Page 51 of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Us, Daddy

It starts with a bounce. Then another. After a few more, I’m rocking back and forth on my feet, my toes feeling tingly. I grab the bear and whirl around, holding it out to show Daddy. He’s going to love it just as much as I do, I just know it!

“Daddy,” I blurt, holding the bear out for him to inspect. “It’s you! I found you.” I shake it in front of his face. “What do you think?”

God. That smile. He snorts an adoring laugh. “Well, if you’d give me a chance to look at it, I’d love to tell you.”

I freeze in place, shoving it at him as I smile with pride, as if I’m the person who stitched the creation together. “He’s really handsome. Just like you.” My cheeks are a little warm, but I don’t let that stop me. “And he’s got your big bushy eyebrows and your super-cute eyes.”

“You think I have pretty eyes?”

“Everything about you is pretty, sir.”

He takes the bear and inspects him thoroughly. “He’s precious,” Daddy says before handing the bear back to me. His hand touches my cheek, and he kisses the tip of my nose. “That’s a very good choice, son.”

I’m rocking back and forth, swaying like a super-strong tree during a tornado, wanting more. Wanting to show him how much I appreciate him. Needing him to know.

Daddy arches an eyebrow at me. “Is something on your mind, buddy?” He combs his fingers through my hair, tussling it until it probably looks ridiculous, but I don’t care.

“I wanna tell you something, but I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

“Is that right?” He’s got a serious expression on his face, like he knows it must be important, but he doesn’t want to push. “Will I like what you have to say?”

His eyes are burning holes through me, and I can’t handle the weight of the gaze, so I stare down at my shoes. They’re really cute shoes. But then, Daddy bought them for me, so I guess they’d have to be.

“I hope so,” I whisper, twisting my ankle back and forth like I’m trying to drill a hole into the hardwood floor. Maybe if I drill far enough, I can fall into that hole just to escape all this pressure that’s pressing down on me. Daddy’s being so quiet, and I’m worried he might know what I’m wanting to tell him, and maybe he doesn’t want to hear it yet. “I really, really hope so.”

He slides a finger under my chin and tugs until I’m looking him in the eyes. “I think I might have something to say to you too, Bennet.”

“Yeah?” I ask, my voice cracking.

“Yeah, baby, I do.” God. Why does he have to look at me like that? There’s so much affection in his eyes, and it feels overwhelming. I can’t cope with this. Not in here. Not when nasty Marnie might pop up at any time just to invade our moment. I can’t tell him here. It has to be special, because Daddy’s the most special man I know.

Daddy must know I’m struggling, because he gives me another kiss before stroking the empty bear I selected. “Do you want to go stuff this little guy?”

“Yes, please.”

After the bears are stuffed, we select our outfits. For mine, I choose a suit and tie, just like the ones Daddy wears to work. I even get him a pair of glasses like the ones he wears when he reads. When I show it to him, Daddy looks so freaking proud of me. Benji’s bear is super cute. It’s got pink fur and big blue eyes, giving it a cotton candy vibe. He dresses his bear in a white shirt and a pair of slacks, just like the ones I picked for my Daddy bear. Then he gives his plush pal a pair of adorable glasses, similar to the ones I selected for mine. As for Daddy, hepicks two bears with blond fur, and he dresses them in matching onesies. Our home will now have two Dad slash Daddy bears, and two bears that look like me and Benji.

Daddy doesn’t let us listen when he records a message and has the little voice boxes stitched into Benji and my bear’s tummies. That’s okay. We don’t let him hear the ones we record for him, either. Maybe when we get home, though, because I think he needs to hear it just as much as we need to hear it said back.

With the bags holding our bears in one hand and Dad’s hand in the others, we head toward the exit, but something catches Benji’s eye and he stops walking.

“Dad?”

“Yes, son?”

“Do you trust me?”

He chuckles. “Of course I do.”

“Good. Because I’ve got an idea, and it’s one that’s going to make you even sexier than you are now.”

Daddy’s cheeks darken. “You think I’m sexy?”

“Yeah.” Benji looks back at him and grins at him. “I’ll show you how much, tonight.”

“You will?”

“Yeah. Gonna do stuff to your penis. Come to terms with it, because it’s happening.”

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