Page 36 of Their Perfect Daddy

JETT

A few days prior

“ I know this isn’t ideal,” Daddy tells me as he stuffs another shirt into his suitcase. It takes everything in me to not go over to his case and reorganize it all. The messy pile makes my skin itch.

How is he going to know where anything is with it all being a mess? It’s much easier when you keep the space sectioned off.

“Sweet boy.”

Daddy’s soft tone drags my attention from his clothes up to his face. He’s scowling at whatever expression I have.

“Yes?” I ask, hoping my bland tone will distract him.

He holds out his arms. I rush around the bed to lift him into my arms. His chuckle lets me know it was the right move. While some might think it odd to lift up their Daddy, it makes a lot of sense with how big I am compared to mine. Besides, this way, he’s all wrapped around me.

“Will you be ok without me? I can book you a ticket too. The idea of you being alone for this day…” His voice trails off.

I pull back to let him see my face. He needs to know I’m not hiding anything when I tell him the truth.

“Daddy, I’m not bothered by your work trip. I’d be a hypocrite if I was considering how much I travel. What’s bothering me is the horrible packing you’re doing. I can’t stand it.”

He blinks at me for a moment before dropping his head to my shoulder. I feel his body shaking in my arms a second later. At first I think I’ve upset him. It’s only as he makes a high-pitched noise that’s most definitely laughter I realize he’s amused instead of furious.

“I can’t believe I let myself worry about this. Sometimes I forget how practical you are, sweet boy. Now put me down. You have a suitcase to repack, don’t you?”

At swiftly as possible, I get him to standing, then I go about taking out everything to restart the process. “Go get everything else you need, Daddy. I need to make sure it’s all balanced.”

He leaves me with some muttering. Daddy gets my brain is different from everyone else’s. He knows I need certain things certain ways or else it bothers me. Exhibit A being his luggage situation.

When he comes back with more clothing and his toiletries, I give him a wide smile. “Thank you!”

Standing beside me, he watches as I roll up each item and separate it into piles. Once done, I get the packing cubes from under the bed and go about placing those as I best can to get an idea of the space.

“What will you do for Valentine’s Day since I’m out of town? I don’t enjoy the idea of you being alone, yet I can’t think of anything else.”

I shrug as I tuck another item away. “Finn invited me to his house. He said he has something for us to do as a group. All the Littles.”

“Oh, good. Why hadn’t you told me yet?”

Frowning, I turn his way. “Because there wasn’t a reason to yet. You’re going to be out of town. The news for the fourteenth is what I would tell you when we talk the morning of the fourteenth.”

Daddy tugs my shirt in the way he does when kisses are in my future. I lean over, happy to give him my mouth.

“You’re precious.”

I nod as I force myself to blink away the haze he’s brought.

It’s a mix of lust and a desire to be as Little as possible until he’s gone.

Unfortunately, there's more to be done. I can’t let him go on this work trip without making sure he’s properly prepared.

What kind of boy would I be if I didn’t help my Daddy?

By the time the fourteenth arrives, my mood is sour. I miss Daddy and this whole phone thing isn’t enough. I should have just gone with him. It would have solved his worries and made it so I’m not waking up alone.

Next season is going to suck with him not going to every single away game. I get why Bellamy Bellport is adamant Finn joins us on the road. The idea of being without Daddy for more time hurts.

“Jett!” The sound of shouts has me looking up from the trunk of my car. Since Finn told me to bring a change of clothes in case it got late, and I wanted to sleep over, I have a bag ready.

“Hey,” I tell the group as they approach. My Little side presses forward, eager to join in their fun. I hold back since we need to get inside first.

Finn grabs my hand. “Time to go! You need to see the surprise!”

The others all giggle at his excitement. It’s hard not to smile at the welcome atmosphere. For a long time, I thought I’d never have a place to truly fit in. Now, I can’t imagine my life without these friends. Even in the moments where I’m overwhelmed and need a break, they stick by my side.

Inside the house is a pink and red explosion of color. Balloons, streamers, confetti, and ribbons cover every surface. My eyes can’t settle on one single space since it’s all so distracting.

“This way,” Finn directs, his hand still wrapped around my wrist.

Jake Bellport, Finn’s brother-in-law, slips my bag from my shoulder. “I’ll take this. Don’t think you’ll need it for a while.”

No sooner does he say the words that I realize why he didn’t want me holding anything. I would have surely dropped it because of shock.

As it were, I’m having trouble standing. My body sways, leaving me unsteady in ways I’m not used to.

“Easy there,” Bellamy says, his arm wrapping around my waist. He stabilizes me, then turns us both toward the room. “I knew you’d like it but didn’t think you’d swoon. Micah knows you well.”

“Daddy did this?”

He nods. “Sure did. Asked me about two weeks ago if I’d be ok with sharing the holiday with you. I told him it was fine, and we’d make a day of it by getting everyone here. No reason for you to be alone because of all this work stuff.”

My eyes water at the kindness he’s showing. Not just by letting me be here when I’d have been alone, but for the way he seems completely unfazed at having his home overrun with the second greatest gift I’ve ever been given.

Aries steps up to my other side. “Maybe you go call your man to thank him. And then afterward, you can put on whatever pajamas you brought. Then you can get started on everything. Sound good?”

“Yes, please,” I reply, my mind already regressing at the prospect of playtime.

