Chapter 24

Dessie

Up.

Up.

Up the stairs.

Oh, friends.

Giggles and laughing and cookies.

"Daddy, cookies." Pat pat pat. Oops. Catch the binkie. "Cookies, Daddy. Hurry. Hurry."

Daddy groaned. Slowy. Slowy. "You can not be hungry."

"Yes." Wiggle wiggle. Kiss cheek. Smile. "Cookie tummy hungry."

Daddy frowny face.

Austin big helper. "Everyone knows snack tummies and dinner tummies are two different things."

Oh yes.

Austin smart.

Daddy got big frowny. "Why wasn't I told that? You keep handing out information piecemeal and that's something that needs to be written down."

Oh, Daddy made Austin thinky.

Daddy was sneaky.

No giggles.

No giggles.

Binkie time.

"Hmm." Austin frowny and thinky. "You're right. That's not something that you should be expected to know."

Smart Daddy.

"You need to start writing these things down when you think of them." Serious face Daddy. "Don't you have a document where you're taking notes?"

Hmm.

Daddy knew a secret.

"A notebook at the very least?" Smart Daddy sighed. "You need to make sure the next new Daddy understands things like this or he won't know real manipulation from the cute kind."

Two kinds?

Hmm.

"Fine." Drama Austin. Hands up. Whirl around and around. "I have to go make notes. You'll be fine. Jarrett is a wonderful teacher."

Daddy won.

Austin stompy.

No giggles.

No giggles.

Daddy whispers. "Don't give it away. Shh."

Smart Daddy.

Nodding. Nodding. "Shhh."

Daddy smiley. "You're going to make me laugh. Don't look so cute."

Oops.

Daddy frowny. "Um, Austin pointed us in this direction. I'm certain you know Dessie."

Oh.

"Hi…" Oops. "Good boy, Daddy."

Fast. Fast. Binkie. Yay.

Cuddles.

"If you try to jump out of my arms and end up landing on your head, you're going to lose your good boy status." Daddy growly.

"He's little." Uncle Jarrett smart too.

"He's usually this little." Daddy had frowny face.

"Not here." Uncle Jarrett thinky.

Peeking.

Waving.

Gideon peeking.

Charlie giggle. Charlie wave. "Hi…."

Uncle Jarrett frowny. "Well, he seems unlikely to throw the crayons anymore."

Hmm.

Yes.

"Cookies, Daddy." Pat. Pat. Pat. "Cookies. Share."

Daddy huffed.

Daddy puffed.

"Fine." Daddy say yes. Yay. "But I know that snack tummy thing is nonsense."

No giggles.

No giggles.

Uncle Jarrett coughed. "Um, yes, that is nonsense no matter what Austin says. Come on in and I'll make sure he gets a cookie."

"Thank you." Daddy snuggly hug his best boy. "I have snacks in his bag but not cookies."

Daddy got his silly growly voice. "Because someone said they weren't hungry and didn't need a treat."

"Nooo, Daddy." Kiss. Kiss. "Oops."

Daddy huffed. "I'm not asking you what you want to bring to the club any longer. That was a fruitless discussion."

Fruit.

Ha.

More Daddy kisses.

Playtime.

Snack time.

Oh, shows.

Wiggle. Wiggle. Kisses. Down. Binkie. Yay.