water over her hands, and she wasn't too hurt. And we took it to the blueberry farm, and they loved it. "Blueberry krispies," she called them. They're super good with whipped cream.

Amber's just the sweetest girl ever. And she's happy, which is all I really wanted. She loves it here, she loves working with me, and just being with me in general. And I don't feel any different.

However, I remember I do need to start thinking of a good home for her. I thought maybe she could go to a good foster home where someone can adopt her, but then I thought maybe her parents would find out and pose as strangers to adopt her, sending her right back where she started. Maybe she has family she could stay with, or maybe they'd be even worse. I really don't want that for her; she doesn't deserve it. I just want her to be safe. The truth is...I don't even want her to leave. I want her to stay here with me...but I don't know if that's what she'd want. I'm not even sure if that's a good idea for me. I mean, can I raise a kid? Can I raise a kid by myself? I'm not ready for that, yet...am I?

I broke out of my muse and sat up in surprise when I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," I called, knowing it was Amber.

"Hi," she said as she stepped in.

"What can I do for you?" I asked.

"Nothing really," she answered. "I was lonely. Did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I was already up. Come on." I patted a spot next to me on the bed. She walked over to me and I helped her on the bed.

"So what-" I was about to say something, but in the middle of my sentence, Amber held onto me. I looked down to see her close her eyes and snuggle into my side. It was so cute; my heart just melted. I smiled down at her and wrapped my arms around her. She held me tighter as a result.

I realized something at that point: I've become pretty close to Amber. She's become close to me. But I've never really thought about how deep it was until now. I realized that she had a lot of trust in me. She trusted that I would keep my promise to find her a home, that I wouldn't hurt her, that I wouldn't let her get hurt. I may have just been being silly, but if she really did put that kind of trust in me, then by God, I was not going to make her regret it. I swore to her and to myself at that moment that I wouldn't let anything happen to her.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Amber's stomach growling. She opened her eyes and smiled at me, embarrassed. I giggled and asked, "You getting hungry?"

"Yes, ma'am," she answered.

"Okay, how about pancakes?" I asked.

"Yeah, I love pancakes!" She squealed. I laughed again and helped her down.

After getting dressed, we headed down the stairs to fix breakfast. I pulled out the pancake mix to get started, but we both froze in fear when the doorbell rang.

"Daisy?!" She cried.

"Hide!" I hissed. She raced under the sink. When the door closed, I took a deep breath and looked through the peephole. However, when I saw who was at the door, my heart skipped a beat, and I gasped in sheer delight. I opened the door, a huge smile on my face.

"Luigi!" I squealed.

"Daisy!" He sighed as we ran into each other's arms. He picked me up and twirled me around, squeezing me tightly. I forgot how nice it felt to be in his embrace.

"I missed you!" I cried.

"I missed you, too," he said. When he let me go, which wasn't for a while, I asked, "You've brought Peach home safely, I assume?"

"You assume correctly," he replied. "What about you; what have you been up to?"

"Come on; I'll show you." I walked him into the kitchen, and we kneeled by the sink. I gently knocked on the door. "Amber? You can come out now." She whimpered quietly. "Don't worry; it's safe," I assured.

I backed up and waited a moment. The door slowly opened, and she peeked out at us. I was surprised by her reaction; normally when anyone came over, she would hide behind me and would be too shy to say a word or even look at the person. But when she looked at Luigi, she smiled.

"Hi, I'm Amber!" She said happily. Luigi and I both chuckled at Amber's similar use of my catchphrase. Now, I expected Luigi to be a little weirded out by the situation, but he seemed rather fascinated.

"Hey there, little one," he said, smiling warmly. He held out his hand and added, "I'm Luigi. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Amber replied, stepping out from under the sink and shaking his hand.

"Amber here is looking for a new home," I said. "I said I'd look after her."

"Well that's very nice of you," he said. I blushed.

"Thank you," I giggled.

"Well, I-I was hoping we could maybe...hang out today," he said. "None of us are doing anything, so do you think we could hang out at the park?"

"Sure!" I exclaimed. "You don't mind if Amber's with us, do you?"

"Oh, of course not," he replied. "We can head to the children's playground; she can play, you can watch her, and we can chat."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," I told him. "Have you eaten yet?" He shook his head. "We were about to fix some pancakes for breakfast," I said.

"Can you stay for breakfast, sir?" Amber begged, holding onto his leg and giving him puppy dog eyes. "Please? Pretty please?"

