Page 25 of A Little Christmas! 4: Song
“Better. We’re having a sleepover!” Song explained. “Papa Cooper set it up so I could stay until Monday and even made a place in the garage for the band to practice if the roads aren’t completely impassable. Decon is going to keep my drum kit in the van, since he’s got a heated garage to park it in, and bring it over if we wind up having band practice.”
Blinking through the window, which was hard with the way the snow was starting to come down, Zachy realized that they weren’t parked in front of a house but a row of bars and restaurants with brightly lit neon signs in the windows.
“Oh wow, did you just finish playing?”
“Yup,” Song replied, words followed by a yawn. “I can’t wait to get a shower and cuddle up with you for story time. I love listening to the stories through the video chat, but being there in person and snuggling up with you is much more fun.”
“Yeah, it is,” Zachy concurred.
“Are you guys buckled in?” Daddy asked as he climbed back into the front seat after getting everything situated.
They both checked to make sure before replying that they had. As Daddy pulled away from the curb, Song sought his hand and laced their fingers together for the ride to the house.
“Was it a good show tonight?” Zachy asked.
“Oh yeah, the best one we’ve had in a long time,” Song replied. “Ajay is phenomenal and seriously professional when it comes to the music. He’s written a bunch of songs, and we’ve been working with him to develop bass and drum tracks for them so we can start incorporating them into our sets. It turns out that he’s always wanted to be part of a band but never found one that fit and matched his vision of the music he wanted to make. I can’t even begin to tell you how much you’ve helped us by helping me connect with him.”
“Ohh, I’m so glad. I didn’t want you to have to cancel your shows in New York; I know how excited you were to see the city.”
“I am beyond excited,” Song explained. “And a little scared. I was kinda wondering if maybe you guys would want to come up and see one of the shows and go to the zoo and aquarium with me?”
Gasping, Zachy nodded, wide-eyed, excited, and at a loss for words because that would be so cool and they were on vacation, all three of them, well, almost, since tomorrow was Papa’s last day at the office before they shut down too.
“Can we, Daddy, please, please, please, please, please?” Zachy said once he finally remembered that it was a question that Song needed an answer to as well.
“I think that would be a wonderful idea,” Daddy said. “We could all use a vacation, and the chance to visit a magical city and take in the sights with you sounds positively perfect. We can talk about the dates tomorrow as well as the places you want to visit and work out an itinerary. I’m certain Walker will be accompanying Ajay, so I’ll put in a call to him and see what he’s come up with so that we can plan the perfect outing for you three to decompress and enjoy some little space time during your trip.”
“Oh my gosh,” Song gushed, “Thank you. I wasn’t sure if I’d even have a chance to be little while we were there, since I was just going to be with my bandmates. Ajay did say that his daddy was going to come with him, and I was a little sad because I would be so far away from you guys even if I knew we’d still video chat.”
“Anytime you’re worried about something like that, I want you to bring it up right away before you start stressing out over it,” Daddy told him. “I know we’ve kind of slid into a routine of spending time together without really sitting down to talk about what it meant for the four of us as a unit, but I want you to understand that we are looking ahead to a future where the four of us are together in every way. Do you understand what I mean when I say that?”
“N-not entirely,” Song stammered, turning to look at Zachy, who couldn’t quite make out the expression in his eyes with how dark it was in the back of the car now that they’d left the downtown area. “Are you saying that you guys want to date me?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Daddy explained. “We’d planned to sit down and talk to you about it now that things were less hectic, but hearing the uncertainty in your voice, I’m glad we’re discussing it now.”
“Will you be our boyfriend?” Zachy asked.
“Hell yeah I will,” Song replied. “This is the best early Christmas present ever!”
“Yay!” Zachy replied, wishing he could throw his arms around Song, but that would have to wait until they got home.
The snow was starting to get thicker, and all moving around in the back seat would do was distract Daddy, who was totally focused on the road, though he chuckled at Song’s response while Song squeezed Zachy’s hand and started talking excitedly.
“I kept hoping you’d ask,” Song said. “But we were all just getting to know one another, so I knew it would take time for you guys to decide if that was how you wanted to see our friendship proceed or if you wanted me to remain firmly in the friend zone.”
“The more time we spent together, the clearer it became, to all of us, that the four of us were meant to be together,” Daddy explained. “It was the same feeling I had a year ago, when Zachy and I met, and he later introduced me to Cooper. They were actually together at the time but struggling with their dynamic as Daddy and little. Sometimes things just fall into place in ways that we rarely expect, like you and Zachy clicking in the playroom on your first night at the club. In a way, I feel like these last few playdates have been less about you guys having the chance to be little and play together and more about the four of us discovering all the ways our lives intersect in so many different areas. Your saying yes to a relationship with us means our holiday season has just gotten a lot brighter. I couldn’t be more thrilled. Trust me when I sayCooper[TM5] will feel the same way when he hears about it.”
“I wish I could hug you right now,” Zachy said.
“You keep those seatbelts on, both of you,” Daddy cautioned. “The roads are seriously slick out here. I’m going to have to creep along for the next few miles, so no squirming back there, understood?”
“Yes, Daddy,” they replied, holding tight to each other’s hands for the rest of the slow ride back to the brightly lit house, neither moving nor even saying much until Daddy had safely parked the SUV in the garage. There were a few skids along the way, and one fishtail that had left Song and Zachy gasping and trembling in their seats. But they never let go of one another, and they never did anything to distract Daddy either.
The moment Daddy turned the engine off, Zachy and Song fumbled with their seatbelts and crashed together, clinging in the backseat, squeezing the stuffing out of one another. Daddy chuckled as he opened the door next to Song and scooted in so he could hold them too.
“Those were a few scary moments, boys,” Daddy murmured. “Doubt any of us will be going anywhere for the next few days, so let’s go in and see what Papa has in store for us and give Song the chance to get a shower and settle in for the night.”
“Are we gonna camp out in the living room again?” Song asked. “That was so much fun.”