Page 66 of Daddy, Take Me Away
“Sure, give me your names and I’ll just scan the tags and then I can cut them off. They’ll have the total once you go to the front to check out.”
It turned out Micah’s total was added to the other items her Daddy declared she needed. By the time they walked outside, she had a knit hat with a pom-pom on top, as well as a pair of fuzzy pink gloves. When she mentioned she already had gloves, Stone shrugged and said, “Now you have a spare pair.”
It wasn’t too much later when the four of them were again in a line, this one much shorter as they bought cups of hot chocolate while waiting for their names to be called for the telescopes. When an announcement was made, the four of them moved to join a group gathering by a large model. Micah had to put her new glove over her mouth to stifle a giggle as she thought of the dichotomy of first listening to Laurie and Brody extend an invitation to visit them in New Orleans and play at Plaisir, a BDSM club co-owned by Brody followed by the park ranger speaking about the history of the observatory and about what planets they could expect to see.
As if Laurie could read her mind, she bent down to whisper, “I’m wondering which causes more shocked gasps of surprise. Seeing a ring around Saturn or a ring around a submissive’s penis.”
Laurie’s giggle joined Micah’s, the two women earning some disapproving glances from other visitors and warning looks from their husbands.
By the time Stone led her to their assigned telescope, the snow had stopped and the skies were clear. “The sky looks like black velvet,” Micah said as she adjusted the dial to take a look. “Oh, Daddy, there really are diamonds in the sky. Look!”
They took turns looking through the eyepiece as another staff member helped them locate the groups of stars after showing them a chart of what shapes to look for.
“I feel so small,” Micah whispered as she looked at a band of glitter that she learned was the actual Milky Way.
“You are small,” Stone teased.
“You know what I mean. We’re down here but up there is a universe so vast I can’t even fathom the enormity of it all. Thanks, Daddy. I will never ever forget this moment. It is truly beautiful.”
“You’re welcome, Micah. And, yes, I get it. Sort of makes me wish I’d decided to become an astronaut. Can you imagine how it must look when actually up there?”
Too awed to answer, Micah remained silent, returning her eyes to the sky. They spent another half hour picking out stars and planets. Micah learned how to find the “M” in the sky slightly higher than the North Star. “I think Cassiopeia is my favorite constellation. It reminds me of the rocking chairs at our house, the ones on the porch at Lydia’s house and in Terlingua. I like imagining sitting in the rocking chair in the sky and looking down on Earth. Which one is your favorite, Daddy?”
“I’m rather fond of Draco,” Stone said, wrapping his arms around her when she straightened and looked up into the sky. “I like imagining standing guard over you in the heavens.”
“Just like you do down here,” Micah said, smiling when he bent down to kiss her softly.
Leaving their telescope to the next couple, they walked around the observatory, listening to various staff giving lectures and looking through the lenses of a few other, lower-powered telescopes. Though she desperately tried to stifle a yawn, Stone caught her and smiled.
“Some Little girl is sleepy.”
“But I don’t want to go, it’s just so magical up here,” Micah said.
“Yes, but you’re taking some of that magic with you,” Stone said, brushing a fingertip over a group of rhinestones on her sleeve that made up Orion. “And in case that’s not enough, perhaps this will do?”
Micah watched a box appear from her Daddy’s pocket and her mouth dropped open when he lifted the lid. Nestled on a bed of velvet as black as the sky above them was the very rocking chair she’d said was her favorite.
“How did you know?” she asked, a fingertip running over the small stones set in gold.
“I can’t imagine you choosing another,” Stone said. “After all, your name starts with the letter “M” and you’re not the only one who has a fondness for rocking chairs. Some of my most treasured moments are sitting in them with you on my lap, just watching the world go by.”
Touched beyond words, Micah blinked back tears as he lifted the necklace from the box. “It even glitters,” she said softly as the stones caught the light.
“Yes, but not as brightly as my babygirl,” Stone said as he undid the clasp while she gathered her curls in her hand and held them out of his way. Bending down after fastening it securely, he kissed the nape of her neck. “Did I forget to mention another reason I chose it was because these diamonds remind me of the ones I see every single time I hold you close?”
When his hand went to cup a breast, brushing his fingertips over the rounded globe, Micah instantly knew what diamonds he was referring to. Even through the hoodie and her bra, Micah felt her nipples swelling, hardening as they never failed to do when she was with this man. She touched the pendant that sat perfectly in the hollow of her throat. “Your touch is all I need, Daddy. You didn’t need to buy me diamonds.”
“I most certainly did, babygirl, you’re not only the most brilliant jewel here on Earth, you’ve bought the glitter into my life and made me see everything in a different light.”
“You are the most romantic man I’ve ever known,” Micah said, turning and lifting onto her tiptoes to kiss him. “Thank you for being my husband and my Daddy.”
Stone kissed her back and then stated it was time to go. Though she still wished they could stay forever, Micah knew he was right. She and Laurie had already exchanged information and she knew they’d see each other again. Just before they reached the Jeep, she gasped. They stood hand in hand and watched a star shoot across the expanse of sky.
“Did you make a wish?”
“No, Daddy, I have everything I could ever want right here,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Did you?”
Her Daddy’s laughter echoed around them. “You granted my wish the moment you stepped into the ER.”
