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ELLIE

One Year Later

“Congratulations, baby boy!” Daddy B yelled when he found me on the grass lawn after graduation. His booming shout echoed across the open space, causing everyone to turn around and look at me. When he raced across the lawn, it was to pick me up and twirl me through the air.

I didn’t care if we looked ridiculous. Finally graduating felt amazing, and even better, it meant moving on with our lives together.

Daddy B kissed me firmly on the mouth, and I returned it happily.

I didn’t care who saw us. We were happy, in love, and ready to celebrate.

After a few more twirls, I had to force him to put me down before I got motion sickness.

Behind him, I saw a crowd gathering for us, but they were polite enough to wait until we finished our private celebration.

Our walk back to them was much more sedate than Daddy B’s streak over.

“Good job, buddy,” my dad said in his quiet, soft-spoken voice.

In my entire life, I’d never heard him yell, and I wasn’t surprised that it didn’t happen today either.

But I saw the pride shining through anyway.

He’d taken the entire week off from work, and I was beside myself at having all of his attention.

He’d driven up last night and stayed at the apartment with me. After my graduation dinner tonight, we’d stay one more night, and then we’d use his truck to help me move to Tannenberg with Daddy B. Between Dad’s truck and Daddy B’s SUV, we’d get everything in one trip.

“Thanks, Dad.” Daddy B lowered his arms so I could step into my dad’s embrace.

He had never been the touchy-feely type, but today he held back tears.

Dad hadn’t attended college since he and Mom got pregnant right after high school, but seeing his reaction made me wonder if he regretted that now. “I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

“Stop. I didn’t do anything.”

“Except work yourself silly helping pay for it.”

“You were the one who got all the scholarships. I’m not taking anything away from your work.” I knew my dad loved me, but I’d never heard this kind of praise from him. It was humbling.

“And you made sure I could concentrate on it.” I hugged him around his waist again, and Dad’s arms wrapped around my shoulders. We were both sniffling, and everyone else pretended not to see when we pulled apart.

Daddy B’s parents were there, along with Benji, Rafe, and Matty. Jennifer, B’s mom, had very politely asked if my parents would be upset if she hosted my graduation dinner. I promised her my dad would be fine with it, and since my mom wasn’t invited, there were no worries about hurt feelings.

“Congrats, roomie,” Benji said as he wrapped me in a tight hug when it was his turn. He always gave bear hugs, the kind that didn’t let you breathe. “I’m super proud of you, but I’m gonna miss you like crazy.”

“Aw, thank you. I’m going to miss you too, but we still have one day before I move out, and then you’ll have the place to yourself all summer. Gonna go wild?”

“It’s like you’ve never even met me.”

“A little wild never hurt anyone, right?”

“Okay, I’ll work on staying up late, and uhh… I don’t even know what else.” Matty laughed a bit too hard at Benji going off track. It seemed Matty had inherited all the wildness, but he liked to drag Benji along with him. Rafe pushed his way past Daddy B to join the hugfest.

Since Rafe and Matty had moved in next door, the four of us had become close friends.

Though Matty had been busy with his job as a social worker over the past year, so we’d seen him a lot less than we had Rafe.

Benji, Rafe, and I had become almost inseparable.

They were the ones who’d reminded me that Daddy B loved me whenever I’d had doubts over the past year.

After spending last summer together, I returned to school while Daddy B went to the police academy.

During the five months he was there, we hardly spoke at all.

He was dedicated to studying, and I was knee-deep in reference materials for my senior cornerstone project.

Some days, we were limited to one-word texts, but the boys reminded me it was all temporary.

“Ellie, I hope you’re not upset, but I did a thing.

” Daddy B sounded incredibly nervous. He waved over a photographer who was standing back from the group.

“I knew you’d say no if I told you, so I didn’t, and I didn’t tell them,” he said with a jerk of his shoulder toward the guys, “because they’d all snitch on me. ”

“Told me what?” I ignored the guys’ protests that they were capable of keeping a secret from me. He was absolutely right. They were mostly terrible at it.

