2. Bella

"So, you're coming on Sunday, right?"

Bella hugged Theo, her most favorite stuffed owl, to her chest and sighed. She knew she would hurt Ava's feelings if she turned her down, but going to a birthday party wasn't really something she felt like doing. Not that she didn't love parties normally, because she did. Especially Little parties. But with everything that had been going on, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to really enjoy herself. Little Space had been more difficult to fall into lately.

"I know you're sad and stressed about this divorce and your asshole of an ex-husband, but you can't continue to let him get to you. You've been split up for nearly a year and he's been fighting with you that entire time. You deserve to have some fun. Besides, we're having unicorn cupcakes with glitter on the frosting! How can you say no to glitter unicorn cupcakes?" Ava asked.

A smile pulled at Bella's lips. Glitter unicorn cupcakes did sound yummy. And she really did need to stop letting Jared control her emotions. She'd moved out of their house nine months ago, and they'd been fighting in court the entire time but the low blow he'd pulled this past week had really affected her.

"Also, the lawyer I work for is going to stop by too, so you can meet him. I know he'll be willing to help you. You can trust him. He's a great lawyer and he can be totally ruthless in court. Jared won't stand a chance against him."

Bella wished she had met Ava sooner. Maybe she could have hired the woman's boss to be her legal representative instead of the weasel of a lawyer she'd hired in the first place. Said weasel was now suddenly working for Jared. If she hadn't been paying such close attention, she probably would have lost everything because he'd tried to sabotage her and get her to sign over nearly all of her trust fund to the man who emotionally abused her for years.

When she had met Ava at The Playground a few months ago, they'd clicked instantly and become fast friends. From day one, they'd texted every day and met at the BDSM club every week for a playdate. Now Bella considered Ava to be her bestie. Ava had been a sounding board over the past five months, and never once made Bella feel like she was too much to deal with.

"Yes, okay. I'll come. Send me the address. What should I wear?"

Ava giggled. "Wear anything you want. I'm wearing a pink dress that has a super fluffy tulle skirt and matching ballet flats. And a tiara."

"So you're dressing Little? What about everyone else?" Bella asked nervously.

"They'll all be dressed Little too. We're gonna have games and stuff too. It's gonna be soooo fun. You're gonna love it," Ava replied, clearly in Little Space.

"What about your boss? Will he think it's weird?"

That question made Ava snort. "No. Chase works with me. He's used to my antics."

Her friend's reassurance made her feel better. And if the lawyer was only going to stop by, he probably wouldn't stay long. She'd choose a dress that would make her feel Little without being too obvious. If the guy was going to represent her, she wanted him to respect her as an adult. She could fake it. Maybe. Hopefully. It would be hard, especially since her Little side peeked out involuntarily whenever she was feeling anxious, but it would be fine. She was sure of it. Even if she had to keep chanting it in her head until she actually believed it.