"Sure," he chuckled. "As long as Daisy's okay with it."

"I'm fine with it," I replied. I picked Amber up and said, "C'mon, let's go get cleaned up."

We got to the bathroom, and I hoisted her up to the sink to help wash her hands.

"So, did you like Luigi?" I asked.

"Yeah! He's really cool and nice! He's awesome!" She cried happily.

"I know," I said, giggling. I could feel my face get warm as Amber reminded me just how great he is.

"Daisy?" I heard her ask.

"Hm?" I mumbled. I was so lost in my love-struck thoughts, I only barely heard her.

"I'm sorry for being nosy...but...do you love Luigi?" My eyes shot open and I could tell I was glowing red.

"What?!" I half-shouted.

"I can tell," was her reply. I blushed harder; I literally had absolutely no idea how to respond.

"H-How do you figure?" I asked, my voice wavering from embarrassment. I set her down and started washing my hands quickly; the sooner I can escape this conversation, the better.

"Well, I saw the look on your face just now," she answered. "You were blushing and smiling. It looked just like it did in the movies we watched together."

"O-Oh, d-did it, now? Alright, then." I replied. I finally finished washing my hands. "Okay, let's make some pancakes!"

"Yay!" She squealed, running towards the kitchen. Yay, indeed; she seemed to forget about that conversation.

"Hey, you girls ready?" I heard Luigi ask as Amber jumped into his lap. He didn't seem to mind.

"Y-Yep," I stuttered. I could feel my face was still a little hot. I was shifting uncomfortably as I walked into the kitchen.

"Do you want some help?" Luigi asked. I really wanted to say "no;" Amber was already on to me. But I smiled at him and ended up saying, "Sure, thanks."

"Y'know...I think we need some music," Luigi said, smirking. He pulled out his phone and turned on his music. "Uptown funk" started playing.

"Oh my gosh! I love this song!" Amber and I said at the same time. All three of us started laughing. We got the stuff and starting singing and dancing to the song. None of us were trying to sing very well, but we were all having a blast.

We went through that song and about two others before we finished, but we were surprised to find, even though we were all goofing off, the pancakes were delicious.

"You did good, Amber," I told her as I was eating my pancakes. She looked at me and beamed. I turned to Luigi and said, "So did you."

"Thanks, Daze, but you helped, too," he replied.

"Oh come on; I know I can't cook. I can bake dessert, but I can't cook a meal." I objected modestly, even though I knew it wasn't true.

"Could've fooled me."

I giggled a little and looked up at him. We looked into each other's eyes, and I could feel the corners of my mouth curling into a smile.

"Y'know, y-you have a nice smile, Daze," Luigi said. "You definitely should smile more often." My smile grew, and I blushed. That was probably the nicest thing he'd ever said to me.

"Th-Thanks...that's really sweet," I mumbled, blushing harder. We were both looking at each other; it was a little awkward, But it was also pretty sweet.

"Well, come on!" Amber squealed. I had forgotten she was here for a moment. "Eat up, so we can go to the park!"

"Okay, okay! Give me a moment," I said, chuckling a little.

"Yay!" She squealed and ran up the stairs; probably to put her shoes on.

"Cute kid," Luigi said to me.

"Isn't she, though?" I replied. "She really is a sweet girl; I've loved having her here." I chewed the last of my pancakes, put my plate in the sink, and said, "I need to grab my phone before we go." Luigi nodded at me, and I went up the stairs.

As I walked, I couldn't help but think about what Amber said to me. It looked just like it did in the movies...I had always hoped I was more discreet around others. But was it really that obvious? Or is she just extremely observant for a six-year-old? I sincerely hoped it was the latter. I got to my room and looked in the mirror. I grinned into the mirror so I could see. He told me I had a nice smile. That really made me feel good. But my smile wasn't really anything special...was it?

I decided not to think about any of it too hard and just accept the compliment. When I got my phone, I came down the stairs and saw Luigi and Amber playing with each other.

"Arr! You'll never get the treasure!" Amber shouted in a pirate voice.

"We'll see, ya scurvy dog! Arr!" Luigi shouted back. They chased each other around the living room, running circles around the couch and coffee table.

"Give up, or you'll walk the plank!" Amber said.

"I'll never give up!" Luigi yelled.

