Epilogue

"Now keep your eyes closed cutie, I want this to be a real surprise, unlike the last two you snuck a peak at when your Daddies weren't looking," Daddy Nomad said sternly.

Cosmo's bottom gave a little throb at that reminder, so he kept his eyes squeezed shut tight and his hands over them because it was so tempting to look before he was supposed to, even after the warning.

His Daddies guided him down the hall and he heard the doorknob turn and the soft sound of the wooden door brushing over top of the thick carpet that covered every inch of the floor. He'd had a brief moment to feel how soft it was beneath his toe pads before his Daddy had picked him up and carried him back to the living room with a stern admonishment about poking his whiskers where they didn't belong.

Of course, he'd just nuzzled them against the side of Daddy's neck, making him laugh as they tickled him. Naughty Cosmo hadn't been able to resist clinging to Daddy's shirt with his claws when he'd tried to put Cosmo down, the ensuing attempts to dislodge him only ending once Cosmo had managed to expose some of his Daddy's skin and rub his whiskers all over the ticklish spots along his side.

"Okay, you can open them now," Daddy said as he petted Cosmo's curls before gently drawing Cosmo's hands away from his face so there would be nothing to obscure the view once he opened his eyes.

Prickly pulses of anticipation and giddiness flooded through him as he opened his eyes and took in the sight of all his Daddies' hard work. There were toys and giant climbing towers, a movie station with big fluffy pillows for them to curl up in, and a whole bookcase shelf filled with coloring books and art supplies.

There was a time out corner too, with colorful pictures on the wall so Cosmo wouldn't be bored while he sat there, which he hoped wasn't often, but one of his Daddies had even painted Cosmo's Thinking Spot over the pillow they'd placed on the floor there.

Yay!

No time-out chair.

A pillow was much nicer and instead of making him hissy and grumpy with his Daddies over punishing him, it would be soft on his bottom after it had been spanked.

Then his eyes landed on the wall and all the perches and footholds there and he went from human to feline in an instant, tripping over his shorts and bumping his snout on the floor in his haste to get to it. Even after he freed his paws, the waistband got hooked on the tip of his tail, bobbing behind him as he made the least graceful leap in the history of leaps to reach that first rung.

As soon as the shorts fell free, he sprinted towards the maze, encountering his first blocked spot several feet in and needing to focus and slow down to thoughtfully navigate. It was more than he'd imagined and everything he'd hoped for when he'd asked his Daddies to create it. Another dead end and he turned around, grateful for the challenge, only to see his Daddies watching him from across the room, their arms around one another with twin smiles on their faces to see him so happy.

Daddies, come play with me! Cosmo leapt down from the wall and went racing towards the much larger climbing structure that had been created. This one was like a tree built into the side of the wall and more than big enough for the three of them in their shifted forms.

As he watched them peel their clothes off so they could join him, all Cosmo could think about was the wonderful life that lay ahead of them and the many fun and wonderful hours they'd get to spend in their special playroom now they were free.

Not the end for Little Paws Haven…