Chapter 3 #2
I huffed. Being little didn’t mean I didn’t like my independence.
I’d had daddies in the past who tried to take over my life, or at least it felt like it.
But Warner hadn’t done that. Our relationship started out fun and casual.
We went to the club and hung out. Then I started staying over on the weekends, and we grew closer, but he never tried to tell me what to do.
He normally gave me choices and always made things fun.
I’d love more of that, but I also didn’t trust myself to not let him do everything for me.
I didn’t want to lose my independence. And if things didn’t work out, what would I do?
It was difficult getting into a good complex that was safe and clean with amenities like a pool and a workout room.
“Afraid to make the move? I won’t let anything bad happen to you, ever.”
“I know that. It’s…sheesh. Let a guy think about things a minute. You kind of sprung that on me.”
“Did I, though? Surely, you had to have seen it coming.” He wasn’t wrong.
More and more of my stuff had already migrated here.
I had my space in his closet, a drawer in his dresser, and the playroom we decorated together for me.
The next step was moving in. Yeah, I kind of knew this was coming, but that didn’t mean I was ready for it.
“Oh, I forgot to ask you something.” I stabbed his chest with my index finger. Time to change the subject.
“What?”
“I want Joey and his daddy to come on the Pride Trip. Can they? Can they ride with us?”
“Of course. I already asked Vince, and they said yes. And I cleared it with Drew. You know he doesn’t mind.”
“Yay!” That was going to be so much fun. I snuggled in again, focusing my thoughts on the trip rather than the moving-in part, but I still had a wonky feeling hanging over me.
I wanted to have a super fun day, so to get it started early, I bounced on the bed to wake Daddy up. “Easter! Easter! It’s Easter morning.”
“Shh…Cody. Go back to sleep.”
“No…it’s eggie time!”
Daddy groaned, then grabbed me, pulling me down by his side in the bed. “Shh…Daddy was up late setting Easter up for you.” He booped my nose. “The least you could do is give me a little more sleepy time.”
I huffed, “No. But how about I go get you a cup of coffee to wake you up?” Look at me compromising!
“That sounds great but be a good boy and no peeking.”
He knew me too well. I rushed down the stairs, averting my eyes to face the kitchen and not the living room, and dashed over to the coffee pot.
It was set up and ready to go, so I pushed the button to start the brewing.
A big yawn hit me, so I figured I might need a cup too.
Like it or not, I wasn’t as young and energetic as I used to be.
Still, I wasn’t old either. Only twenty-eight.
My older brother and sister had turned the magic three-oh a couple of years before me, but I was ahead of my little brother and sister by a few years, especially Kirby, who was the youngest. He’d been the surprise baby and was twenty-two now.
He’d finished college and spent all his spare time and money clubbing.
Being smackdab in the middle meant I had to fight for everything growing up, from attention to toys to, well, everything.
I sighed deeply. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about family issues—it was the time for fun.
I’d dwelled on those issues long enough, and normally, it didn’t bother me.
It was all Daddy’s talk about the future and moving in together that did it. Particularly that last part.
Ignoring my stupid thoughts, I grabbed a couple of coffee mugs, picking the kissy ones.
They were cute and had kissy faces on the side that fit together.
“Smooch-smooch.” I touched them together with a clink.
The coffee was half finished, so I grabbed cream and sugar, dumping a load into mine, but only a little bit of cream in Daddy’s, no sugar, then grabbed the pot to pour without letting it finish. I couldn’t wait any longer.
I did walk slowly up the stairs, so I didn’t spill, and set Daddy’s coffee on the nightstand beside him.
I sat in the little sitting area by the window to drink mine.
I wasn’t allowed in bed with coffee or any drinks, really, because I couldn’t sit still.
I’d been in trouble for spilling a few times before Daddy made that rule.
After a few sips, I was ready to go, but Daddy hardly stirred yet. “Daddy. Warner. Get up.” I kicked the bed and he groaned.
