Page 28 of Just A Little Love

I raised my hands to rub circles on his back before lifting his head. “Thank you, Bunny. I don’t want you to ruin your surprise.” Rory lifted his head, pout forgotten, and pursed his lips.

“I like surprises! Well, I like good surprises. Is it a good surprise?” Rory eyed me suspiciously, and I nodded firmly before I leaned down and gave him the kiss he probably didn’t even realize he’d asked for.

“It is a good surprise. Go sit on the island and keep me company while I make breakfast. I need coffee before I can function in the morning.” Rory promptly headed to where I’d indicated and climbed on the stool. I opened the bag and rummaged around until I found what I wanted to keep hidden from him. I crossed over to him and laid the coloring book, crayon box, and pencil container in front of him.

Rory immediately reached for the book and started flipping pages before he exclaimed, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! It’s all the baby farm animals like from the party!” He grabbed the crayons and picked a picture of a duck family. I ruffled his hair, kissed his cheek, and turned to assemble what I needed for breakfast. Rory hummed what suspiciously sounded like a Christmas carol under his breath while he worked. Occasionally, his tongue would poke out the corner of his mouth while he concentrated. So freaking adorable.

My first order of business was coffee, mine in a mug and his in a sippy cup. When I handed it to him, Rory turned it around a few times and gave a careless shrug before setting it on the table next to him. After preparing the French toast and bacon, I plated for both of us and set everything on the kitchen table.

“Bunny, come eat, please.” Rory reluctantly stopped his project and toddled over to the table. He wasn’t used to walking with training pants, so his gait was off, and I not-so-secretly loved it.His bottom was a fluffy target that begged for someone, meaning me, to smack it.

I was curious how Rory would react to his breakfast plate. The store wasn't stocked with knight or dragon items, but they had an adorable set featuring woodland bunnies and foxes. Seated on a stump in the forest, the fox and bunny read a book together. The plate had one bigger section and three smaller ones. The biggest part had the French toast and crispy bacon. The small slots had maple syrup, applesauce, and peach slices from the freezer. Rory looked down at the plate and used his finger to trace along the rimmed sides and separate ridges. He looked so solemn that I was concerned I had gone a step too far.

“What’s your color, Bunny?”

“Green, Daddy. I’m green. I hate when my food touches. It’s so gross. I wanna dip my food, and I can’t when there’s stuff on it.” His expression turned from serious to joyous in the blink of an eye.

“In that case, good job me for getting it right on the first try.” I gave him a fork but no knife for his breakfast. “Do you want me to cut the toast for you?”

Rory cocked his head to one side for a beat before he pushed his plate towards me and said, “You do it, Daddy. Please.” I happily cut it up for him, and we ate in relative silence broken only by his appreciative sounds. A dramatic battle unfolded on his plate as he struggled to decide which item to dunk first. The peaches were rushing, while the French toast only thought of itself. Theultimate winner was unclear, but everything got eaten, so I suppose it didn’t matter much either way.

Rory looked like he was wearing half his breakfast when breakfast was over. Being open to his little side helped him lose more of his inhibitions this morning. I laughed at his mess but grabbed a paper towel to wash him up. He politely gave me his hands and tilted his face up so I could clean there, too.

“Thank you, Daddy. Can I finish my picture now?” I kissed the top of his head, brought his supplies to him, and told him to get busy. He continued to color while I cleaned up our kitchen mess. I had put the last dish in the dishwasher when Rory announced he was done with his picture.

“Daddy, can I put it on the fridge?”

“Baby, it’s so pretty! Of course, you should put it there. I love the blue duck. Should I try it with my hair?” I pretended to ponder the question.

“Silly goose! No, Daddy. I like yours. Keep it.” I gave him another kiss for being sweet and used a magnet to put it on the refrigerator.

“Bunny, I know it’s Saturday, so no classes. What do you need to do today?” There was no missing the face he made when I had the audacity to mention real life. Damn it, I can’t believe I did this shit again. I yanked him out of little space yesterday and threw him for a loop. To worsen it, I did it again the very nextday. “Actually, don’t answer. We are going to go into the living room to snuggle before we have to talk about anything, okay?”

Rory grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room. He snagged a blanket off the back of a chair on our way to the couch. I got pushed down into the seat cushion before he straddled my lap and snuggled his face into the crook of my neck. “Daddy, need a blanket, please. Need a nap.” I settled the blanket over his shoulders and tucked it around his legs. I felt his rhythmic breathing slow until it was puffs against my skin. I rubbed gentle circles on Rory’s back while felt his steady breathing.

I could get used to this domesticity.

Chapter 16

Rory

BFF: OMG OMG OMG, are you alive?

Rory: Well, I’m not dead.

BFF: STOP Tell me everything

RORY: It’s too much to text. Come for lunch.

BFF: Fine. Where/when?

Rory: My house and bring some Thai with you. Larb for me, please.

BFF: Gimme an hour and I can take a lunch break.

Daddy had a conference call about his upcoming project, and all his materials were at his office. I’d awakened from my nap in an adult frame of mind, so he felt alright about leaving me to my own devices for the afternoon. I was grateful he’d gone since there was no way Anders wouldn’t want every juicy, minute detail. Daddy didn’t need to be around when I got giddy over his pretty eyes or deep voice or hard AF abs or his beautiful cock I wanted in my greedy hands. Or mouth. And definitely my ass. All of the above would be good. Yeah, there had to be some kind of separation when gossiping about your Daddy.

Holy hell, I had a Daddy.

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