This chapter is in Wanda's POV!
Chapter X
Wanda packed her backpack while daddy was doing the dishes. She'd never done a girls day before and she was soo excited to do one with Nata! Nata was so pretty and cool and Wanda just wanted to be like her when she was grown up. She went to her secret hiding spot in her room and pulled the gift out she'd made last week with Granny. Granny had helped her glue sparkly stones on a box for Nata's jewelry. She always wore so pretty necklaces and bracelets!
"Wanda, are you ready? Nat's gonna be here soon!" Daddy yelled from the kitchen. She put her backpack on and gave her buckybear a hug before she walked to daddy.
"What do you have in that backpack, sweetie?" Daddy asked when she was in the kitchen.
"Nothing. Just stuff." She didn't want daddy to know about her surprise for Nata. She'd heard Nata tell daddy that she had ways to make him talk in a strange way (her voice sounded so different) and daddy just chuckled. She didn't want daddy to spill the beans.
"Just stuff?" Daddy laughed and shook his head. "Okay. Let's go through a things first before Nat's here. You'll listen to her, okay? Don't run away from her and always say please and thank you, got it?"
She nodded. "Yes, daddy. I know."
Daddy smiled. He smiled a lot since Nata came into their lives. And he had a beard now and Wanda was pretty sure that he'd grown it for Nata since she always ran her fingers through it when they were all cuddling on the couch. Their stupid neighbor Sharon had complimented daddy on his beard but he didn't seem to care what she'd thought about it. Wanda liked their other neighbors May and Peter so much better! Sharon always talked to her like she was dumb but Peter and his friend Ned had even let her help them with a science project!
"Okay, then I hope you two have lots of fun." Daddy nodded.
The doorbell rang and she sprinted out of the kitchen before daddy could open the door. She opened it and Nata was standing in front of her. She looked so stylish in her teddybear coat and she wore such a cool hat! Maybe daddy could buy her one, too?
"Hi, sweetie!" Nata knelt down and hugged her. She always smelled so good! "Excited for our day?"
"She's been talking about it non stop this morning." Daddy said, walking into the hallway.
"Hey." Nata smiled the smile she only had for daddy and stood up again.
"Hi, Nat." Daddy always looked so happy when Nata was around and kissed her on the cheek. "You look great."
"Thank you. But not as great as Wanda." Nata said to her with a wink. She had to giggle. Nata was always so sweet to her. And daddy. "I'll bring her home after dinner?"
"Are we having a sleepover?" She asked daddy and Nata. Nata always had a dance party in her room with her when she slept over and she once saw her and daddy dancing in the living room when she'd gotten up to pee. They had been dancing very closely to each other with their foreheads touching. They had looked so cute together! But then daddy's hand moved to Nata's tushy and she'd quickly run to the bathroom.
"Do you want us to have one?" Nata asked and daddy smiled.
"Yes!"
"Okay, then we're gonna have one, kiddo!"
Daddy said bye to them and then Nata took her hand walked with her to the subway station. Daddy was watching them from the living room window when she turned around to look at the apartment building.
They stepped out of the subway station and walked down a street with lots of pretty stores. Wanda had to gush at all those pretty clothes. She couldn't wait until she was old enough to buy those things!
"So the tea party isn't until three, do you wanna get a manicure?" Nata asked her when they passed by a nail salon.
"Really? But I don't think I'm allowed to." Daddy had said no when she'd asked him for nail polish a few weeks ago because Nata's nail were always such a pretty red.
"I asked your dad. Don't worry. They have special nail polishes just for kids. He's okay with it."
"He is?" Oh, that was so cool! She was gonna look just like a grown up! Nata nodded and they walked into the nail salon. Nata chose the same nail color and they both had soft pink nails when they walked out of the store. The woman doing her nails had told her that the queen of England wore the same color. The queen of England!
The Eloise room was pink and so pretty that Wanda couldn't help but squeal when they walked in. Everything looked so fancy! There were even waiters in fancy suits who walked them to their table!
"You like it so far?" Nata asked and she almost looked shy. Why? Nata was the most confident person ever! Even more than Buckybear!
"Yes, Nata! Thank you so much!" She said and Nata smiled.
They ordered tiny sandwiches and the tea came served in pretty china. Wanda felt so fancy and like a grown up! Did grown ups do this all the time? Other girls were here as well, probably with their moms but Wanda noticed that none of them were as pretty as her Nata.
Nata told her stories about the places she had been. She had seen so much of the world! That was so cool! "Did you buy that bracelet in Shanghai?" She asked because her bracelet was so pretty!
"No. I found it in a little boutique in Brussels. Do you like it?"
"Yes. It's very pretty!" It was made out of a thin chain with a round pendant that sparkled prettily when the lights hit it.
Nata was taking it off her wrist. "Then it's yours." She took her arm and wrapped the bracelet around her wrist two times.
"What?" She gasped.
"I want you to have it." Nata smiled and looked at her arm. "Looks great on you, sweetie!"
She jumped off her chair to hug Nata. "Thank you so much! I will always wear it! I'm never taking it off!"
Nata chuckled and kissed the top of her head. She wondered if mommies were this nice to their daughters. Was this what having a mommy felt like? She loved her daddy very much but she also loved Nata so much.
Wanda had to pee from all that tea and lemonade and left to go to the ladies room. Even the bathrooms were super fancy here! Another girl was washing her hands as well.
"Hi, I'm Cassie!"
"Hi, I'm Wanda!"
"I'm here with my mommy and my daddy's girlfriend Hope. Your mommy is so pretty! Is that her real hair color?"
"Yes, it is." She didn't see why she should correct Cassie. If she could pick someone to be her mommy, then she wanted Nata to be her mom. She made her and daddy so happy!
