Chapter Sixteen
Gunnar
One of my very favorite things about being little in December is Christmas morning.
There is nothing I love more than waking up, falling in a little space, and enjoying the pure joy that is Christmas.
But when doing it alone, there was always something missing.
So, when Vaughn and I talked about what we wanted to do for Christmas, I said what I really wanted was to have a little Christmas—to wake up and just be little all morning.
Daddy immediately agreed.
I was so excited that I stayed up far too late, just staring at the ceiling, even with Daddy telling me stories of Santa coming down the chimney.
It was nearly impossible to sleep…until I did.
Once I crashed out, I crashed out hard. I didn’t even wake up till seven o’clock, which would be early on any other day of the year, but, on Christmas, that was certified sleeping in.
“Daddy?” I called. For some reason, it felt important that he give me permission to get up.
When he came in, he was wearing a Santa hat. Only it wasn’t red. It was green-and-white striped with a big bell at the end.
“Are you a new Santa?”
“Oh no. I’m one of Santa’s elves, and I came to give you the best Christmas ever.”
“Does that mean Santa came?” I bounced up and down on my knees.
“He did, and he even ate the chocolate chip cookie you left out for him.”
We did that in honor of Bron. I never wanted to be somebody who lived in the shadow of someone else’s past, but that’s not what this was or what we were doing. We were living in our present, looking forward to our future, and honoring the ones we’ve lost.
“If Santa came, can I go look? Can I go look? Can I go look?”
He shook his head. “My sweet boy needs to be clean, with their teeth brushed, their bodies washed, and their brand-new Christmas pajamas on before they go out to open their presents.”
“I have Christmas jams!” Today was getting better by the second.
“Yeah. Do you want to take care of your bathroom business, and then Daddy will set you a tubby?”
Of course I did, and I wanted it to be the world’s fastest bath. But when I sank into the warm water, Daddy gave me a boat being manned by Santa ducks and had added lots of bubbles to the extra-warm water. Operation Fastest Bath was quickly forgotten, and I stayed in longer than I planned.
Afterward, he dried me off and let me open one of my brand-new presents, one not under the tree.
I loved my Christmas pajamas covered in squirrels holding presents.
It was both hilarious and a bit disturbing at the same time.
But, best of all, they were warm and fuzzy, and I loved them.
I love them, love them, love them. Did I mention I love them?
“I’ve been so good, Daddy. I brushed my teeth. I took my tubby. I didn’t even ask about prezzies a thousand times, even though I wanted to. So can I maybe go see what Santa brought?”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
I ran out to the living room. I didn’t know how he got the room set up while I was sleeping, because I had not a clue I was going to walk into this Christmas wonderland.
I expected a stocking to be pulled out of a closet somewhere and set by the mantel, maybe a couple of presents under the tree.
There was so much more than that, including a huge polar bear stuffie wearing a badge saying Santa’s Security.
We had decorated, but the decorations doubled over night, including Christmas lights galore and a train that went around the tree.
“This is the best, Daddy!” I threw my arms around him.
“I’m glad you like it, but now’s the hard part. Do you want to open your stocking or presents first? Because we do need to have a good, nutritious breakfast in between.”
I looked back and forth. “It’s too hard. You pick.”
“Why don’t we do the big presents—”
“Big?”
“I mean big in size, the ones not in the stocking.” He ruffled my hair, which was still a bit damp. “Now, sit down, and I’ll bring them to you.”
There were three wrapped presents under the tree that hadn’t been there before. He set the first one on my lap. “We’re gonna start with the most boring one first.”
I didn’t think any of them could be boring, and, when I opened up the box, I was proved right.
It was a new set of clothes for going to Chained.
I supposed I could wear it at home as well, but the onesie said I belonged to Daddy Vaughn.
It was all about letting the world know that I was his.
I couldn’t wait to try it on for a night out at the club.
“I love it! I love it so much!”
“Here’s present number two.”
It was another practical present, but in the best possible way. A pillow that felt like the big, squishy stuffies that I love so much, even the same type of material for the pillowcase.
“It’s like sleeping on a stuffie!”
“That’s right. That will be nice for naptime.”
“They will be the best for naptimes ever.” If it hadn’t been Christmas, I’d probably have opted for a nap then and there so I could try my new pillow.
“And here’s one more.”
When I opened it up, I didn’t understand what I was seeing. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s a sticker maker, and those are the supplies to go with it. We can create our very own stickers if you want, glitter ones, too, and we can make them any shape.”
It was going to take a lot to figure out, and maybe I would, or maybe this would be something I only did with Daddy. But I was ready to create.
“Now, it’s time to eat.”
I grumbled, and he chuckled. No chance I was going to sway him today. Breakfast it was.
Already on the table were homemade cinnamon buns that were not homemade by us. They were given to us by a neighbor last night as a Merry Christmas present.
“What would you like? I can fix you eggs and toast or eggnog French toast.”
I went back and forth and decided on eggies because I suspected French toast would take too much time.
He had the eggs whipped up quickly, and we ate, talking about all the different kinds of stickers I wanted to make.
And then I couldn’t help myself. Despite my best efforts, I yawned, and not a little one but a full-on yawn.
“It looks like Daddy’s sweet boy needs a nap before stockings.”
I wanted to argue with him, but the longer I sat there, the more I realized how correct he was.
“Will Daddy tell me a story?”
“Absolutely.”
He cleared away the dishes and helped me get ready to climb back in bed. He sat beside me. I snuggled into his side, my head against his chest, in a half-sitting, half-lying-down position.
“Once upon a time, there was a little boy who decided that he was going to spread sunshine, but he was going to do it in secret…”