17. Kasper

Chapter 17

Kasper

“That was the best weekend, ever.” I snuggled into Daddy’s side, the train picking up speed.

We’d gone to the city to see a musical I’d been talking about for ages that was finally near enough to go, to play at a club we’d not been to before, and to eat at a few hole-in-the-walls we’d seen on a food show. It was the perfect getaway weekend, if not an unexpected one.

I wasn’t sure what brought on the spontaneous trip, but he’d been so excited that I made sure to drop everything for us to go. And was I glad we did! It was going to be one of those times I fondly looked back on for years.

“Oh, I’m glad, sweet boy.” He kissed the top of my head.

He’d even gotten one of the fancy private cars like you saw in the movies. It was just the two of us, snugged together, watching the world pass us by. I appreciated the privacy. It was nice not having to worry about my words and if I said “Daddy” in front of the wrong person, or if my hand landed on his knee, like it naturally did.

We could’ve driven, the city wasn’t that far from home, but driving would’ve meant that one of us—fine, Daddy—would’ve been focused on the road and the horrific traffic the entire time. This was better.

“I have a surprise for you when we get home.” I loved the way he sing-songed when he told me about good surprises. When we’d first gotten together, I often worried that “surprise” could mean something bad. It was the way my head worked. But now? Now he made sure to let me know from the get-go that it wasn’t.

“It’s not my birthday.” Although, for my birthday, he “had a surprise” for me too. He was pretty much the best Daddy ever. No. There was no pretty much to it, he was.

“I know, and I wanted to have it for your birthday, but there was a waitlist.”

A waitlist? I couldn’t think of anything that I needed that might be on a waitlist. In fact, I couldn’t think of anything I needed at all. Daddy made sure all of that was taken care of, even when it was something I didn’t know I needed, like a sleepy mask.

“What are you up to, Daddy?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, the anticipation almost worth the uncertainty.

“That’s for my good boy to find out.” He pulled me closer to him.

“Can we play a game?”

“Why do I feel like this is a trick?” Because he was a smart Daddy, that was why.

“Maybe because I was going to ask to play 20 questions?” I stuck out my tongue.

“No, we’re not playing a guessing game over what your surprise is. You’re just gonna have to sit there and pretend it’s Christmas Eve and you’re waiting for your presents.”

“I don’t like Christmas Eve. It’s hard.” I faux pouted. I loved Christmas Eve. It meant lots and lots of cookies.

“Good thing we only have a half-hour before we pull into the station.”

It was the longest half-hour ever. I was so giddy about getting a present, but also off-center, not knowing what that present might be.

“Is it pet-related?” We did have a pet sitter, so it was a pretty logical guess, especially since I’d looked at a cat tree at one point that was pretty much going to fill up our spare room. I thought it was worth it. Shawn did not.

“No, sweet boy, it’s not pet-related.” And that was the end of that conversation, the announcement filling our car to let us know that our station was next.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t go straight home. We had to stop and get milk for our coffee and a few other perishables, adding even more time to our return.

“You’re doing this on purpose,” I muttered, putting the milk in the cart.

“Oh, yeah, that’s true, and you love it.”

My side-eye was strong, but he was right. I did love it, even if I hated it too. “And I love you too.”

He chuckled, probably at the way my glare and words didn’t match.

Finally, we got home, and I half-expected to see a package on the step, but then I remembered his friend was pet sitting; of course, they’d have brought any package in.

“Don’t run in. Daddy wants to show you the surprise.”

“Okay, Daddy.” I was so going to run, too.

When we walked in the front door, nothing seemed unusual. Nothing in the kitchen, either. The cat was sleeping in the sun, looked at us both, and then went back to its business—apparently not a huge fan of us being gone for the weekend. So far, there was not a hint in sight.

“Daddy...” I was being whiny. I knew that, but that was okay. It added to the fun. At least for me, it did.

“Now close your eyes, sweet boy.”

I did as he said, and he took my hand, leading me down the hall. I couldn’t tell if we stopped at the linen closet or the spare room until he said, “Open your eyes.”

It was the spare room. I twisted open the door, and what once held bits of storage and a couple of pieces of random furniture for guests—or whatever never really had a full purpose, was now a nursery. A full-on nursery, complete with a crib.

“I told you, you needed a bigger crib.”

I threw myself at him, nearly knocking him over. “I need a nap, Daddy, I need a nap.”

“I hope you need so much more than a nap.” He kissed my cheek and brought his lips to my ear.

“It’s a good thing I have a Daddy who’s ready to give me everything.”

“And that, my sweet boy, is because you gave me what I needed most in this life—your love.”

And he had all of it, just like I had his.