"She finally fell asleep?" Allen smiled at the softly snoring Hannah on the couch.
She curled against a plush cushion, flanked by the dolphin and the whale from her daddy, while hugging Mr. Powder tightly in her arms. Sophie stroked her strewn hair while giggling.
"She was so persistent," she said, glancing at the clock.
It was ten forty, past the little girl's bedtime already. Sophie already told her--and Toby, who insisted he would keep Hannah company only to fall asleep just ten minutes past his usual bedtime--that she and Allen would wake them up when Eugene and the others arrived. Hannah, however, inherited her parents' stubbornness.
She glared and narrowed her eyes to stave off sleepiness, working on the packaging for the present she prepared for her grandpapa Ian. She asked for a cartoon to prevent herself from falling asleep, and even cheekily asked if she could taste Allen's espresso.
