Page 47 of Summer with a Single Dad

“Go on, then,” he said when he pulled away.

“You’re such a tease,” I said, squeezing his face in my hand.

“Oh, I can put these burgers in the fridge right now.”

“No, no,” I said as I fought the urge to tell him yes. “I want to get this done for him before he goes to bed tonight.”

He lifted a brow. “What are you doing?”

“It’s a surprise,” I said, turning away. “You’ll see it when Hudson does.”

As I worked in Hudson’s room, I couldn’t wait to see his face light up. The other day, I wandered into the local toy store and saw these decorations that made me think of Hudson. I thought of giving them to him as a gift but decided it would be much more exciting to put them up to surprise him.

It took an hour and a half to get every little piece in place. I stood back and took a look, supremely satisfied with my work and very proud that I did this all on my own. It would have been fun to have Chris help me, but I thought it would be more meaningful to do it alone. Sometimes, it was the little things in life. I chuckled as my mind immediately went to the little boy laughing as he played with the dogs outside.

I left the bedroom lights on like the directions instructed and shut the door behind me.

“Perfect timing,” Chris said when I walked into the kitchen.

“Burgers smell good,” I said, giving him a kiss.

“Hudson!” he called. “Come wash up.” Hudson ran inside with three furballs quick on his tail. “How’d it go in there?” Chris asked as boy and dogs rushed past us in a blur.

“Good,” I said, chuckling along with Hudson’s giggles. “I think he’s going to really like it.”

Chris ensured Hudson wouldn’t see his room until bedtime.

While Hudson took a shower to clean away the chlorine from swimming earlier that day, Chris picked out some pajamas and took them to him in the bathroom. He kept Hudson busy until he’d brushed his hair and teeth.

I was sitting on the couch when Hudson ran up to me. “Daddy said you have a surprise for me.”

“I do. Are you ready for bed?” I asked.

“Yep.” The eagerness in his voice had me hopping up.

We met Chris at Hudson’s bedroom door. I turned the knob and let Hudson lead us inside.

“I hope you like it,” I said, turning off the light.

Hundreds of glow-in-the-dark stars lit up on the ceiling and walls.

“Wow,” Hudson said, amazed. “It looks like the sky inStar Wars.”

“This is seriously cool,” Chris said.

The soft glow from overhead allowed us to make our way toward the bed without turning the lights back on.

Before he crawled under the covers, he turned to me and gave me a fierce hug.

“What do we say?” Chris prompted.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Hudson laid back on his pillow and tucked his hands under his head.

For a few minutes, we stayed with him, looking at the spectacular scene above us.

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