Chapter 19

Alick

"And…and pink ones and red ones and white ones." Lots and lots of pink ones. "But no yellow. She…she was no yellow."

Daddy shook his head and sighed. "But yellow flowers are very pretty. You have wonderful yellow flowers that I was sketching earlier."

Nodding so fast I almost slipped, I grabbed Daddy's hand and frowned at the tub. "Naughty."

Daddy laughed. "No, you're wiggly."

Daddy was so silly. "No, slippery, Daddy. Naughty."

Trying not to look happy and giggly, Daddy frowned at the tub and went pat, pat, pat. "Naughty tub."

Yes.

"Did you talk her into yellow?" He made a silly face and reached for my head soap. "You're very good at talking about flowers."

Sighing, I pouted. "No yellow. But white, and white-white, and almost white."

I giggled as Daddy's eyes went big and he laughed. "Almost white, huh? I bet that's going to look almost yellow in bright sunshine."

"Nooo, Daddy. Almost white." I shrugged and looked like a good boy. "Not naughty. Oops."

Snickering and shaking his head, Daddy put the soapies on my head. "Oops. Yes, I think oopsies are fine sometimes."

As Daddy scrubbed my head, I leaned forward and squinted. "White?"

Daddy giggled. "How old is she?"

Groaning, I whined and shook my finger. "Too loud. Too fast. Too happy."

"That old, huh?" He winced and made another happy sound. "And old enough that she won't be able to tell white from almost white?"

When I giggled, Daddy smiled. "Almost white is a very pretty color."

Soooo pretty.

"Son. Her son. Olddddd son too. He smiled and smiled. He likes oopsies too." Naughty boy.

"Her son is old too?" Daddy was smart. "And he likes driving her crazy? Is she a cranky old dragon or a cranky old mage?"

"Human. Cranky cranky like mage." Humans were supposed to be almost dragon happy, not almost magey.

"Oh." Daddy sighed. "That's frustrating. You can't even tattle on her."

Very sad.

"I good tattler, Daddy." I was smart too and closed my eyes as Daddy tilted my head back. "Sneaky too."

Daddy giggled as he used my cup to get me all clean. "You're a sneaky tattler? I bet you just tell fun stories in the diner."

Giggling, I nodded. "Best sneaky ever."

I was so smart.

"You've probably had lots of practice around here too." Daddy made smiley sounds as he rubbed my head so there was no more soapies. "Just like you've had lots of practice around here picking pretty flowers and just the right colors. She should've listened to the expert."

"Yes. 'Pert, Daddy." Best flower picker. Everybody said so. "Hmm."

Tapping my chin as Daddy giggled, I waited and waited and waited.

"All done, baby boy." I opened my eyes to see a big smiling Daddy. "What are you thinking about?"

"Daddy yellow? Daddy pink?" What was Daddy? "Oh, Daddy pretty purple?"

Daddy laughed so hard he tipped over and landed on his butt. "Do dragons come in pink and purple around here?"

"No." Giving Daddy a big sigh and a big pout, I shook my head. "Blue and green and brown. Daddy pretty?"

Daddy giggled. "Daddy is very pretty but not pink or purple."

Hmm.

Think.

Think.

Think.

"Daddy pretty blue?" Happy blue? Sad blue? "Pretty blue?"

"Blue is a nice color, but no, my dragon form isn't blue." Doing a little happy dance as he sat up, Daddy was silly and giggled again as he rubbed his hands. "You'll never guess."

Oh. Sneaky Daddy.

"Hmm, black?" Daddy kisses. Daddy tell. Happy boy, so no pouting even when he made the water go bye-bye. "Lorne's Papa is black. Sparkly."

Daddy tilted his head and made a thinky face. "The mage? He's part dragon?"

Shaking my head, I giggled as Daddy looked even more confused. "Magic. See mage. Poof. See dragon."

Sparkly dragon.

It was Daddy's turn to think-think-think as he got up to get my towel.

When he was holding my hands and helping me not slip, he made a surprise face. "He turned himself into a dragon? He can magically make himself into a sparkly black dragon?"

Nodding, I kissed Daddy's cheek when I was all safe. "Yes. Lorne likes sparklies."

Daddy laughed. "Yes, I'd figured that out."

"Lorne fancy." Daddy wrapped me up tight with my big, big towel and snuggled me close. "Hoard is sparklies."

"Hmm." Daddy kissed my head. "That crazy little dragon's hoard is sparkly things?"

"Yes." Snuggle. Snuggle. Kiss. Kiss. Hug. Hug. "Sparklies and shinies and glittery."

Daddy giggled like he'd been naughty. "I have a story about glitter to tell you sometime, baby boy, but you have to promise not to tell on Daddy."

Oh.

Putting my nose on his nose, I didn't even giggle. "Daddy naughty?"

"Oh, Daddy was very naughty." Daddy liked being naughty 'cause he had a big, big smile. "I have lots of naughty Daddy stories to tell you all about. But remember. No tattling."

"Private." I had private with Daddy. "I good boy."

Private.

Private.

Private.

Daddy hugged me tight. "Yes, you're a very good boy, but you're also a very hungry boy. Come on. Let's find jammies."

Yay.

"Soup." Smell soup. "Soup date, Daddy."

Big smile. Big hugs. Big cheek kiss. "Yes, we're having a soup date."

Daddy liked dates.

"Soup date. Daddy date. Little date. Pajama date." Oh. "Daddy jammies?"

Daddy blinked. "You're right. If I'm in my pajamas too, it can be a pajama date. That's a wonderful idea."

Daddy liked matching dates too.