Nata bought a cake for daddy before they left the Plaza and then they went shopping! She'd only ever gone shopping with daddy and Granny before and only to kids' stores but Nata went with her to real boutiques and stores that sold lipsticks and stuff! And Nata asked her for her opinion and bought the lipstick she'd picked! And then Nata bought her a teddybear coat! It almost looked like Nata's, just the color was a bit different.
"Thank you so, so much!"
Nata laughed. "You're welcome. Consider it a belated birthday present, Wanda."
They walked to Natasha's apartment so Nata could leave her new stuff there and put daddy's cake into the fridge while they would have dinner. They were going to eat burgers! Nata let her go through her vanity while she was in the bathroom and she remembered that she had a gift for her. She walked into the hallway to get her backpack and saw a ballerina on a napkin on the corkboard in the hallway. Wanda was sure that daddy had drawn that ballerina.
Nata came into the hallway. "I think we'll have to come back after dinner to get Steve's cake. Is that okay? We'll take a cab to Brooklyn then."
"That's okay, Nata." She held the box up so Nata could see it. "Here for you."
"Did you make this for me?"
"Yes. With Granny's help."
Nata gasped. "Oh God, Wanda! Thank you so much!" She knelt down and pressed her against her body. Wanda buried her face in Nata's neck. She always smelled so good and sometimes daddy smelled like her in the morning, too. "I love it, Wanda."
Nata pulled away and she had tears in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
She laughed and sniffed. "Yes, kiddo. I just...You're a very special girl, you know." She brushed a strain of hair behind her ear.
"I love you, Nata." She told her because Granny always said to tell people what they meant to you. Nata cried a little bit but she laughed, too. So she wasn't sad, right?
"And I love you, you amazing and sweet girl!" Natasha pressed her against her body again and kissed her forehead.
Wanda snuggled closer to her and decided that this was what having a mommy was like. She felt as safe and happy as when daddy hugged her. "Are you gonna be my mommy one day?" She blurted out.
Nata didn't say anything at first but her hold tightened. She kissed the top of her head and then loosened her hold on her to look at her. "Wanda, I love you and your father very much. I haven't felt this loved and safe in...in forever." She looked sad for a moment but then she smiled. "But those things take time, okay? Your dad and I just started dating but I am not going anywhere. I'm always there for you, sweetie. Okay?"
"Okay..." She said, wondering if daddy would let her use his laptop so she could google how those things worked. Daddy had to marry Nata, right? Then she could adopt her and they were all one family? When did men propose usually? Did daddy have enough money to buy Nata a diamond ring? So many things she had to google! Did she know any married people? Uncle Tony and Auntie Pepper! She was gonna ask them! If daddy and Nata were married, then she would have to stay with them, right? She would be forever in her life and always be her mommy, right? And daddy would always be happy!
"Wanda, you look a bit sad."
"No, it's just...Please don't leave us. Daddy has never been so happy before and I...I love you like I think I would love a mommy if I had one. And I don't want you to just leave one day and if you were my mommy, then you couldn't leave us!"
Nata smiled and kissed her forehead. "I promise you that I won't leave you. I've had some...some not so nice times in my life but with you and your father...I've never been so happy before. Like I said, I will always be there for you. I'm your friend, Wanda. You can always count on me. And we can have this conversation again. One day in the future with your dad, okay?"
"Okay. Are you celebrating Christmas with us?"
"I would love to, Wanda."
"Do you know how to bake Christmas cookies?"
"Um, no. I'm sorry."
"That's okay. We'll show you." She assured her and snuggled closer to Nata again.
Natasha took her to a diner where they had the best burgers ever! And Mister Stan even made her special cookie dough that she could eat raw! And Mister Stan was so funny! He looked like a grandpa from the movies!
"You know, I've been here with your dad before." Nata said before sipping on her milkshake.
"You were? On a date?" She asked. "Did he take you to Build-a-bear yet?"
"Hm? Um, no. He didn't. Maybe the three of us can go, though. Well, I thought it was kind of a date but your daddy didn't." Nata laughed. Huh, wasn't daddy as smart as she thought he was after all?
Nata paid and then they walked back to her apartment to pick up daddy's cake. Wanda thought she saw a dark haired man watching them but he was gone when she turned around again. She shrugged her shoulders and walked with Nata up the stairs of her building. Nata let her put her jewelry into her new box while she packed a bag for the night.
"Ready, sweetie?" Nata came out of the bathroom into her bedroom.
"Yup. Everything's organized!"
Nata smiled and they walked downstairs to get a cab. She thought she'd seen the man again but he wasn't there when she looked again. Weird. Maybe daddy was right and she shouldn't eat so much sugar but Mister Stan's cookie dough was so yummy!
Daddy greeted them with hugs and kisses and they told him about their girls day until she had to go to bed. Daddy read her a chapter of Pippi Longstocking and kissed her forehead.
"So you had a great day with Nat?"
"Yes! I told her I love her and she loves me, too!"
Daddy smiled. "Yeah, we're pretty lucky, huh?"
"Are you gonna ask her to marry you, daddy?"
He looked bit a shocked but then he smiled. "Not anytime soon. But I'm not ruling it out. Goodnight, munchkin."
"Goodnight, daddy!"
She woke up a few hours later and wanted to check if daddy and Nata were still awake but she heard weird noises when she stood in front of daddy's bedroom door.
"Steve!" Nata said in a very weird way. Her voice sounded so breathy. "I love you so much! Don't stop!"
"God, I love you." Daddy groaned in the way he always did when he was lifting weights at the gym with Buckybear. She sometimes came with them and sneaked into the Zumba classes. Were daddy and Nata working out in the middle of the night?
She padded back to her room and crawled back into bed to snuggle with buckybear. "Adults are weird!" She told him and closed her eyes again.