“I thought it would be fun if there was a photographer here. So I got the candid shots of you graduating, but she’s going to take other ones with you before we go to the restaurant.”

“Oh my gosh, I don’t even know what to say.” He called my response right, but it was hard to say no when it was already done. “Thank you…”

“Hi all, I’m Nicole. Congratulations on graduating,” the photographer said as she stepped forward to shake my hand.

“Since we’re on campus, I’d love to get some shots on the far side of the quad by the tree line.

With the harbor in the distance and the tree line right there, it makes for a great backdrop. ”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

“And that way, we can get a range of shots for the different groups.”

“Groups?”

“Yeah, like you two. The friend group. And”—Nicole glanced at her notes—“your dad?”

And that was it. I hadn’t cried all day, but I was done. I had almost no pictures of my dad and me because he was always so busy working. The faucet was turned on and I hoped she was good at editing.

“Are you sad?” Daddy B whispered close so no one would hear. “Did I fuck it up?”

“Nope, you did it perfectly. I love you so much, Daddy B.”

“I love you too, kiddo.”

Late Summer

“Mel, I’m headed out.” My summer volunteer gig had evolved into a full-fledged job this year.

I was stoked about my spot behind the reference desk—it was my pride and joy.

It wasn’t just about helping people find books.

It was about using technology and community connections to help them find all sorts of library resources.

“All right, see you tomorrow. Big plans for your afternoon off?” she asked.

Today’s caftan was inspired by Morocco, and she’d woven gold thread into her dark hair. Every day was a new look, and I admired her commitment to it. I was entirely too lazy for that level of effort.

“B is waiting for me outside, and he’s off too. I think we’re going to wander down to the farmers’ market at the city park,” I answered.

“Oh fun. If you’re lucky, the guy with the mini cheesecakes will be there.”

“Fingers crossed. If he’s there, do you want me to pick up some for you?”

“Yes! Surprise me with the flavors.” I waved off her attempt to pay for the treats and grabbed my messenger bag.

As promised, Daddy B was waiting for me outside the library.

He wore a T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and flip-flops.

His aviator glasses reflected the light back at me, bouncing it off them.

Even though he wasn’t playing hockey anymore, he still worked out a couple of times a week and was as fit as ever. I mean, come on, my man was hot.

“You done, baby boy?” He pushed himself off the railing and met me about halfway up the sidewalk. I stood on my tiptoes and reached up to kiss him firmly on the mouth and answered, “I am. You ready to go to the farmers’ market?”

“Lead the way, kiddo.” I love that Daddy B never minded taking my hand or showing me affection in public.

The little town we lived in was known for being welcoming to everyone, so when Daddy B clasped my hand in his, no one batted an eye as we walked down the sidewalk.

It just didn’t seem to be a big deal here, which was pretty awesome.

I was a little worried about the sheriff’s office, but Daddy B said there were a couple of other officers on duty who were either gay or bi, so his having a boyfriend wasn’t even something to gossip about.

“I definitely need to pick up some cheesecake bites for Mel. Do you need anything?”

“Didn’t you like the tzatziki and pita bread we got last time?”

“Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me. I wish I knew how to make that type of meat on the spit. I think it’s probably pretty complicated.”

“You wish you knew how to make it?” Daddy asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Okay, fine. I wish you knew how to make it,” I conceded with a laugh.

Daddy squeezed my arm and my hand, and chuckled with me as we walked just a couple of blocks down to the city park. By the time we got there, the farmers’ market was in full swing.

There were local artists and crafters, along with fruit vendors and folks selling homemade goods like jellies and jams, which were really tasty, plus flower sellers since we were in Washington.

We decided to start at one end and work our way across to the other.

I managed to find the cheesecake bites Mel wanted and gave them a try.

I stopped to get some marionberry jelly mixed with citrus.

The sample was delicious, so I decided to try some on my morning toast to see if I needed to switch to the homemade kind.

The tzatziki guy was nowhere to be found, but there was someone selling salsa, so we opted for that instead.

Since moving into the cabin, I’d discovered a love for fresh flowers, so I stopped to pick up a bouquet wrapped in white craft paper with a twine bow.