"But first, my cutie needs pajamas and then I'll get my jammies out of the trailer." Daddy looked like he could see the trailer through the house. "I might even have ice cream cone jammies."

"Erin?" Hmm. "Jeff?"

Daddy grinned. "Daddy."

He was so silly.

He bought ice cream jammies.

"Come on, baby boy. Our soup is almost done." Daddy smelled big. "Yummy. I can't wait."

"Soup." Found Daddy's hand. "Hurry."

"Alright." Daddy followed faster and faster. "Why do you like soup?"

"Cute, Daddy." Faster-faster to the clothes. "Little veggies. Little potatoes. Little beans. Little noodles. Cute."

"Huh." Daddy made a thinky face as he found my jammies in the closet. "You're right. It's all very cute stuff that goes into soup."

Smart.

"We'll have to pick out our favorite little things to put in soup and come up with our own recipes." Daddy laughed at my surprised face. "Silly boy, it's not hard."

Hmm.

"Hands up." He gave me a happy face as he put my cool jammie shirt on. "We just need to pick things, like if the liquid is chicken or tomato. Then we pick other things. It's like making a plant list."

Shirt on.

Daddy reached in the basket.

He found my undies.

He'd looked at everything?

"Big plants and little plants, Daddy?" Gotta have them all to make a pretty yard.

"Yes." Daddy kissed my cheek and crouched down low. "Hands on my shoulders and step into your undies."

Careful. Careful.

"Good boy. And yes, like little plants and big plants. We'd pick the perfect veggies and then the starch and then meat and we'd build a perfect soup." Daddy tucked me in my undies as he stood up and kissed my cheek again. "My mother had a chart for casseroles. It had squares, and to make dinner, you had to pick one thing from each square. I bet we could do that with soup and come up with a thousand combinations."

He was so smart…and so silly.

"Millions?" Daddy laughed and scrunched his face up as he helped me step into my jammie pants. "Millions and millions?"

"Probably not, but maybe. We can see." Daddy was proud of himself for making me all clean. "All set. You look so cute."

Yep.

"Kenzie said so."

Daddy's smile got bigger and bigger. "He did? He's a very smart friend."

Nodding, I took Daddy's hand. "Yes, Kenzie sneaky too."

Daddy shook but the giggles stayed stuck inside. "I can see that."

Daddy smart.

"Turn?" Reaching out, I pulled his shirt 'cause I was smart too. "Jammies."

"Yes." Daddy kissed my forehead. "Let's check on the soup and then I'll get comfy too."

"Yummy time." Swinging Daddy's hand, he was the leader and faster-fastered us to the kitchen. "Mmmm."

"Oh yes." Daddy walked me to the table. "You sit for me, baby boy. Let me stir the soup."

Careful. Careful.

"Good boy." Daddy was the cooker. "Yummy."

"I think it's going to be yummy too." Daddy was fast and stirred and tasted and sprinkled and made happy sounds. "Yes, this just needed a little more onion powder and some things like that. I'm going to turn it down very low and then it's all done."

Yay.

"Jammies?" Daddy had to get comfy too. "Jammie date."

"Yes, jammie dates need jammies." Walking over, Daddy went lower and lower and kissed my cheek. "Do you want to come with me or do you want to watch cartoons for a minute?"

Hmm.

Toons?

"Daddy." Cheek kisses and sitting tall. "Helper."

Daddy squished his lips together. "You're my helper, huh? Thank you."

"Welcome." More kisses. Kenzie said kisses were cute. "Good helper."

Daddy stood bigger and bigger and took my hand. "Slippers? Shoes? You can't go outside in bare feet. You're all clean."

"Oh, helper." Faster-faster to the tiny closet. "See?"

"There they are. Bunnies." Daddy turned the bunnies over. "And they have good bottoms. Perfect."

Bottoms.

Giggling as Daddy was the helper, I made him laugh too. "Not that kind of bottom, silly boy."

Bottoms.

Wiggling my bottom like I was a little bunny made Daddy laugh. "Hmm, you're not a silly boy…you're a silly bunny."

So funny.

Funny bunny.

Bouncing bunny.

"Not down the steps, silly bunny. Hold Daddy's hand." Daddy sighed. "You're going to give Daddy a heart attack."

"No break Daddy." Careful. Careful. "See? Ground."

"Now you can hop." Daddy was silly and big sighed. "No hopping down the stairs, though. That was scary."

Hmm.

No tattle.

"Good bunny, Daddy." Yes, good bunny.

Daddy scrunched his face up. "Oh, baby boy, that wasn't nearly as convincing as you thought it was, but I'm not going to ask because I don't want to know the answer."

Smart Daddy.

"Good bunny, Daddy." Big smile. Big eyes. Kenzie cute. Lorne cute. Daddy's bunny was a sweet bunny.

"Oh, dragons above, you're doing it daily, you?" Daddy had big eyes too. Daddy didn't like hopping.

"Jammie date, Daddy." Yes, date time. "Helper."

Daddy groaned and sighed and pouted. "Alright, date time. No more asking questions I don't want the answer to."

Nope.

Walking. Walking.

Good bunny.

Daddy sighed. "Yes, you're my good boy."

Nodding, I careful-careful Daddy'd to the trailer. "See? No falls. Good boy. Good bunny. Good helper."

Daddy sighed. "I'm not going to ask. I'm not going to ask. I don't want to know how many times you've fallen down those steps."

One.

Two.

Three.

"Good bunny, Daddy." Yes, cheek kisses made groaning Daddies happy.

"Silly bunny." Daddy gave his silly bunny a forehead kiss. "Time to be a good helper."

Yay.

Jammie date time.