Chapter 10 Niko
NIKO
We had a wonderful Christmas Eve.
The look on Dakota’s face when I opened the bin of decorations and the way he giggled at the different ornaments was everything.
The best part was when I told him I'd want to get a tree next year too, and his immediate response was that it sounded like the perfect idea.
I wasn't the only one looking at this as a long-term relationship. He was too.
I slid out of bed. I had plans, and if Dakota managed to stay asleep while I got ready, it would make them a thousand times better.
I popped in the shower and then put on my Santa suit instead of my regular clothes.
I'd stashed it in the closet, grateful that as far as I knew, Dakota hadn't seen it yet.
It was difficult going back and forth between places, especially with his being so small.
I didn't see that as a permanent situation.
Maybe we'd move into a bigger apartment together, but more likely, I saw us settling down in a house within the next year…
possibly as a rental property, possibly one we'd buy.
More than anything, I'd love to give Dakota his own room to play and be Little. He deserved it after spending so much time alone, scared in a new city.
He never used the word "scared," but as he told the stories, his fear was palpable. What I would have done to have looked up that first day I was shoveling and met his eyes. Maybe we’d have connected then, cutting that time he was all alone down.
But there was nothing we could do about the past and everything we could do about the future.
I cracked the door open and was happy to see that Dakota, now joined by Mr. Whiskers, were sound asleep on the bed. Now, if I could make it to the car and back, all would be good. The tote of Christmas ornaments wasn't the only thing I had in my trunk. I also had Santa's bag of gifts.
It was safe to say I went a little overboard, and not just for Dakota.
Although he was going to be spoiled, that cat had me wrapped around his little paw.
Every time I went anywhere, I saw something he just had to have.
Tyler would laugh at me if he saw how much power that furball had over me, although I doubt he'd be surprised.
It was colder outside than it had been, snow lightly falling and the streets so very quiet.
I was sure the apartments in the neighborhood were filled with kids waking up early to see what Santa left them, or families hurrying to get ready so they could travel to see Grandma for Christmas.
But no one was wandering around just yet.
All the storefronts were closed as they, too, celebrated with their families.
It was a calm that only came once a year.
I grabbed Santa's bag out of the car. It was heavier than I remembered and walked back to the house with it slung over my shoulder. This time I did pass a couple of people, thankfully not little children. I’d have felt horrible if they asked if I had a gift for them in my bag because cat treats and adult-sized onesies weren't really the stuff of kids' dreams.
Ever so quietly, I opened the door and tiptoed back inside the apartment.
This time, I wasn't so lucky. Dakota was up. The sound of the shower running reached my ears and told me I was on borrowed time. I had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in.
I opened my bag and took out the filled stockings, placing them in front of the television.
At least there was a Yule log there, which was closer to a mantle than anything else here.
Then I went to work putting the other presents under the tree.
In theory, Santa came when you were sleeping, but today it was going to be good enough that he came while my sweet boy was showering.
My next task was breakfast. I'd already made the batter for today's waffles last night, a trick my grandmother taught me that made them better, something about letting them sit.
All that was left to do was turning on the waffle maker, flipping the switch for the coffee, and waiting for Dakota to come out.
Mr. Whiskers came over to the tree and tried sniffing the presents. I guessed it was the catnip luring him in because last night he’d wanted no part of that tree.
A few minutes later, Dakota came out. He was wearing pajamas that had a hood with reindeer antlers on it. The feet were designed to look like hooves and even had mitts for the hands. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
"You look absolutely adorable, baby boy." I didn’t think I’d ever get over the way his face lit up when I called him that.
"Thank you, Santa. I've been a very, very good boy this year."
"I know. That's why I came special, just for you. I brought presents, and I'm even going to make you waffles."
He'd known about the waffles. Heck, he'd watched me make the batter and set up the new waffle iron. But there was something about playing along with the holiday spirit.
"I hope Mr. Whiskers gets presents too. He's been very good, and he had a hard year."
