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“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, my sweet boy. Now be good and have some milkies and take a little nap.”
I didn’t argue. His arm wrapped around me, solid and warm, while I latched on. I closed my eyes, nursing slowly, not because I was ravenous, but because I needed this connection… needed my Daddy.
He told me a story while I suckled, about a lion and a squirrel who built a home in the middle of the woods where no one else could find them. And the squirrel, he said, liked shiny things and couldn’t stop bringing home treasures. The lion didn’t care. Thelion just liked having someone to come home to. I smiled, milk in my mouth, his voice humming in my ear.
After a while, I dozed off.
When I woke again, he was smiling down at me.
“You know, I heard someone has something very special planned for our evening.”
I yawned. “You heard, huh?”
“Seth might’ve told me.”
“Seth,” I groaned. “Why would he do that?”
“Because,” Kennan said, tapping my nose, “he didn’t want me to ruin your plans by making plans of my own.”
“What kind of plans were you thinking of?” When Seth assured me he wasn’t making any because he was going to be away, I’d assumed that had been the order of things.
“Oh, just a trip. Back to our honeymoon spot.” His smirk made it necessary for me to kiss him. So I did.
“We leave next week,” Kennan said.
“We have work.” Stupid adulting.
“Your leave request has already been accepted.”
“How can it be accepted? I’m the boss.” I’d have seen it for sure.
He smirked. “Are you? You think you’re the boss?”
“Hello,” I mumbled into his chest, pretending to be asleep again, knowing full well I had my intake coordinator to thank formaking this happen, but not quite ready to admit she was the real person behind the curtain, despite my title.
Later that evening, after we got dressed in the exact outfit we wore to our wedding, I brought him down to the dining room. He stopped in the doorway, stunned. I’d matched everything, down to the napkin folds.
“James…”
“I wanted to remember it all.”
He stepped forward, pulled me close, and we danced to the same song from our first dance, right in the middle of the room, this time with no masks. There were no photographers. No speeches. Just us. He dipped me at the end, something he only dared to do at home, since I once told him I was afraid of being dropped in public, and then kissed me until my knees nearly gave out.
The food was delicious. The cake was perfect. Willow barked in approval when I shared the tiniest corner of frosting with her.
We curled up on the couch later with Willow tucked into beside us. Kennan had me in his lap.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year,” I whispered.
“I can,” he murmured back. “I’ve loved every second.”
“Even when I cried because I couldn’t find my other green cat sock?” That hadn’t been my best day.
“Especially then.” He kissed the top of my head. “You came to me instead of sulking. You didn’t even hesitate.”
It was true, I didn’t. I needed my Daddy. And if that meant calling him at work, that was what I was going to do. If it was atime he couldn’t be reached, he’d have waited to get back to me. That was the deal we had made, and so far it was working well.
“Even when I flooded the bathroom trying to fix the sink?”
He laughed. “You didn’t flood it. Just… moisturized it very aggressively.”
“I want a hundred more years like this,” I said softly, eyes closing.
“I want forever,” he replied, stroking my hair. “And you already promised that to me. No take-backsies allowed.”
Worked for me.
“I love you, my sweet boy. Now be good and have some milkies and take a little nap.”
I didn’t argue. His arm wrapped around me, solid and warm, while I latched on. I closed my eyes, nursing slowly, not because I was ravenous, but because I needed this connection… needed my Daddy.
He told me a story while I suckled, about a lion and a squirrel who built a home in the middle of the woods where no one else could find them. And the squirrel, he said, liked shiny things and couldn’t stop bringing home treasures. The lion didn’t care. Thelion just liked having someone to come home to. I smiled, milk in my mouth, his voice humming in my ear.
After a while, I dozed off.
When I woke again, he was smiling down at me.
“You know, I heard someone has something very special planned for our evening.”
I yawned. “You heard, huh?”
“Seth might’ve told me.”
“Seth,” I groaned. “Why would he do that?”
“Because,” Kennan said, tapping my nose, “he didn’t want me to ruin your plans by making plans of my own.”
“What kind of plans were you thinking of?” When Seth assured me he wasn’t making any because he was going to be away, I’d assumed that had been the order of things.
“Oh, just a trip. Back to our honeymoon spot.” His smirk made it necessary for me to kiss him. So I did.
“We leave next week,” Kennan said.
“We have work.” Stupid adulting.
“Your leave request has already been accepted.”
“How can it be accepted? I’m the boss.” I’d have seen it for sure.
He smirked. “Are you? You think you’re the boss?”
“Hello,” I mumbled into his chest, pretending to be asleep again, knowing full well I had my intake coordinator to thank formaking this happen, but not quite ready to admit she was the real person behind the curtain, despite my title.
Later that evening, after we got dressed in the exact outfit we wore to our wedding, I brought him down to the dining room. He stopped in the doorway, stunned. I’d matched everything, down to the napkin folds.
“James…”
“I wanted to remember it all.”
He stepped forward, pulled me close, and we danced to the same song from our first dance, right in the middle of the room, this time with no masks. There were no photographers. No speeches. Just us. He dipped me at the end, something he only dared to do at home, since I once told him I was afraid of being dropped in public, and then kissed me until my knees nearly gave out.
The food was delicious. The cake was perfect. Willow barked in approval when I shared the tiniest corner of frosting with her.
We curled up on the couch later with Willow tucked into beside us. Kennan had me in his lap.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year,” I whispered.
“I can,” he murmured back. “I’ve loved every second.”
“Even when I cried because I couldn’t find my other green cat sock?” That hadn’t been my best day.
“Especially then.” He kissed the top of my head. “You came to me instead of sulking. You didn’t even hesitate.”
It was true, I didn’t. I needed my Daddy. And if that meant calling him at work, that was what I was going to do. If it was atime he couldn’t be reached, he’d have waited to get back to me. That was the deal we had made, and so far it was working well.
“Even when I flooded the bathroom trying to fix the sink?”
He laughed. “You didn’t flood it. Just… moisturized it very aggressively.”
“I want a hundred more years like this,” I said softly, eyes closing.
“I want forever,” he replied, stroking my hair. “And you already promised that to me. No take-backsies allowed.”
Worked for me.