Bedtime Wishes

"I really want to." Stella pursed her lips and asked, "Daddy, will you let me stay here?"

No response came from the other end of the line. After a while, Gideon said, "Okay, pass the phone to Valerie."

Stella breathed a sigh of relief. She then looked at Valerie with a smile and whispered, "Ms. Thorne, Daddy wants to speak with you."

A brief silence filled the air before Valerie received the phone