Page 32 of My Young Mafia Daddy

Nico

The vibes are great, and so they should be… I’ve used my contacts and a whole heap of cash to get early access to a new Little play club that’s opening in the city. And I can’t deny it, I think this is going to be a great addition to the city, so much so that it might just be worth investing in myself. After all, who wouldn’t want to own a share in a Little play center when you just so happen to have the most adorable baby boy in the world?

Eddie and I have spent the best part of three hours playing, laughing, and having a wonderful time together. And not only that, but by having Eddie’s friend Aaron here too, it’s been a joy to see my sweet boy playing with his fellow Little.

‘Daddy! Daddy! I think this is thebestestplace ever!’ Eddie calls out to me from atop the climbing frame in the corner of the room.

‘Yup, it sure is!’ Aaron chimes in, waving his hands and giggling with my boy as they play pirates.

But as fun as its been, I’m beginning to get the sense that the two boys are reaching the end of their energy supplies. Aaron’s Daddy is due to pick him up soon and I’m thinking it might betime for my special boy to clow down and get ready for some chill time.

‘It’s been a busy morning so far, baby boy,’ I say, smiling as I catch Eddie trying to suppress a yawn. ‘There’s nothing wrong with feeling a little tired.’

‘B-b-b-but, I’m n-n-n-n-n-not tired,’ Eddie replies, doing his very best to sound wide awake but clearly struggling on that front. ‘Ipwomise… I want to keep on being a pirate!’

‘Hmmm, I’m not buying it,’ I chuckle. ‘Come on, come over to Daddy and let’s see what we can do about those big yawns. You too, Aaron. I’ve got an idea…’

I wait for the two romper-clad baby boys to climb off the pirate ship and toddle over toward me. I can see that they’re both in Little Space and all of my Daddy instincts are telling me that some time in Stuffie Corner is what they need. But there’s a twist that neither one of them knows about…

‘The stuffies are all warm!’ Aaron says, sitting his butt down next to a collection of special stuffies called Warmies. ‘Oooh, this sloth is adorable. And this tiger! And this llama!’

‘Well maybe if you ask your Daddy nicely, he’ll get some for home,’ I chuckle, watching as Aaron snuggles down amongst the deep pile of heated stuffies. ‘Now, how about we get all cozy too, Eddie?’

I can tell by the wide-eyed look on Eddie’s face that he’s more than ready to get all snuggly with me. Wearing a black and white cow patterned romper, it’s no surprise when I see Eddie gravitate to the cow Warmie.

‘Don’t just pick one, you can have as many as you like,’ I smile, sitting next to Eddie and helping him pick out a vast array of warm stuffies for him to cuddle and snuggle with. ‘There’s a bison, a moose, and a bobcat. They can all be your friends for nap time.’

‘Nap time?’ Eddie asks, his face giving away the fact that he knows he needs some quiet time to recharge his batteries. ‘But…’

I bring the boy in close and lean back against the soft bean bags behind us. Eddie might want to keep playing, especially now that he’s got his hands on some admittedly totally adorable stuffies, but I’m his Daddy and I know what he needs. It might just be a case of showing him the best way forward…

‘Come on, close your eyes with Daddy,’ I say, my voice soft and comforting. ‘If Daddy needs a nap, then his Little darling boy might just need one too…’

‘Well, I guessmaybe,’ Eddie says, his words trailing off a little as he nuzzles his head into my chest. ‘I kinda… sleepy… a little bit…’

‘That’s it, you just get all warm with Daddy,’ I reply, wrapping my arm around Eddie and picking up a couple of other Warmies with my spare hand to place in his lap. ‘Mr. Kangaroo and Mr. Moose will sing you a little song to help.’

With that, I begin to gently hum an old Italian nursery rhyme that I remember from my youth and before long I can feel Eddie’s breathing slow down and the faint sound of snoring begin to emerge.

I carefully look down, making sure I don’t disturb my sleeping beauty, and can’t help but smile as I see Eddie fast asleep. Withhis collection of Warmies all up close and personal, Eddie’s cheeks are glowing, and I can only imagine how wholesome and sweet his dreams are right now.

Living on the other side of the law, it’s not often that I have sweet dreams. In fact, I would probably have to go all the way back to my childhood to remember the last time that I had anything approaching a ‘sweet dream’. But there’s something absolutely magical to know that my precious boy still has the innocence and warm heartedness to be able to let his Little side run free and fill his heart and soul with all the joy and rainbows a boy could wish for.

Maybe that’s what being a Daddy will bring me…

Maybe Eddie can be my savior and the perfect counterbalance to the darker side of my life that I know will be with me forever?

But now isn’t the time to think about things like this. I need to enjoy the moment. My lifestyle means that I’m probably one bad decision away from a lethal bullet to the head. So whenever I do have the luxury of spending the purest time with my boy, I need to make the absolute most of it.

And with the warmth of Eddie’s sweet, soft body next to mine, I allow my own eyes to close. And who knows, I might even have a sweet dream myself for once…

‘Woah, I guess we were asleep for a minute…’ I say, rubbing my eyes and expecting to see Eddie still slumbering next to me. ‘What the…’

But it seems like my once sleepy baby boy has now fully recharged his batteries and is back having fun. Except this time, he’s flying solo up on the pirate ship. And things might be about to get dangerous…

‘Be careful up there,’ I call out, seeing that Eddie is balancing far too precariously on the ship’s bow.

The ball pit that surrounds the pirate ship would cushion any fall, but it could still be a nasty fall if my boy isn’t more careful. Eddie is a brave boy, but his balance isn’t great at the best of times, and I’d hate to see him land awkwardly and ruin the day.

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