Chapter 7 Gilly
GILLY
Meeting with clients was one of my favorite things to do. Not only because it brought in new business, but because it gave me the chance to show my creative side. Uncle Clay rarely had the patience for customers anymore, especially when it came to picking out colors.
“I don’t know…” Adair scrunched up her face. “What do you think, Mike?” She turned to her husband, but his blank face told me all I needed to know.
“You like greens, so look at this one.” I pulled up a swatch that was almost the same color as Nate’s room. “If it’s too dark for you, we could go a shade or two lighter, but it gives it a warm and cozy feel.”
“Hmm…” She picked up the sample. “It’s masculine but not overly so. I think I like it. Mike?”
“Yes. Good.” Her husband wanted this part over with and would likely agree to a Pepto shade of pink at this point.
“We can use a pretty cream for the ceiling and trim for a bit of contrast. With the natural light you get in here, it’ll look amazing.
” The room she was having us paint was going to be used for his office and an extra guest room.
We could have gone with something bolder if it was only an office, but as a place to sleep, that would’ve been a bit harsh.
I loved the color on Nate’s walls, and apparently Adair did as well.
Once that was finalized, we scheduled a time for my team to complete the work.
This wasn’t a large job, but with the contrasting trim, I felt two people should be on it.
We’d wrap it up in half a day, maybe a second day if it needed an extra coat.
With that settled, I headed back to Uncle Clay’s house.
We used his garage as an office and storage space.
He even had his own paint-mixing station.
I wanted to make sure we had the tints we needed for this color and maybe mix up a batch before the end of day.
Of course, I didn’t have the right blue I needed, so I called around.
I didn’t want to have to order and wait, but I didn’t want to buy it from a big box store either.
That would cost more and eat into the profits.
Finally, I found what I needed and drove across town to pick it up.
When I mixed the paint, it came out beautifully.
I snapped a picture of the sample and sent it to Daddy Nate. I thought he would like that I used his color.
Me: Look at my pretty paint, Daddy.
Daddy: I like it, Gilly!
I still could hardly believe I had a Daddy and one that I could nurse from. I had never felt so peaceful and safe as I did with Nate, especially as I fell asleep using my Daddy as a binky.
Mind blown.
Before I got too wrapped up in that, I still had to head out to the Jacksons’ house to finish up the prep work.
Then I might be able to get lunch before I hit the O’Neil job next to figure out how far the team had gotten so I could give them a status update.
I was also the extra hand on any job as needed.
Some jobs I took on alone to cut costs, and I still had to supervise and bring in new business too.
Me: I’m busy, Daddy. Talk later?
Daddy: I look forward to it.
By the end of the day, I was tired and wanted my Daddy. How had that happened already? We’d only been together a short while, yet here I was, craving his arms and my safe space.
At home, I showered, ate ramen, and then called Nate. It should be late enough for him to be home. I hoped.
“Gilly. How was your day?”
“Hi, Daddy.” I didn’t have to worry if Rob heard me. He called Preston Daddy all the time. But he wasn’t home, either. “My day was long, and I’m tired and grouchy.”
“Have you taken a bath? Brushed your teeth?”
“I took a shower and ate, but I didn’t brush.”
Daddy Nate made a growly sound. “You go brush then get in bed and call me back.”
“Yes, Daddy.” I hung up and rushed to do as he said and wondered what he had in mind. Part of me was hoping for phone sex, but another was too tired for that. After brushing, I crawled into bed and called him back.
“Good boy. Do you have your Ellie?”
“Oh. No.”
“What? Go get her. I’ll wait.”
I jumped out of bed and sprinted to the closet, grabbed her out of her hiding place, then zoomed back to the bed, landing with a bounce. “Okay, Daddy. Got her.”
“Good boy. I’m going to read you a bedtime story. Then you’re going to sleep. So, turn your light off.”
I grunted and jumped out of bed to hit the light before crawling back in. “Okay. Ready.”
“Good. Here we go.”
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“I want my binky too. Is that okay?” Since he was reading to me before I went to sleep, I felt like it would be okay.
“No problem at all, sweetie. Go get it.”
I ran back to the closet, found my binky, then double-checked that my door was locked before climbing back in bed. I got comfortable then put the phone to my ear. “I’m ready now, Daddy.”
“Good boy. This one is called. Ellie the Elephant Goes to the Park.”
“Yay! I can’t believe you got an Ellie book.”
Daddy chuckled, his deep voice doing all kinds of crazy things to my insides. He was so sweet and handsome. “Of course I got an Ellie book. What kind of Daddy do you think I am?”
“Perfect. A perfect Daddy.”
“Eh…Don’t know about that, but you bet I’m going to try. Now shush, angel, and let me read.”
The book was so fun and sweet, all about Ellie going to the park and playing with her friends, Gerry Giraffe and Lilly Lion.
They blew bubbles and danced and sang. But I didn’t make it to the end ‘cause I fell asleep.
I woke up sometime later and checked to see if Daddy Nate had hung up the phone, and he had.
I put it on the table and rolled over, clutching my Ellie and sucking on my binky.
This all seemed too good to be true.