"If you look under the tree, you'll see all of the presents wrapped with cat paper are for Mr. Whiskers. But first, baby boy, we have to eat."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Daddy."
His disappointment vanished the second I allowed him to pour as much syrup as he wanted onto his Christmas-tree-shaped waffles. They had a waffle maker for every shape and size now, and the new Christmas one I picked up was perfect for today.
"You're not going to take it away if I put too much on it, are you?"
"Nope, it's Christmas. You can have as much syrup as you want. But if you get too sticky, you might have to change out of your reindeer." I had a feeling it was inevitable.
"I'll be careful, Daddy."
It was a joy watching him eat, playing with his food, and drinking from the sippy cup of my milk I'd poured and heated up for him. Now that he had access to milkies all the time, it wasn't just bottles he drank from, even though he still preferred it on tap.
And then came present time. We started with the cat gifts because cats are cats, and Mr. Whiskers was starting to tear at things even if we hadn’t gone that route.
"Did you buy the entire pet aisle for him?"
"I didn't buy anything. I'm Santa. We made it in my workshop."
"No wonder that cat likes you best." He stuck out his tongue and then went back to unwrapping his pet's gifts. There were toys, treats, and a fancy litter box that, in theory, would keep itself clean. I wasn't sure how true that was, but it was worth a shot.
Then came time for Dakota's presents. "You have two kinds of presents today. You have the ones under the tree that are Little, and you have ones in your stocking that are big. Which would you like to open first?"
He looked back and forth between them. "Big."
That worked for me. There was nothing extraordinarily unique or fancy in his stocking.
I found him a new wallet, a keychain that matched his wallet, tickets to a musical he'd mentioned in passing, and a coffee club card for his favorite coffee place that could be used for a free coffee every day of the month.
They were great, wonderful gifts, but they weren't what I was most excited to see him open.
"Can I open my Little ones now?"
"Of course, my baby boy, of course."
He wrapped his arms around me tight. "I love my big gifts, Santa. I needed a new wallet, and I know just who to bring to the musical."
"And who's that?"
"You, silly Daddy." He nipped on my earlobe and began opening all of his Christmas gifts. This time instead of practical gifts, he unwrapped blocks and onesies, stuffies, and a sweater for his teddy bear that said "Teddy's Baby Boy."
"This is my favorite, Daddy." He ran and got his bear and slid it on him. It was a perfect fit.
"I'm glad you like it."
"Not as much as I like you, Daddy.” He kissed my cheek. “No, I don't like you. I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, my baby boy. I love you too."
“Milkie time?” He looked up at me with his big eyes.
“Milkie time.”
And as he snuggled onto my lap, holding onto his bear, he latched on, giving me the merriest Christmas of all.
And for more Christmas fun from The Lactin Brotherhood, check out…
A shy baker, a grumpy neighbor, and a dozen holiday stockings. Sometimes a little Christmas cheer can deliver the sweetest surprises.
Corey’s first Christmas in his new apartment isn’t going quite as planned.
Between unpacked boxes and a mountain of cookie orders, the only spark of holiday cheer comes from spying on his mysterious neighbor as he leaves every morning with an ice chest and returns an hour later looking far too handsome for someone so grumpy.
When a shipping mix-up delivers a dozen empty stockings to Corey, he decides to spread a little cheer the old-fashioned way.
Each evening, he fills one with small gifts—brownies, cocoa packets, tiny ornaments—and leaves it by his neighbor’s door.
But when Cliff joins in the game and leaves something surprisingly personal in return, Corey realizes the man next door might just have a secret as tightly-held as his smile.
By the time Christmas arrives, Corey’s wish list has changed. What he wants most isn’t under the tree but living right across the hall.
This sweet and steamy holiday DDLB male-lactation romance is part of the multi-author DKAG Christmas series, set in an apartment building where stockings aren’t the only things getting filled for Christmas.