“Okay. Okay. I’m moving. Give me a sec.” He sat up and rubbed his eyes before grabbing the coffee. “Mmm…perfect. Thank you.”
“Smooches.” I held my mug up, making Daddy chuckle.
He sip, sip, sipped, and finally, it looked like he was awake, but still moving slowly.
“Let’s go. I know you’re about to jump out of your skin.” He put his mug down and pulled his soft sweat shorts on. “You can go first. Did you peek?”
“No, I was good and looked the other way.”
“Alright.” He motioned for me to go, and I left my mug on the little table between the chairs because I’d be bouncing down the stairs. “Be careful, little bunny.” He ruffled my hair as I bounced down the stairs and turned to the living room.
On the coffee table, a big basket waited for me.
Inside was a little stuffed bunny holding a carrot.
I squished him. “Cute.” I didn’t have a ton of stuffies like some of my other little friends, but I had a few.
There was also an Easter-themed coloring book with lots of little forest creatures, and, of course, candy in a fun assortment. “Yummy.” I grabbed a Reece’s egg.
“Hey. That’s for after breakfast, please.”
“Rats.” I pulled all the candy out on the table with my bunny and picked up my basket. “Okay, eggies, ready or not, I’m coming to find you.”
Daddy snorted. “They’re shaking in their shells.”
“Haha, funny.”
He sat in the big recliner chair and waved his hand around. “They’re all right here. Get going.”
I searched for the eggs, and Daddy watched, and laughed.
A lot. But it wasn’t at my expense; he was obviously enjoying it.
I found one that I wrote on with the wax crayon before coloring.
It was bright blue and said Cody. The writing seemed better before I actually colored the egg, but it was still fun.
I held it up to show Daddy. “Got my Cody-eggie.”
“Yep. I liked that one.”
He’d hidden a green egg in the plants, sneaky Daddy, trying to camouflage it. “Ah-ha.” I held it up to show him before putting it in my basket with the others. The eggies piled up in my basket pretty quickly. They were no match for me.
“How many do you have, Cody? I don’t want any left unfound.”
I wrinkled my nose. That would be bad and stinky. I sat down and counted my eggs. Three times and got three different numbers. “I don’t know.”
Daddy took my basket of eggs into the kitchen and counted them while putting them back in the carton. “You have two more to find. Good luck.”
“Do you know where they are?”
“Uh…no.” He held back a laugh. It was funny, but we needed to find those eggies.
I looked around again. Under the couch. In the cushions.
Around the table. In the lamp. Surprise!
There was an egg balanced on top of the lightbulb.
I had no idea how he got it to stay, but it was smooshed in a few spots, so I figured it had taken him a while.
“Oh, that one. That was a pain in the ass.”
“You said a bad word.” I handed him the egg and continued to search for the last one. But I couldn’t find it. I held up my hands.
“You found the one on the picture frame, and the plant, the lamp…” he went on and on, trying to remember where he hid them. “Oh.” He pointed to the front door. “Did you even look in the foyer?”
“Uh. No.” I rushed over and looked and looked and found the last egg tucked in my orange and yellow running shoe.
The egg was orange, so it was easy to glance over it.
I didn’t find it until I picked it up. “Sneaky. Bet we’d find that one eventually.
Like later today.” I kept the pair here because I ran nearly every day. “Ta-da.” I held it over my head.
Daddy took the egg and then pecked a kiss on my lips. “Good job, Cody. Ready for breakfast?”
“What are we having?”
“Eggs.” We both laughed then, because there were only boiled eggs, no more raw ones. I ended up having cereal with a promise to devil the eggs later today. Wouldn’t want them to go to waste.
Overall, it was a fun day as expected, but it felt a little overshadowed by a pouty daddy.
Every time I looked at him when he didn’t know I was looking, he was frowning.
There wasn’t anything I could do about it for now.
I needed to figure my shit out. So after breakfast, I ended up going for a run to clear my head and just let this whole moving-in thing ruminate up there.