Page 74 of Santa Daddies

He bites his lip for a minute. The move short-circuits my brain for a few seconds before I’m able to snap myself back intothe moment. Daddy’s mouth should be one of the wonders of the world. Really, the man is a gift.

He’s my gift.

From Santa.

I nearly gasp as the thought comes. Last night had been so overwhelming emotionally that I didn’t register the truth behind this all. My letter to Santa did work. Maybe not how I thought it would, but it was still successful.

“Cookie?”

Daddy’s voice settles over me. “Mmhmm?”

“I figured you’d be more upset by this. Glad to know it’s no big deal.”

No big deal? What’s he talking about?

“Can you repeat yourself? I think I missed a step,” I admit.

He winces, then says, “I don’t have a favorite Christmas movie. I’ve only seen two, and neither stuck with me.”

The sound I make is somewhere between a gasp and a whimper. How is it even possible that he’s survived this long without falling into the wonderful world of holiday movies? What kind of bleak life has my Daddy been living?

“We have to remedy this,” I announce loudly, as if I’m talking to a crowd. “We’re going to make a bracket and watch all the movies. You’ll rate them be which you like best until we narrow it down.”

“Like sports? You want me to watch and rank all these movies?”

I nod as I get up from the couch to search for paper and pen. “This is something vital, Daddy. We can’t let it go on any longer.”

He snorts at my words. It almost makes me smile; except I’m truly too deep in thoughts about movies to give the noise much attention.

A quick check of my junk drawer gives me the items I’m looking for. I easily jot down a few titles since they’re in my topfive. Then I move to the more obscure. It’s only when I’m done that I realize how obsessive I’d become.

“Sorry, Daddy,” I say softly as I ease back down beside him on the couch. “I got carried away.”

“No, baby. You don’t have to apologize for anything. It’s nice to see you care so much. Besides, if I need to watch all these movies, then I’m going to need someone with me. Sounds like you’d be the best person for the job, too. Think you can sit through all these movies with me?”

“That would take days. Are you… are you sure?”

Part of me wants him to shout yes. I want his easy agreement so there’s no question. But another part of me expects him to say no. To maybe offer an alternative because he didn’t truly mean to offer to spend even more time with me.

Neither of those things happen. Instead, Daddy pulls me onto his lap. With my legs caging his, he rubs his hands up and down my back slowly as his gaze locks with mine.

“Cookie, I would love to spend more time with you. I truly meant what I said about sticking with you for the holidays and beyond. Watching movies with you feels like a reward. Or better yet, an honor. Being your Daddy is me living the dream. Movies, snuggles, snacks. It’s a perfect combination when you’re involved.”

I drop my head to his shoulder. He doesn’t need to see the way his words affect me. Doesn’t need to know how raw and open I feel.

Is this what love is like? Being vulnerable with someone to the point of it being uncomfortable? I’m not sure how I feel about it.

Then again, I can’t imagine giving Daddy up. I’ve only just found him.

“If you’re really sure, then I’ll get the movies set up for us. We can make it through three today. That will give us a good start into tomorrow.”

He kisses my nose, then stands quickly. “I’ll go grab some snacks for us too. We can’t watch movies on empty tummies.”

“But Daddy, we just ate. It’s not empty,” I say around a slew of giggles.

“Then we’ll at least be prepared if I get them now. I don’t want my boy spending another second being hungry when he’s around me. I’ll keep you fed, loved on, and spoiled rotten.”

“You promise?”