Chapter Seventeen

Reid

Daddy told me he would have a surprise for me when he got home from work.

The one I'd been waiting for.

On a good day, just hearing the word surprise had me giddy, but this time, I was practically bouncing off the walls because he didn't tell me a half hour before I was going to see it. No. This time, he informed me three weeks ago. Three. There had to be some kind of rule against that. What little can wait three weeks for a surprise? None I knew.

Especially not when it had something to do with the house. At least, I assumed it did because, for the same three weeks, he wouldn't let me go back to my uncle's house at all.

Whatever he did there was big because he was just as excited as I was, making it triply hard to focus on daily activities while keeping myself from going over there and ruining it. At least he was almost home from work. My wait was nearly over.

Daddy and I had decided that we would live at my uncle's after it was all done. I could not bring myself to sell it. At one point, we'd contemplated making it an Airbnb but that was a blip on the radar. As it stood, we'd rent out Kevin's house once we were completely settled in to our new home. I had to stop calling it my uncle's place. It was ours.

We'd added on, not only square footage on to the home itself but also a patio in the back yard. The place was what I remembered from my childhood, but also so much more. Or at least it had been last time I was over there.

Now that there was a surprise involved,, but I was ready…more than ready.

Daddy walked in the door, his keys still in his hand when I tackle hugged him.

"Is it time, Daddy?" I bounced on my toes. He'd called and asked me to get ready fifteen minutes ago, and those fifteen minutes had felt like hours. That was a lie. More like years.

"Yes, we can go." He handed me a little gift bag covered with duckies. It wasn't my birthday, and we were already going to see a surprise, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I reached inside. But I pulled out a sleep mask designed to keep out light and sight. That hadn't been anywhere near my guesses.

"Am I ready?" I held up the eye mask. "Do you really want me to be blindfolded?" I would, in a heartbeat. Anything to get there faster, but also, I liked messing with him.

"No, just in the car. I don't want you to know which way we're going."

"Of course, I'm gonna know which way we're going." I rolled my eyes. It's not like the two of us hadn't spent countless days and nights there since we met."

"You know what I mean." Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Fine. Once we get to the neighborhood, I'll put it on." It was a cute one decorated like it belonged to a frog.

"I think you're being naughty."

"Nope. Never naughty. I'm practically perfect."

"Perfect for me, maybe, Mr. Mischief." Daddy shook his keys. "Let's go."

We drove to the house that would soon be our always home, and he made sure that my blindfold was on before he led me from the car to the door, guiding me by my arm. Where the surprise was located wasn't tricky to decipher. Even with the addition, the house was on the smaller side. I knew instantly he'd taken me to the spare bedroom.

We'd had a few discussions about how we would best use that space, now that we'd built an addition and had plenty of room. We hadn't ever settled on anything. At least I hadn't. Based on this being my surprise, Daddy had been a busy, busy boy.

"Okay, you can take off your blindfold." And I did, only to find a nursery—a full, right-there-in-my-face nursery fit for a king or rather a little.

There was so much to take in. He'd gotten me an adult baby crib, which looked like it could probably transform into a twin bed, if needed. I'd never had my own crib before. I couldn't wait to take a nap.

There was also a little craft table, a corner filled with blocks, and a rocking chair.

"It's a nursery! You made me a nursery." I threw myself into his arms. "I love it. I love it so hard."

"Every little boy needs a place to play." He walked over to the closet, opening it for me to see the organizer he set up in there. "And here are all your clothes and movies and toys to rotate in so you don't get bored."

"Trust me, Daddy, I won't get bored." I reached inside and pulled out my favorite jams. "Can we play now?"

"I suppose that could be arranged, but before we do, somebody needs to eat their dinner."

I grumbled. I didn't want to be eating. I wanted to play. "Fine. But can it be fast, like cereal?"

The doorbell rang.

"How about fast like delivery?" He walked around me to the door.

"You are sneaky and clever and…thank you."

We ate a meal of chickie nuggies and fries for me—with a toy of course, and a salad for daddy, then after dinner instead of playing, I asked Daddy for a bottle. Playing could wait, but that crib? That crib was calling to me something fierce.

He removed the side. "Up you go." I climbed right in and he sat beside me, which was perfect. I wanted him there when I tried every new thing. "What a good boy. If you drink your bottle nicely with your eyes closed, Daddy will tell you a story."

"Not a scary one, right?"

"Nope. Not a scary one. This story is about a prince named Prince."

"Is he a naughty prince?"

"Nope. He drinks his bottle when his daddy tells him to." He tapped my nose lightly, and I closed my eyes as I wrapped my lips around the nipple. "That's my sweet boy. Now where were we…oh yes, a story. Once upon a time there was a prince and he loved to run…"