Page 31 of Daddy Bear Picnic

“Sal is also supposed to be a doomsday prepper and look, he’s here with us,” I said, trying not to get overworked by the conversation.

Once Ezekiel left, Malcolm giggled. “If it was the end of the world, I’m glad I brought over a bunch of my stuffies.”

I pulled him into a one-armed hugged at the shoulder. “It’s not, summer storms happen, this one just came out of nowhere,” I said, as it often did, and any warning about it would’ve had everyone in town running to the nearest big mart and panic buying toilet paper. “I just wish could be alone throughout it.”

He shook his head. “I think keeping busy is probably better,” he said. “Because I think I might be gullible enough to believe that conspiracy.”

Kissing his forehead, I pressed my lips hard on him. “So innocent,” I mumbled. “That’s why you need a Daddy like me in your life.”

“Forever?” he asked. “It’s only been a couple weeks.” He giggled harder.

He’d be wrong if he thought I hadn’t been thinking about it. I wasn’t exactly spry, sometimes it took me at least fifteen minutes of laying in bed before my muscles were ready to get up. I’d learned a lot throughout my twenties, and now in my forties, I knew never to let a moment pass me by, but I also knew not to spook a moment from ever happening. There was nothing worse than not getting an answer to a question that weighed on my lips.

Thunder crashed and a bright flash of lightning struck. Malcolm flinched into me.

“Don’t be scared.” I tipped his chin up to look at me before giving him a kiss on the lips. “You’re with me. You have nothing to be scared of.” I glanced at my watch. “Think we’ll bedone in here soon. Thirty minutes or so and then we can head upstairs. Away from making more town gossip.”

“Ok.”

“Unless you want to go up now, but I won’t be there to hold you.”

It was enough to make him stick by my side, although I hadn’t said it for that reason, I just wanted him to feel safe, and I knew he felt safe right by my side.

We finished making food together for the B&B and guests. During that time, more thunder claps boomed overhead, although seemingly growing further away in distance from the guesstimations made by my brother.

Once we were alone, Malcolm wasted no time in stripping down to his cute briefs and climbing under the blankets on the bed, from the bottom, crawling up to the pillows. His little booty wiggling around as he made his way up.

“Make room for Daddy Bear.”

“You have to find me,” he giggled, still a lump under the blankets.

I turned the horrible orange overhead lighting off and went in to find him.

13. MALCOLM

There was safety in Daddy Bear’s arms, hugging close to his body with one hand on him at all times as a minimum, and all of me as a maximum, from head to toe, I wanted to be touching him.

The storm passed during the night and I didn’t notice because the thunder, after a while was just a low growl in the background that oddly helped rock me asleep, and there was no awful lightning popping like I was in some olden horror movie.

It was the first night I’d slept naked in a while as well, but I didn’t want a barrier between mine and Daddy Bear’s bodies. He was allowing me to retreat inside my little space, and for that, I was obsessing over him.

“Morning sleepy boy,” Daddy said with his signature nuzzle and beard scratches to my body. “Looks like everything is back to normal.”

“You’re—” I paused to yawn. “Dressed already.”

“I didn’t want to wake you earlier, I had to make breakfast,” he said, nodding to the nightstand where he’d set a tray of food. “My brother demanded I make breakfast to feed all the hungry guests who either took a room or slept by the fire.” He took my hand and kissed it. “So I had to bring you a plate before they all descended on it.”

My belly rumbled. I hadn’t eaten much last night after the storm scared me. I had a fear of being struck by lightning ever since I was a kid and someone’s dad in my grade nearly died. At that age, I stupidly asked if he got super powers from it, but no, he was left half-alive with some intricate burn scars.

Yesterday had also been a show of this town’s ability to come together, which I knew they could, but they were so efficient with it. I wished I hadn’t been a wuss and could’ve looked stronger in front of them.

“I don’t know what’s going on behind those pretty eyes, but stop,” he said. “I’m not gonna let you do that to my sweet boy. Got it.”

“Got it.”

“Ok, now try eat, I’ll be up again once I’ve double checked everything downstairs,” he said. “But if you get dressed and decide to come down, remember to brush your teeth, and give your face a wash.”

Nodding, I liked his instruction. It took away some of the anxiety and executive dysfunction of doing things. I wasn’t always an anxious person, just when I was stressed, and then all my manifestation energy went to having the earth swallow me whole.

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