The group breaks apart, each boy going with their partner (or in Jake’s case, partners) to change. I take my bag into an empty guest room on the second floor. Before I even consider changing, I call Daddy.

“Hey, sweet boy.”

At the sound of his voice, tears fill my eyes. “Daddy,” I whine.

“What’s wrong?! Are you hurt?? I can get on a plane —”

“No! I’m fine, Daddy. Well, not fine. I’m… overwhelmed. You surprised me even when you’re not here.”

His sigh echoes through the line. “Oh, my boy. I was worried for a moment there.”

“Don’t worry. I’m happy. Too happy.”

“Too happy? I didn’t think that was possible.”

“It is,” I declare. “But I’m also not because you’re in another place instead of here with me.”

Daddy makes a clicking noise, then says, “True. I’ll be home as soon as this is over. In the meantime, you should go play with your friends. I think you’ll find a few more surprises in store, as well as maybe some kinship.”

I frown at his words. What is going to bring kinship? The only way to get my answer is to do as he says.

“Ok, Daddy. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweet boy. Happy Valentine’s Day. I want pictures later. Be sure one of the other Daddies gets some of y’all together too.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the line disconnects, I quickly change and head back downstairs. Whatever else Daddy did is waiting for me. No reason to put it off.

When I make it to the main area again, the others are waiting around the large table. I step into the empty space. Looking around, I notice they’re all watching me.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

Bellamy is the first to answer. “While we understand the basics, we all figured you’d know the best way to take care of all this.”

His hand waves over the collection of items before us. Paint, paintbrushes, and several different size train kits sit unopened. It’s a pot of gold for someone like me who loves trains.

“There’s not much to it. You pick the kit you want and paint it. The instructions in the box help.”

They all blink at me as if I’ve grown a second head or something. I wait them out to see if someone will explain what the hell I’ve done.

“We just thought…” Finn’s voice trails off.

“We thought you’d want to do one of your long train monologues,” Rodney Merry, Aries’s brother says. “I mean, I’ve never heard one, but they all say you can go on and on. I expected a lesson in trains today.”

I deflate at his words. “I can do that.”

“Excuse me,” a soft voice calls from across the table. I look up to see Brutal Bishop and his boy Atlas staring at me.

“Yes?”

“I don’t think you want to talk about trains, do you?”

My head shakes right away.

“You can’t talk facts and regress, can you?”

Again, I shake my head.

Bellamy claps, drawing everyone’s attention. “In that case, let’s get to painting. Since Jett’s Daddy organized everything, he gets to pick his first. After that, each boy will choose what they want, as well as deciding if they want their Daddy’s help or not.”

Jake snorts. “I don’t need no help.”

Leon and Maddox, his Daddies, share a look. It’s filled with amusement over their boy’s antics. “Sure you don’t,” Maddox croons.

“We’ll sit back and watch.” Leon tugs Maddox away while I reach for the kit I’m most interested in.

The others might see something simple when they see the one I picked. It’s smaller than the rest. Since it’s also one of the only wooden options, it doesn’t offer any type of mechanical challenge.

But the beauty of its simplicity is what I want. To sink into my Little space with my little train and my Little friends… it’s a gift.

No sooner than we get started, I hear Jake begin to whine. His daddies let him stew for a few minutes, then they jump in to show him where he took a misstep. It’s all white noise as I focus on my own project.

Time passes in a blur as I give in to the part of me that wants to let go. I’m stopped to hydrate and eat snacks a few times. Otherwise, I’m left to explore however I want. I pause when my stomach lets out a god-awful noise.

Blinking away the lingering playful emotions, I take in the state of things around me. Most of the others have finished their projects and are either working on a second or cuddled with their partners. Even when it makes me miss my Daddy, I don’t feel as alone either.

“How you doing there, Jett?”

I look over to see Timothy, Jake’s assistant, leaning against the table beside me. Smiling at him, I motion to my project. I managed to make it look exactly like the image on the box, down to the finest of details.

“Oh wow! How amazing,” he says, leaning closer to inspect it. “You’re really good at this.”

Nodding, I wait for whatever he wants to say next. While I could offer up a discussion topic, I have a feeling he has a specific reason for checking in on me.

It takes him another moment to turn back my way. “I just wanted to let you know I’m glad you came. I don’t really get to hang out much since my Daddy prefers not to show favoritism. Occasionally I get to spend time with Atlas for a playdate, but nothing this big.”

“I didn’t set this up,” I tell him.

He smiles. “I know. But you’re the reason behind it. That’s why I’m thanking you. If your Daddy hadn’t asked Bellamy to do this, then I’d have missed out too. So yeah.”

I watch him spin around and rush off. He runs straight into the arms of Luke Swift, coach of the Bellport Bears hockey team.

Coach Swift looks over to me, then nods his head.

I know he’s giving me some type of code about everything that’s just happened.

It’s natural for me to return the gesture, though I have no clue what to think of all this.

This group of people gathered here today in support of me and my Daddy. They spent a holiday dedicated to romance painting model trains. They didn’t once complain about my silence, nor did they rush me.

While I can’t explain the rush of emotions I get from these realizations, I do understand one of them clearly. I’m grateful.

Grateful for my friends.

Grateful for my Daddy.

And grateful for a future filled with more of these nights.