Playing "Pirate;" it was so cute! I giggled softly as I watched them play. I saw Amber jump on the couch, hold up a small plastic bag, and say, "The treasure's mine!" I got an idea; I snuck up behind Amber, snagged the bag, and said in a pirate voice, "Now it be mine!"

"No fair! Where did you come from?!" Amber asked, still in her pirate voice.

"Catch me if you can, matey!" I shouted, back flipping onto the table.

"...Whoa..." I heard them both say.

"Looks like I-" I didn't even get to finish; Luigi and Amber pushed me off the table. It wasn't hard, but I still lost my balance. When I landed on the couch, they started chasing me. We crawled under furniture, hopped over couches, and ran around the table, laughing and yelling. Eventually, they cornered me. Luigi walked towards me, pushing me up against the wall. I was stunned for a bit; I've never seen him so...aggressive. Instead of showing fear, I let out a hearty, pirate laugh.

"Just because you've cornered me, what makes you think I'll hand it over?" I asked.

"Because I know your weakness," Luigi whispered. His voice was low and was kinda creepy, yet somewhat...alluring. Like that movie villain that you really want to hate, but you can't because his voice is so hot. I started wondering what he meant by "I know your weakness." It took a second, but I finally figured out what he meant. And immediately, I was terrified.

"N-No! Luigi, p-please, don't!" I begged, dropping the pirate voice as I was serious. Unfortunately, my pleas fell on deaf ears. Luigi reached under one of my outstretched arms and tickled it.

"NO!" I yelled before an uncontrollable giggle fit started.

"Give us the treasure!" Luigi demanded.

"Never!" I shouted. I tried to sound tough and determined and all, but I was giggling so much that I sounded like that hyena from The Lion King instead. My knees were trembling, which must have been what gave Amber the idea to tickle me behind the knees, too. That was it; my legs gave out, and I collapsed, laughing hysterically. I was driven even further out of my mind and started squealing as I laughed when they both started poking and scratching at my stomach.

"Eek! Guys! P-Please! Not the tummy! A-A-Anywhere but the tummy!" I cried.

"Get her good, Amber," Luigi told her. "Her tummy is her tickle spot." Tears formed in the corners of my eyes as I threw my head back in insane laughter. I laughed so hard, I started snorting, which Luigi seemed to find all too amusing.

"Your laugh is so cute!" He chuckled.

"L-Let me go!" I wailed, ignoring the compliment.

"Not until you give up!" Luigi said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh, geez! Stop! I-I-I can't take anymore!" I begged, banging my fists against the ground. As much fun as I was having, I couldn't breathe and needed it to stop or at least get a break.

"Coochie coochie coo!" Luigi taunted.

"O-Oh my god! Not t-that! Not the teasing!" I pleaded. And for good reason; teasing only made it ten times worse.

"Give us the treasure!" Amber demanded.

"P-Please! I'm be- I-I'm begging you!"

"Give up!" They both shouted.

"Okay! Okay! I-I-I-I give up!" I shrieked. "I'll give you the treasure! Just stop! Before I pass out!" Those two had their fun with me for a few more seconds, but eventually they stopped. I took a huge gasp for air and panted.

"Are you okay?" Luigi asked, chuckling. He got down on a knee to help me up.

"Yeah," I wheezed, standing up with Luigi's help. My legs were a little wobbly, so I ended up having to lean on him for support. "You're a worthy foe. Here's the treasure." I tossed Amber the bag, and she caught it.

"Arr!" They both roared, although Luigi was thoughtful enough not to say it so loud as to burst my eardrums. They laughed heartily before opening the bag. Amber pulled out one of her blueberry krispies, but it was different this time: it was covered in chocolate.

"What's that?' I asked.

"I dipped a blueberry krispie in chocolate," she explained. Luigi took a bite of one, and his face lit up.

"This is really good!" He said, smiling.

"Try one!" Amber said, tossing me a krispie. I bit into it, and it was delicious.

"This is amazing!" I said.

"Thank you. Thanks for playing with us, Daisy. That was fun!" She said happily.

"Aw, no problem, kiddo. That was fun for me, too," I admitted. I got down on my knees as she ran to me for a hug.

"So are we still going to the park?" She asked, still holding on to me.

"Yeah, we are," I told her. I released her and said, "Come on, let's go."

"YAY!" She squealed, happily. She took my hand, and we headed toward the door.

"Luigi, are you coming?" I asked him quietly.

"Mm-hm," he said, standing up and slowly following me out the door.