11. Stephen
STEPHEN
I expected to sleep because everything I’d dreamed of had come true.
But I lay awake until daybreak, thinking of how my life would change and what Clyde and I had to look forward to. And Posy. We were a family, though she wasn’t aware of that. Her reaction might be the only hiccup because she and her father were a team and now I was muscling in.
My mate and I had agreed we had to take it slow. Posy would set the pace, and I’d bend to her needs.
Clyde stirred, and I snuggled against his warm body, relishing waking up with my mate.
“Morning.” I kissed his jaw.
He raised his head. “Is that what you call this? Looks like the sky is squinting just like me.”
“That’s known as dawn.”
He nuzzled the base of my throat, saying he and sunrise were friends when Posy was a baby but they hadn’t said hello in a while.
“I should go so I’m home when Posy is done with her sleepover.”
“Most kids her age aren’t going to leave their friend’s place this early. Let me make you breakfast.”
“Fine.”
Leaping out of bed, I got my phone because I wanted to record this. The first of many mornings together.
“Coffee?” I stuck my head around the bedroom door, and Clyde gave me a thumbs up. He still had his eyes closed, though. “Stay where you are and I’ll bring it in.”
He shoved his head under the pillow and mumbled, “Thanks.”
Who knew that I’d look at everyday activities such as brewing coffee and cracking eggs as so enjoyable? It was as though I was doing each one for the first time.
“One coffee coming up.” I bustled into the bedroom and stood beside the bed. When Clyde didn’t move, I waved the mug close to the pillow, and he lifted it and looked at me with one eye open.
“Hmmm, now that I can wake up for.”
“But not for me earlier when I was cuddling?”
He pushed the pillows behind his back and took the mug. “Here’s the thing. You are going to be by my side every morning from now on.” He took a sip. “Mmmm, just how I like it.” He patted the mattress. “But can you guarantee good coffee every morning?”
And there it was, that smirk. I would have whacked his shoulder but the coffee might have sloshed on the bed.
“That’s a secret.” I tapped my nose. “But if you hang around long enough, I might spill.”
I blew him a kiss and headed back to the kitchen, shouting over my shoulder, “Eggs over easy or sunny side up?”
“Surprise me.”
“Oh, I’m full of surprises.” I giggled and left him to drink his coffee.
“I’m aware of that after last night.”
Damn, my cheeks burned as I tied on an apron and grabbed eggs and butter from the fridge. I was bopping along to a song on my playlist when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist and lips were placed on my ear.
“Can I help?”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
He squeezed my butt as I cracked one egg into the pan. “Do that again and you might get egg on your face.”
“So I should do this instead?” His hands slid over my hips to my crotch where he rubbed my length though my tracksuit bottoms. My cock swelled, and I rested my head on his shoulder.
“You’re not hungry?”
“I’m starving.” Goosebumps trailed over my skin as his cool breath washed over me.
I told him to keep an eye on the eggs while I made the toast. He kept glancing at me as I popped the bread in the toaster and put plates and cutlery on the table.
“Do I have something on my face?” I ran my tongue around my lips.
“Mmmm. The cutest button nose and the most kissable lips.”
“But of course.”
While eating breakfast, I learned that my mate preferred runny eggs and he liked his toast with a hint of burn. And earlier, I discovered he wasn’t a morning person but enjoyed good coffee first thing.
“Okay, gotta go.” He kissed me, opened the front door, and came back to kiss me again. “I’m going to miss you. Come by for lunch and we’ll talk to Posy.”
“You want to do the ‘we’re together’ speech?”
“It’s not fair to her if we don’t. Besides, she can’t have a sleepover every night, and I don’t want to hide you. There’ll be no sneaking out in the middle of the night.”
There were more kisses, and he tweaked my ass before I shoved him out the door.
Why did you do that? my beast asked. He could have stayed longer.
I explained why he had to leave, and as we were going to tell Posy about us, I should get her a gift. If she wasn’t ready to accept me as her dad’s mate, it would be from me as her friend. She’d given me a present, so now it was my turn.
And that gave me an idea of how my present to Posy would tie in with the one she gave me.
I wandered up and down the aisles of a gift shop looking for a container. I paused beside a glass one emblazoned with bunnies. That was the one. At home, I added things to the bunny container and arranged each one so they were visible without opening the lid.
As I waited until I could leave for Clyde’s, my foot tapped on the floor, irritating my fox. I couldn’t concentrate on a book or the TV. Even my favorite playlist failed to soothe me.
She already likes you, so what’s the big deal? My beast was thinking logically, but this was a little girl whose life was about to change.
Damn, I had to change my shirt because I was sweating and the new shirt didn’t go with my pants. And now I was going to be a few minutes late. Other than mating, this would be one of the most significant moments of my life, and I couldn’t even be on time.
I pressed my foot on the accelerator, but now I was over the speed limit. Being given a speeding ticket wasn’t a good example to set for Posy. I was going to be a dad, and I needed to be more responsible.
A few minutes late wasn’t a disaster, and I hoped if she knew I was coming and that she wasn’t waiting for me on the porch. But as I turned the corner, both Clyde and Posy were in the garden and waved as I pulled up.
“Stephen, come and see my room.”
She dragged me inside, and I admired her pink bedding, her framed paintings on the wall, her toy box, and a tablet she’d gotten for Christmas. Clyde strolled in, and I told Posy I had a present.
“Sit on the bed and close your eyes.”
“Is it a toy?” She was bouncing up and down.
“No.” I took one of her hands and brushed her fingers over the container.
“Is it for flour? Like what we use for pancakes?”
“Guess again.” I hoped no one had ever given her a present like that. What a letdown for a little girl expecting something interesting or exciting.
“Bath bombs so I smell good after taking a bath?”
“Nope.” I told her to open her eyes.
She gasped as she held up the container. “Buttons.”
“They’re from my collection. I hope you like them.”
She upended the container so the buttons spilled out. She picked up a silver one. “This is so sparkly.”
Clyde pointed out a black glass one. “Where’s that from?”
“It’s from Victorian times. Women wore those when they were sad.” I avoided saying it was from a mourning dress.
“Oh, no.” Posy stroked it and said she wouldn’t let the button be sad or lonely.
“What’s this?” She held a brown button in her palm. There was nothing special about the actual button, but it was pretty special to me.
“That was from my first coat when I was very little.”
Posy squeed. “I love it.” She pressed it against her cheek before picking up another. “Awww, this one is broken. What happened?”
I explained I found it in a pile of buttons in a secondhand shop. It was pink like Posy’s bedding and of no use to anyone. I’d wondered how long it had stayed there with customers ignoring it.
“The poor button was probably lonely.” Posy held it to the light.
“Not everything has to be perfect to be worth keeping.”
She got up and hugged me, saying she loved her present and was going to add to the collection.
“Who wants to help set the table?” Clyde glanced from me to his daughter.
“Me.” I held up my hand.
“Me too.” Posy put her hand in mine. “I’m glad you’re here, Stephen.”