We walked our way through the entire section before we retraced our steps and realized we’d forgotten to pass by one of the rose vendors.

There wasn’t much we needed over there since it was the community outreach aisle, but at the very end, there was a sponsored pet adoption area.

“Oh my gosh, Daddy B, look at them. They are so cute,” I gushed. The puppies and dogs were yapping at every person who walked by. Some of them slept through all the noise, but most of them were up, jumping around. They were a little too overwhelming.

“Do you want a dog?” Daddy looked concerned, and I knew why. He mostly worked nights, I worked days, and pursuing my master’s degree in library science online took a lot of my time. A dog needed a lot of interaction, and neither of us was in a great position to offer it.

“Not really, but they are cute to look at.” Who wouldn’t smile when the puppies were falling over themselves and tumbling around on the grass inside the fenced enclosures?

“Okay, so in agreement—no pets.”

“Right, no pets.” We wandered around a few more pens, petting the puppies and scratching the old ones under their chins.

“Hi, looking for a new companion?” The mountain of a man loomed over me, even towering a few inches above Daddy, which was hard to manage.

He practically blocked out the sun. He might have been intimidating if not for the small midnight-black cat nestled in a sling pouch draped across his chest. His paw print covered name tag read Barrett .

“Oh no, we’re just wandering through,” I hastily responded.

“No worries, the adoptees are happy for the attention. But if you were looking for a new family member, would it be a dog or a cat?”

“We can’t have one, but it would be a cat.”

“Renting?”

“Only from his parents, but we’re really busy and work opposite shifts. Who’s your friend?” I nodded to the cat that had perked up as we chatted in the beating sun.

“This is my best girl, Elizabeth. She rules the house. Owen, my husband, and I like to pretend we’re in charge, but we only say it to make ourselves feel better.

Good thing she’s a benevolent dictator.” As he spoke, Barrett scratched the cat’s ears and cooed at her.

The sight of this huge guy and tiny cat made me smile.

With a meow, Elizabeth squirmed out of the pouch and leaped down from her cloth perch. She landed at Daddy B’s feet and wound around them.

“Sorry about that,” Barrett said sheepishly. “She kinda does her own thing.”

“I don’t mind,” Daddy B said, stroking her fur.

She preened under his attention, then nudged against my hand when I went to pet her.

After a few minutes, Elizabeth moved on and wove herself around Daddy B’s feet again.

She meowed, stepped away a few feet, stopped, and looked back at us.

I had no idea a cat could look exasperated, but she managed to do it.

“Uh, she wants you to follow her,” Barrett said with a shrug.

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“I’m used to it by now,” he said with an indulgent smile. “It’s easier and quicker to just do what she wants.”

“She sounds like a person,” Daddy B said with a grin.

“Sometimes I think she might be one in a mini catsuit. She, umm, knows things. It can be a little creepy.”

Elizabeth was tired of our conversation, as evidenced by the impatient noises she made. Her exasperation had turned into annoyance, and I suspected it was due to our delay.

“Sorry, Elizabeth, we’re coming.”

Daddy B must have sounded appropriately contrite because her regal head nodded, and she continued on her mission.

She stopped at a crate at the end of the row that wasn’t crowded.

Unlike the kitten pens, this one housed an older cat.

The sign on the pen identified him as Walter and came with a warning not to stick your fingers into the crate if you wanted to keep them.

Walter looked like he’d been through a war.

He’d lost an eye, half an ear was chewed off, his tail was crooked, several scars marred his face, and his one eye didn’t quite track.

He was a brown tabby mess. But with the yowling between the two of them, it was easy to miss that part.

Finally, he plopped onto the floor of the crate and reached an arm through to bat at Daddy B.

Daddy B bent down to pet his paw. The rumble of his purr resembled a semi-truck. That was enough for the man who’d begun the visit with a no-pets declaration to whisper sweet nothings to a cat that looked like he’d been cold-cocked in a bar fight.

“Hey, Ellie, I think we have a cat.”

Thank you for reading Icebreaker.