Page 45 of Daddy's Little Dreamer

We headed down the hall toward the spare room and stepped inside. “I’d like to donate the bed. Got any places in mind that’ll take it?”

“I do. I’ll take it to the shelter. Dresser?”

“I think it can stay, but do you know of anyone who can hand paint some of Trevor’s favorite things on it?”

“I absolutely do. My boy Tae is an artist.”

I’d met Tae a few times. He was very quiet and shy, and Chuck adored him. I had no clue that he was an artist. Contractors always had the best hook-ups

“Excellent, does he have a website?”

Chuck pulled out his wallet and handed me a card.

“Now I’m even more excited. Let me share the theme with you.” Intently he listened as I explained everything.

“What would you say to having Tae hand paint a mural in here that depicts all you just described.”

“Huh, I hadn’t considered that. What a wonderful idea and so much more personal than slapping decals on the walls. Let’s do it.”

Chuck and I went through the paint swatches he brought and settled on a pale blue which would make for the perfect sky behind the murals. I was just as excited as the boy receiving his new playroom would be. He and Tae would be back tomorrow to get started. Meanwhile, this daddy had a car and playroom shopping to do.

I’d lived a simple life. My only real extravagances were my club membership, which the nursing paid for, and my vehicle. Outside of that, my life was pretty basic. Really, until Trevor came along, it was dull beige and, quite honestly, mundane.

I purchased my home at the right time and for a great price many years ago so spending what I’d saved on Trevor really didn’t hurt. Would I be the million-dollar daddy so many in the lifestyle were? No, not at all, but that wasn’t who Trevor needed me to be.

How easily Trevor and I slid into each other’s lives was a clear sign of just that.

As packages arrived, I hid them in the garage away from prying eyes and as an extra precaution, locked the soon to be playroom door. The progress Chuck and Tae made was nothing shortof amazing. Two truly gifted men helping make the dream for another little come to fruition.

On Friday night when I picked up my Sweet Bee, Lila was out so Trevor and I loaded up the few boxes he had packed.

“Are you excited for this weekend, Little Bee? Car shopping?”

“Excited and nervous. These price tags might give me a heart attack.”

“They’ll be none of that and there’s no price tag worth your life. I’ve narrowed it down to three so we’ll hit auto alley tomorrow morning when the dealerships open.”

“Auto alley? Is that the name of the place we’re going to?”

“Kind of. Most of the larger dealerships are lined up in a row along the same stretch of road that everyone has lovingly nicknamed Auto Alley. It’s not the real name of the street but it sure does make hopping from one lot to the next easier.”

“Can you do the test driving, Daddy? The thought makes me nervous, and I totally trust you.”

“Absolutely, Sweet Bee. I’d have asked to take the vehicles out for another drive even if you had.”

We stopped along the way home to pick up a dinner treat. My boy was so excited he danced and sang in the passenger seat after we went through is favorite drive thru.

“Let’s eat first, then we’ll bring the boxes in. We’ll leave them in the living room for you to unpack.” I’d help if he asked me to but in my opinion it was important for him to decide where his things fit.

Trevor dove right into his kid’s meal, singing his dippy song as he saturated the poor nuggets in a mixture of ranch and barbeque sauce. He turned the house shaped box his dinner came in as he read each side and used a finger to complete the puzzles.

“Ready to unload?”

“’K, Daddy.” He hopped down and threw his trash away. “Ready.”

It only took a few minutes to unload. “Why don’t you put your clothes away in our closet? I also emptied a few dresser drawers for you.”

I queued up his favorite station over the Bluetooth speakers. Never had I enjoyed helping anyone move as much as this. Trevor danced around, stacking old toys with new, making sure everything was just right. Such a gift this bright light was.

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