Tea Parties and Feather Boas (Luke Kuechly)

Chapter Six: Ticklish

"But daddy, I don't want you to leave!"

Lydia smiled to herself as she heard Isla talking to her father in the other room as she folded laundry. The regular season started this weekend and the Panthers were opening with an away game against the Jaguars, much to the four-year-old's displeasure. "I'm sorry baby girl but I have to," Luke replied, taking a few shirts from his dresser drawer "It's my job."

"But you just got back from you're last trip. I'll miss you," the Isla whined from where she sat on his bed beside the duffle bag.

"And I'll miss you too," Luke said as he placed his clothes in the duffle. "but I'll be back before you know it and when I do, we'll go out just the two of us. Ok?"

Isla sighed. "Ok... but I'm still gonna miss you."

"Good," Luke chuckled, placing a kiss on his daughter's cheek. "I'll call you before you go to bed both nights. Ok baby?"

"Ok daddy," Isla replied.

Luke smiled at her. "I'll be right back, Isla," he said, walking to the upstairs laundry room where Lydia was at the moment. "Hey did my blue dress shirt get-"

"Right here," Lydia smiled, grabbing the light blue dress shirt that she had hung to dry and handing it to Luke.

"Thank you. I don't know what I did before you were here," the linebacker chuckled.

"You wore dirty clothes," Lydia laughed as she expertly folded the load of towels.

Doing the laundry was a task that Lydia had taken despite being told all she didn't need to. It was relaxing for her and the dishes were another. That was therapeutic along with washing floors. Almost everything else, excluding meals, she left for the lady Luke paid to clean every two weeks.

"It's much appreciated," Luke thanked her before walking back to his room.

Luke continued to pack his things, chatting with his daughter as he double-checked to make sure he had everything. "Well little miss priss, I've got everything packed."

Isla let out a long, dramatic sigh and let a pout grace her face. Her dark, piercing green eyes boring holes into her father for leaving her. Luke tried not to laugh and halfway succeeded, letting out only a chuckle as he squatted down to her level. "Isla bear... Please don't be mad with me."

The four-year-old decided the silent treatment was the best route. Crossing her arms, she turned her head to avert her eyes away from her father. Luke stuck out his lip in an exaggerated pout and started sniffing back fake tears. He could see the grin trying to break through on his daughter's face. "Isla, please talk to me," he fake cried, his voice raising an octave.

But the strong-willed little girl didn't budge, still looking off to the side. Luke decided in favor of a different, sure-fire tactic at this point. "Well then, I guess I'm gonna have to pull out the big guns. Brace your self for the tickle monster!" He exclaimed, instantly attacking his daughter with tickle-y fingers, catching her before she had a chance to run away.

Isla squealed falling backward on the bed as her father assaulted her with tickles. She couldn't help the laughs and giggles that escaped her lips. "D-daddy! S-st-stop," she laughed. "It t-tickl- tickles!"

"Um..." Luke paused for a moment, pretending to think. "No," he smiled, resuming the tickle fest.

Luke laughed as his daughter squirmed in an attempt to escape. The two were in fits of laughter.

Unbeknownst to the father and daughter, Lydia had been watching for the past few minutes. She had come to the door with a basket of Luke's folded clothes when she spotted them and hadn't wanted to ruin their father-daughter moment. The young nanny also hadn't wanted to leave the doorway. She loved the way they interacted with each other.

"Hey, miss Lydia! Help me!" Isla cried, still laughing as she spotted her nanny whom she hoped would also double as her savior for the time being.

Luke glanced back to see Lydia laughing at them and setting down a laundry basket. "Hold on Isla, I'm coming," she smiled, walking towards them.

Before she made it close enough, however, Luke turned to her quickly and attacked her abdomen with his fingers. The young woman was, unfortunately for her sake, very ticklish. She fell backward on to the bed in hysterical laugher, squirming about. Luke himself was laughing at her reaction. She may have been more ticklish than Isla. The young girl now decided it was her turn to play 'hero' and took to tickling her father.

Lydia was thrashing around, trying to get away from the strong football player. It wasn't until Luke grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head that the two adults became still and they both realized the position they were in. Lydia laying on the bed with her arms pinned above her head and Luke on top of her.

The young woman could hear her heart pick up at the compromising position the two adults were in. Luke quickly backed off of her, thoroughly embarrassed and Lydia sprung off the bed, blushing profusely, still trying to regain her breath from laughing so hard. "Why'd we stop?" Isla pouted.

Luke's attention snapped to his daughter. "We- I have to go. Why don't you walk out with me?"

"Ok," Isla sighed, glumly.

Luke grabbed his duffel bag and then looked around to find Lydia gone. He prayed she wasn't packing her own bags this minute. The 6'3 man took his daughter's much smaller hand in his and walked downstairs.

Lydia in the meantime locked herself in the bathroom, trying to convince herself everything was alright. They didn't do anything wrong. They just sort of ended up like that. Once her heart rate went back down to normal, Lydia made her way onto the porch where Isla joined her until Luke pulled out of the driveway.

Isla sighed once more. "I'm gonna miss him."

Lydia smiled at the young girl who still stared at the driveway. "I know Isla Joy but he'll be back before you know it."

"I know. At least I get to watch him on tv. Oh just remember it starts at one o'clock. That's what daddy said."

Lydia crossed her arms playfully. "We have a little issue then, missy."

"What is the issue?" Isla cocked her head to the side and peered up at her nanny with her pretty green eyes.

"My Packers play at one o'clock tomorrow." She honestly hadn't thought to check if the games overlapped.

Isla scowled. "Ew! The Packers. I don't like them. They beat us really bad last year."

"I know," Lydia laughed. "So what are we gonna do about it?"

"Daddy sometimes watches stuff on his laptop, maybe you can watch it on there."

Lydia thought for a minute. If he had the right program and provider she could. "Aren't you a smart little cookie."

Isla cheesed. "Speaking of cookies," she smiled mischievously. "How about you bring some to the tea party in my room in five minutes?" the four-year-old looked at her hopefully.

Lydia laughed, unable to resist her facial expressions. "Ok. I'll see you in five minutes."

Isla nodded, curls bouncing, before bounding inside and up the steps to prepare for the impromptu but inevitable tea party.

Lydia shook her head and laughed as she watched the young child run inside, walking in behind her. She somehow always managed to get people to agree and that was either a very good thing or a bad one.